Silent Hill Wiki
Don't have an account?
Register
Register
Silent Hill Wiki
Silent Hill Wiki
2,409
pages
in: Locations, Silent Hill 3 Locations, Silent Hill: The Arcade Locations, Silent Hill: Revelation Locations
English

Changes: Central Square Shopping Center

Back to page
Sign in to edit
No edit summary
Tag: sourceedit
m (Updating file links (automatic))
 
(64 intermediate revisions by 12 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{Era|Sh3|Sharcade|Shrev|Locations}}
  
{{Era|Sh3|Sharcade|Shrev|Locations}}
−
{{Building
 +
{{Infobox Building
  +
|image = Mall.png
−
|name= Central Square Shopping Center
  
  ⚫
|caption = [[Heather Mason|Heather]] on the first floor of the mall
−
|buildingimage= Mall.jpg
  
  +
|othernames =
⚫
|imagecaption=Heather on the first floor of the mall
  
−
|location= Heather's town
 +
|location = Heather's town
−
|keys=
+
|floors = 3
  ⚫
|bosses = [[Split Worm]]
−
|floors= 3
  
  +
|debut = ''[[Silent Hill 3]]''
⚫
|bosses= Split Worm
  
−
|appearances= ''Silent Hill 3''<br>''Silent Hill: The Arcade''<br>''Silent Hill: Revelation''}}
 +
|otherappearances = *''[[Silent Hill: The Arcade]]''
  +
*''[[Silent Hill: Revelation]]''
  +
}}
 
{{quote|''I have never been to a shopping mall that I've wanted to leave so quickly.''
  
{{quote|''I have never been to a shopping mall that I've wanted to leave so quickly.''
 
:—Tina to Eric}}
  
:—Tina to Eric}}
 
The '''Central Square Shopping Center''' is, in reality, the first area explored in ''[[Silent Hill 3]]''. It also appears in ''[[Silent Hill: Revelation]]'' and ''[[Silent Hill: The Arcade]]''.
  
The '''Central Square Shopping Center''' is, in reality, the first area explored in ''[[Silent Hill 3]]''. It also appears in ''[[Silent Hill: Revelation]]'' and ''[[Silent Hill: The Arcade]]''.
   
−
The mall is composed of mainly three floors, with five department stores and various other outlets. The mall is directly connected to a [[Hazel Street Station|subway station]] beneath the bottom floor.
 +
The mall is composed of mainly three floors, with five department stores and various other outlets. It is directly connected to a [[Hazel Street Station|subway station]] beneath the bottom floor.
   
−
It isn't made clear in the game as to where the mall is located, however, it is suggested that the town the mall is located in is only a few hours’ drive away from [[Silent Hill, Maine|Silent Hill]]. It's also possible that Central Square is just a few miles away from Heather's [[Daisy Villa Apartments|apartment building]], since there is only one single road leading to her home and the exit of the [[Construction Site|construction site]]. However, it's unknown how far the construction site is from Central Square.
 +
It isn't made clear in the game as to where the mall is located; however, it is suggested that the town the mall is located in is only a few hours' drive away from [[Silent Hill, Maine|Silent Hill]]. It's also possible that Central Square is just a few miles away from Heather's [[Daisy Villa Apartments|apartment building]], since there is only one single road leading to her home and the exit of the [[Construction Site|construction site]]. However, it's unknown how far the construction site is from Central Square.
   
 
==''Silent Hill 3''==
  
==''Silent Hill 3''==
 
The protagonist, [[Heather Mason]], wakes within the shopping mall from a bad dream and the player is "formally" introduced to the game and characters. It is here that Heather first meets the detective [[Douglas Cartland]] and [[Claudia Wolf]], as well as experiences first-hand the effects of the [[Otherworld]] and defeats the game's first boss.
  
The protagonist, [[Heather Mason]], wakes within the shopping mall from a bad dream and the player is "formally" introduced to the game and characters. It is here that Heather first meets the detective [[Douglas Cartland]] and [[Claudia Wolf]], as well as experiences first-hand the effects of the [[Otherworld]] and defeats the game's first boss.
   
