Finally played my first Silent Hill, and after the action-horror of RE Village it's pretty neat to play a pure horror game.
The biggest issue with me getting into classic horror games was the fact many of them use tank controls, so it took some getting used to here. I'm still not a huge fan of them, but I understand why they were a genre standard as a means to emphasize your characters' limited actions.
Everyone knows the atmosphere is the biggest factor in SH's brand of horrror, and here it was amazingly effective. I was actually having a hard time keeping on playing at times, because the atmosphere was so consuming and nauseating at times, also thanks in part to the incredible soundtrack. Both sewer sequences had me super tense and yeling "run" in my head, and the monsters' moaning being mixed with the BGM had me completely unnerved.
Even on easy mode (I have no shame in playing on this mode for now, as I was intent on enjoying the story) the gameplay tries to steer you to avoid unnecessary encounters. Getting chased in the late game by some of the stronger monsters adds quite a bit to the tension. The puzzles are well done for the most part, although a few of them definitely needed a guide because of how overly layered they were (especially during the final dungeon).
The soundtrack is definitely a huge part of what makes the atmosphere and emotions that more intense. My favorite scene is easily Lisa's final moment, it got to me emotionally far more than I expected and I almost got teary-eyed afterwards, thanks in part to her theme. One of the most beautiful scenes in all of gaming.
I got the Good+ ending, which definitely feels like the most satsifying and canon ending (although apparently the second Good ending is what most people gravitate to), and I might go another round at some point for one of those endings. This is definitely a game and series I want to take my time with, I feel marathoning them might diminish the experience. Still was good to break from recent games to throw back to a classic horror title, especially one I've been wanting to play forever.
9/10
The biggest issue with me getting into classic horror games was the fact many of them use tank controls, so it took some getting used to here. I'm still not a huge fan of them, but I understand why they were a genre standard as a means to emphasize your characters' limited actions.
Everyone knows the atmosphere is the biggest factor in SH's brand of horrror, and here it was amazingly effective. I was actually having a hard time keeping on playing at times, because the atmosphere was so consuming and nauseating at times, also thanks in part to the incredible soundtrack. Both sewer sequences had me super tense and yeling "run" in my head, and the monsters' moaning being mixed with the BGM had me completely unnerved.
Even on easy mode (I have no shame in playing on this mode for now, as I was intent on enjoying the story) the gameplay tries to steer you to avoid unnecessary encounters. Getting chased in the late game by some of the stronger monsters adds quite a bit to the tension. The puzzles are well done for the most part, although a few of them definitely needed a guide because of how overly layered they were (especially during the final dungeon).
The soundtrack is definitely a huge part of what makes the atmosphere and emotions that more intense. My favorite scene is easily Lisa's final moment, it got to me emotionally far more than I expected and I almost got teary-eyed afterwards, thanks in part to her theme. One of the most beautiful scenes in all of gaming.
I got the Good+ ending, which definitely feels like the most satsifying and canon ending (although apparently the second Good ending is what most people gravitate to), and I might go another round at some point for one of those endings. This is definitely a game and series I want to take my time with, I feel marathoning them might diminish the experience. Still was good to break from recent games to throw back to a classic horror title, especially one I've been wanting to play forever.
9/10