−
Heather first enters into the Otherworld after meeting Claudia. After a short conversation about the birth of [[Paradise]] and [[God]], Heather falls on her knees, in pain, and Claudia leaves. Afterwards she is left alone to find a way to escape the now hostile mall. Through exploration, subtle clues are left for Heather to remember her past and [[Alessa Gillespie|true self]], including a static-ridden message heard in the first game and various [[Halo of the Sun|Halos of the Sun]] scattered throughout. Heather also comes upon the trademark items of the series; the [[flashlight]] and the [[radio]]. She discovers many strange oddities such as a barbecued dog, hospital gurneys everywhere, a [[moonstone]] inside a [[walnut]], and even a room resembling a torture chamber.
 +
Heather first enters into the Otherworld after meeting Claudia. After a short conversation about the birth of [[Paradise]] and [[God]], Heather falls to her knees, in pain, and Claudia leaves. Afterwards she is left alone to find a way to escape the now hostile mall. Through exploration, subtle clues are left for Heather to remember her past and [[Alessa Gillespie|true self]], including a static-ridden message heard in the [[Silent Hill (video game)|first game]] and various [[Halo of the Sun|Halos of the Sun]] scattered throughout. Heather also comes upon the trademark items of the series; the [[flashlight]] and the [[radio]]. She discovers many strange oddities such as a barbecued dog, hospital gurneys everywhere (due to Heather subconsciously remembering Alessa's hospitalization), a [[moonstone]] inside a [[walnut]], and even a room resembling a torture chamber.
   
−
In the end, Heather climbs down a ladder to the ground floor and faces the [[Split Worm]], the first boss of the game. Upon its defeat, she returns to the [[Real World]] and wonders if she was daydreaming. She then heads to the [[Hazel Street Station]] in order to get home. It is also implied that the events described were witnessed by the other major character shown, Douglas Cartland.
 +
In the end, Heather climbs down a ladder to the ground floor and faces the [[Split Worm]], the first boss of the game. Upon its defeat, she returns to the [[Real World]] and wonders if she was daydreaming. She then heads to the Hazel Street Station in order to get home. It is also implied that the events described were witnessed by the other major character shown, Douglas Cartland.
   
 
==''Silent Hill: The Arcade''==
  
==''Silent Hill: The Arcade''==
Line 34: Line 36:
 
The mall then shifts into the hellish Otherworld, and Heather starts to see visions of children eating bloody flesh burgers, an evil clown, a [[Delusion|security officer with a stitched face]], and living people being skinned alive and having body parts cooked in Happy Burger's kitchen.
  
The mall then shifts into the hellish Otherworld, and Heather starts to see visions of children eating bloody flesh burgers, an evil clown, a [[Delusion|security officer with a stitched face]], and living people being skinned alive and having body parts cooked in Happy Burger's kitchen.
   
−
[[Douglas Cartland (film)|Douglas Cartland]] follows Heather, but is killed by the [[Missionary (film)|Missionary]] after the creature chops his fingers off. Heather is then able to flee the mall, however, detectives find her jacket and declare her a suspect in Douglas's murder.
 +
[[Douglas Cartland (film)|Douglas Cartland]] follows Heather, but is killed by the [[Missionary (film)|Missionary]] after the creature chops his fingers off. Heather is then able to flee the mall, however, [[Detective Santini|detectives]] find her jacket and declare her a suspect in Douglas's murder.
   
 
==Stores==
  
==Stores==
Line 66: Line 68:
   
 
==Symbolism==
  
==Symbolism==
  ⚫
{{spec}}Like many things in the [[Silent Hill (franchise)|''Silent Hill'' series]], locations can carry symbolism. In this case, the player is an American teenage girl trapped in a hellish shopping mall filled with horror and monsters. Many of the stores are completely boarded up and empty, former shells of themselves.
−
{{spec}}
  
−
Like many things in the ''Silent Hill'' series, locations can carry symbolism. In this case, the player is an American teenage girl trapped in a scary shopping mall, seeking to find a way out. This could be seen as a satire of consumerism, humanity's consumerist mindset, materialism and wealth collection, like a dangerous addiction which can be hard to escape.
  
   
  ⚫
To Heather, a shopping mall, more than anything else, represents her everyday life as it was before her true past was revealed to her by Claudia. She is surrounded by everything she once knew and was certain of, as well as all the material aspects of life that were once important to her. Yet the irony is that these things are no longer of any significance to her although they are still present alongside her journey, nor are they essential to understand or to pay attention to for socialization survival skills.
⚫
The very first location in the games involves exploring a hellish shopping mall filled with horror and monsters. Many of the stores are completely boarded up and empty, former shells of themselves.
  
   
  ⚫
[[File:BBQ dog.jpg|thumb|250px|Barbecued dog which Heather wouldn't eat.]]
−
Heather once said she liked a ring in a jewelry store, but later returns to find it missing. The fact that so many items can disappear in the Otherworld could be seen as a reflection of people's attachments to physical things and the fear of losing them and not having them anymore.
  
  +
[[File:MallTorture.png|thumb|250px|A sports store transforms into a torture room.]]
   
⚫
To Heather, a shopping mall more than anything else represents her everyday life as it was before her true past was revealed to her by Claudia. She is surrounded by everything she once knew and was certain of, as well as all the material aspects of life that were once important to her. Yet the irony is that these things are no longer of any significance to her although they are still present alongside her journey, nor are they essential to understand or to pay attention to for socialization survival skills.
  
−  
⚫
[[File:BBQ dog.jpg|thumb|250px|Barbecued dog.]]
  
 
Some ideas are inverted, for example:
  
Some ideas are inverted, for example:
   
−
*Finding a bulletproof vest in a fashion boutique store
 +
*Finding a [[Bulletproof Vest]] in a fashion boutique store
−
*Finding a coathanger and tongs, which may not seem very useful at first, to progress
  
 
*Finding torture devices, which are meant to cause pain to the physical bodies of humans, in a sports store which is meant to express the physical side of humanity
  
*Finding torture devices, which are meant to cause pain to the physical bodies of humans, in a sports store which is meant to express the physical side of humanity
−
*Finding a dead dog in a restaurant served as food (a parody of carnism)
 +
*Finding a dead dog in a restaurant served as food (a probable parody of the urban myth about Chinese restaurants using dog meat in their meals)
 
*Finding an extremely useful Moonstone in an ordinary-looking walnut
  
*Finding an extremely useful Moonstone in an ordinary-looking walnut
   
−
The tragedy of the setting is the passive memory of what the mall was, a thriving and bustling complex which more than anything was representative of the needs of humanity. Yet in the Otherworld, humanity is very much absent, significantly perhaps as it is not in God's plans for the blue print of 'Paradise'. This in turn, makes the 'grey setting' far more depressive and frightening to the gamer, because the gamer is very much a part of that pre-existing reality and are imbued with the same social values.
 +
The tragedy of the setting is the passive memory of what the mall was, a thriving and bustling complex which more than anything was representative of the needs of humanity. Yet in the Otherworld, humanity is very much absent, significantly perhaps as it is not in God's plans for the blueprint of "Paradise". This in turn makes the "grey setting" far more depressive and frightening to the player, because the player is very much a part of that pre-existing reality and are imbued with the same social values.
   
−
The mall is an empty shell, whose purpose and origin was to be built by mankind, and
+
The mall is an empty shell, whose purpose and origin was to be built by mankind, and effectively "brought alive" by fulfilling its purpose (to provide for the physical needs of mankind). The presence of the monsters only emphasizes the absence of humanity, purpose, hope and the future.
−
effectively 'brought alive' by fulfilling its purpose (to provide for the physical needs of mankind). As the old saying goes, it is the people who make a place what it is. The presence of the monsters only emphasizes the absence of humanity, purpose,
 
−
hope and the future.
  
   
−
The [[Closer]]s could be a distorted interpretation of real people: mall shoppers. It is reminiscent of a figure holding a shopping bag in each hand. This is supported by the fact that it first appears in the Central Square Shopping Center. Its mouth is the most prominent feature on the face, possibly reflecting the idea that mall shoppers talk too much.
 +
The [[Closer]]s could be a distorted interpretation of real people: mall shoppers. It is reminiscent of a figure holding a shopping bag in each hand. This is supported by the fact that it first appears in the Central Square Shopping Center.
   
 
==Trivia==
  
==Trivia==
 
[[File:Tirn_Aill.jpg|thumb|250px|Cafe Tirn Aill.]]
  
[[File:Tirn_Aill.jpg|thumb|250px|Cafe Tirn Aill.]]
−
* Heather wakes up from her dream in Happy Burger, a restaurant first seen in ''Silent Hill 2''.
 +
* Heather wakes up from her dream in Happy Burger, a restaurant first seen in ''[[Silent Hill 2]]''.
   
 
*The words "Tirn Aill", which in Welsh mythology means "Other World", appear twice in the normal shopping center, once on a poster entitled "The Revolt of Tirn Aill" and again on a door saying "Cafe Tirn Aill". The door which says "Cafe Tirn Aill" is actually the same one used to enter Cafe Paradise Noon, which is only entered after the Otherworld transition.
  
*The words "Tirn Aill", which in Welsh mythology means "Other World", appear twice in the normal shopping center, once on a poster entitled "The Revolt of Tirn Aill" and again on a door saying "Cafe Tirn Aill". The door which says "Cafe Tirn Aill" is actually the same one used to enter Cafe Paradise Noon, which is only entered after the Otherworld transition.
Line 100: Line 96:
 
*Some of the doors in the employee hallways change to say "Nornen" and "Yggrdrasil" right before the shift to the Otherworld version of the shopping center. These are both names from Norse mythology. "Nornen" presumably refers to the three [[:wikipedia:Norns|Norns]] who control the past, the present and the destinies of every being and object, and "Yggrdrasil" presumably refers to [[Wikipedia:Yggdrasil|Yggdrasil]], the Tree of Life in Norse mythology, which was believed to connect all nine worlds in Norse cosmology. "Nornen" is also a [[:wikipedia:Nornen-class patrol vessel|class of patrol ship]].
  
*Some of the doors in the employee hallways change to say "Nornen" and "Yggrdrasil" right before the shift to the Otherworld version of the shopping center. These are both names from Norse mythology. "Nornen" presumably refers to the three [[:wikipedia:Norns|Norns]] who control the past, the present and the destinies of every being and object, and "Yggrdrasil" presumably refers to [[Wikipedia:Yggdrasil|Yggdrasil]], the Tree of Life in Norse mythology, which was believed to connect all nine worlds in Norse cosmology. "Nornen" is also a [[:wikipedia:Nornen-class patrol vessel|class of patrol ship]].
   
  +
*There are posters that say "Silent Hill 2" in the employee hallways.
⚫
*When Heather enters the Otherworld version of the mall, various, strange noises can be heard by the player, such as groans unmatched by any [[Monster#Silent_Hill_3|monster]] found in the game.
  
   
  +
[[File:SH3-042.jpg|thumb|250px|Unidentified creature in the elevator scene.]]
⚫
*Examining the third toilet in the 1F Women's Washroom activates an optional (and quite memorable) scene if the player has a ''[[Silent Hill 2]]'' save file on the same memory card, which is a reference to one of [[James Sunderland|James Sunderland's]] disgusting habits.
  
   
  +
*During transition to the Otherworld, Heather enters the second elevator, where she briefly sees an unidentified creature with [[Valtiel]].
⚫
*The images seen through the static on a television in the Otherworld mall comes from a scene in the [[Silent Hill (video game)|first game]].
  
  +
  +
*After receiving the radio inside of the elevator, Heather steps into another elevator. The elevator closes behind her and the back of the elevator looks very similar to the stitched framed corpses that [[Angela Orosco]] was staring at near the end of ''Silent Hill 2''.[http://silenthill.wikia.com/wiki/File:Painting.png][http://silenthill.wikia.com/wiki/File:SealImprint.png] It also seems to have a faint [[Seal of Metatron]] imprint.
  +
  +
[[File:The Noises of Silent Hill 3 — Nightmare and Shopping Mall.|thumb|right|250px|Noises in the shopping mall.]]
  +
  ⚫
*When Heather enters the Otherworld version of the mall, various strange noises can be heard by the player, such as groans unmatched by any [[Monster#Silent_Hill_3|monster]] found in the game. In one area, Heather can even hear babies or children crying, possibly referencing her pregnancy.
  +
  +
[[File:MallToilet.png|thumb|250px|Heather looks inside the toilet in an optional cutscene.]]
  +
  ⚫
*Examining the third toilet in the 1F Women's Washroom activates an optional scene if the player has a ''Silent Hill 2'' save file on the same memory card. This is a reference to [[James Sunderland]] reaching into a filthy toilet in the [[Blue Creek Apartments]].
  +
  ⚫
*The images seen through the static on a television in the Otherworld mall comes from a scene in the first game.
   
 
*The design of the fountain on the first floor is similar to the shape of the Split Worm's mouth.
  
*The design of the fountain on the first floor is similar to the shape of the Split Worm's mouth.
   
 
==Gallery==
  
==Gallery==
  +
=== Maps ===
  +
 
<gallery widths="120" captionalign="center" position="center" orientation="square" spacing="small">
  
<gallery widths="120" captionalign="center" position="center" orientation="square" spacing="small">
  +
CentralSquareMap1F.png|1st floor map of the mall.
⚫
HappyBurger.png|[[Angela Orosco|Angela's]] head seen in Happy Burger.
  
  +
CentralSquareMap2F.png|2nd floor map of the mall.
  +
Shopping center 03.jpg|3rd floor map of the mall.
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
=== "Reality" ===
  +
<gallery widths="120" captionalign="center" position="center" orientation="square" spacing="small">
  ⚫
HappyBurger.png|Angela's head seen in Happy Burger.
  +
SH3 - Douglas (Konami Code).jpg|Douglas in boxers.
 
Heather Douglas.png|Heather and Douglas.
  
Heather Douglas.png|Heather and Douglas.
 
DouglasMeetHeather01.png|Heather tries to ignore Douglas.
  
DouglasMeetHeather01.png|Heather tries to ignore Douglas.
−
Heather_Toilet.png|Heather in the toilet room.
 +
Halo on the mirror.jpg|Heather in the washroom.
−
Halo.png|Halo of the Sun as it seen in the toilet.
 +
Heather_Toilet.png|Heather in the washroom.
−
HeatherFoundPistol.png|Heather finds a handgun.
 +
HeatherFoundPistol.png|Heather finds a [[Handgun|handgun]].
 
TirnAill.png|Tirn Aill poster.
  
TirnAill.png|Tirn Aill poster.
 
TirnAill02.png|Tirn Aill poster.
  
TirnAill02.png|Tirn Aill poster.
 
CreepyFace.png|Heather looks at a Tirn Aill poster.
  
CreepyFace.png|Heather looks at a Tirn Aill poster.
  ⚫
Drug addiction.png|"Drug addict" boxes.
 
TirnAill03.png|Tirn Aill poster in the book store.
  
TirnAill03.png|Tirn Aill poster in the book store.
  +
SH2posterinSH3hallway.jpg|The poster that says "Silent Hill 2".
  +
Closer in mall.jpg|A Closer.
 
HeyWait.png|Heather meets Claudia.
  
HeyWait.png|Heather meets Claudia.
 
WithBloodStainedHands.png|Claudia speaks with Heather.
  
WithBloodStainedHands.png|Claudia speaks with Heather.
Line 126: Line 147:
 
ClaudiaMall01.png|Claudia looks at Heather before Heather's headache starts.
  
ClaudiaMall01.png|Claudia looks at Heather before Heather's headache starts.
 
Mall2.jpg|Heather in the employee area.
  
Mall2.jpg|Heather in the employee area.
⚫
Drug addiction.png|"Drug addict" boxes.
  
 
SH_box_02.png|"Silent Hill" box.
  
SH_box_02.png|"Silent Hill" box.
 
SH_box_01.png|"Silent hill" box.
  
SH_box_01.png|"Silent hill" box.
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
=== Otherworld ===
  +
<gallery widths="120" captionalign="center" position="center" orientation="square" spacing="small">
  +
HeatherTrapped.gif|Heather in the Otherworld elevator.
  +
HeatherElevator.png|Heather in the Otherworld elevator.
  +
HeatherElevator2.png|Heather in the Otherworld elevator.
  +
Heatherotherworld.png|Heather in the Otherworld elevator.
  +
MallElevator.png|The first elevator seen from the other side.
  +
CityMall2.png|The Otherword city seen from supply room windows.
  +
Closerfight.jpg|A Closer in the Otherworld.
  +
CloserShoot.png|A Closer in the Otherworld.
 
MallBoxSeal.png|Flashlight hidden between boxes.
  
MallBoxSeal.png|Flashlight hidden between boxes.
  +
MallWarningNote.png|Warning note in the room with the flashlight.
 
MAllBox.png|Boxes on the stairs.
  
MAllBox.png|Boxes on the stairs.
 
MallBox02.png|"Packers" box on the first floor.
  
MallBox02.png|"Packers" box on the first floor.
−
MallToilet.png|Heather looks inside the toilet.
 +
BloodyToilet.png|Bloody toilet.
  +
OtherworldBurger.png|Otherworld Happy Burger.
  +
BurgerLadder.png|The ladder that leads to the second floor.
  +
HeatherPullsLadder.png|Heather pulls the ladder in Otherworld Happy Burger.
  +
EscalatorChasm.png|Escalator to nowhere.
 
OtherworldMall2.jpg|The mall in the Otherworld.
  
OtherworldMall2.jpg|The mall in the Otherworld.
  +
SH3 - 3PV - Hunk of Meat.jpg|Meat on the floor.
−
TV_Cheryl.png|Cheryl appears on the television in the Otherworld mall.
  
 
AskGamer01.png|Heather in the Otherworld restaurant.
  
AskGamer01.png|Heather in the Otherworld restaurant.
  +
CityMall1.png|The Otherword city seen from the restaurant windows.
⚫
SportsShop.png|Sports shop.
  
  +
Inside cafe.jpg|Interior of Otherworld Cafe Paradise Noon.
  +
HallwayFan.png|Heather in an employee hallway.
  +
Heather in corridor with moths.PNG|Heather in a corridor with moths.
  ⚫
SportsShop.png|Sports shop which contains the vice.
 
NoSaveHalo.png|The black Halo of the Sun.
  
NoSaveHalo.png|The black Halo of the Sun.
  +
Heather attacking Closer with Knife.PNG|Heather attacking a Closer with a knife.
 
Mall3rdFloor.png|Third floor of the mall.
  
Mall3rdFloor.png|Third floor of the mall.
 
centralDescent.png|Heather descends into the Split Worm's lair.
  
centralDescent.png|Heather descends into the Split Worm's lair.
 
MallOtherworld.png|The mall in the Otherworld.
  
MallOtherworld.png|The mall in the Otherworld.
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
=== Return to "reality" ===
  +
<gallery widths="120" captionalign="center" position="center" orientation="square" spacing="small">
 
Norm1.jpg|Main area.
  
Norm1.jpg|Main area.
−
Norm2.jpg|Entrance.
 +
HappyBurger.jpg|Happy Burger.
  +
QuestioningHappyReality.png|Heather examining the place she occupied earlier.
⚫
centralEntrance.png|Entrance.
  
  +
Norm2.jpg|Main Entrance.
  ⚫
centralEntrance.png|Main entrance.
  +
Heather Douglas shopping center.jpg|Heather and Douglas talk.
 
DouglasAfterNightmare.png|Douglas in the mall.
  
DouglasAfterNightmare.png|Douglas in the mall.
 
HeatherThinks.png|Heather in the mall.
  
HeatherThinks.png|Heather in the mall.
  +
Heather ignores Douglas.PNG|Heather ignores Douglas and enters the subway.
 
centralMap.png|Map of the mall.
  
centralMap.png|Map of the mall.
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
=== Other media ===
  +
  +
<gallery widths="120" captionalign="center" position="center" orientation="square" spacing="small">
 
Centralsquare.PNG|The mall in ''The Arcade''.
  
Centralsquare.PNG|The mall in ''The Arcade''.
 
Central mall.jpg|The mall seen in ''Revelation''.
  
Central mall.jpg|The mall seen in ''Revelation''.
Line 154: Line 209:
 
{{SHAContent}}
  
{{SHAContent}}
 
{{SHRContent}}
  
{{SHRContent}}
−  
 
[[es:Central Square Shopping Center]]
  
[[es:Central Square Shopping Center]]
  +
[[ru:Торговый центр «Централ-Сквер»]]
  +
[[it:Centro Commerciale Central Square]]
 
[[Category:Locations]]
  
[[Category:Locations]]
 
[[Category:Silent Hill 3 Locations]]
  
[[Category:Silent Hill 3 Locations]]

Latest revision as of 16:10, 15 August 2023

Era-Sh3Era-SharcadeEra-ShrevEra-Locations

“ I have never been to a shopping mall that I've wanted to leave so quickly.
—Tina to Eric
 ”

The Central Square Shopping Center is, in reality, the first area explored in Silent Hill 3. It also appears in Silent Hill: Revelation and Silent Hill: The Arcade.

The mall is composed of mainly three floors, with five department stores and various other outlets. It is directly connected to a subway station beneath the bottom floor.

It isn't made clear in the game as to where the mall is located; however, it is suggested that the town the mall is located in is only a few hours' drive away from Silent Hill. It's also possible that Central Square is just a few miles away from Heather's apartment building, since there is only one single road leading to her home and the exit of the construction site. However, it's unknown how far the construction site is from Central Square.

Silent Hill 3

The protagonist, Heather Mason, wakes within the shopping mall from a bad dream and the player is "formally" introduced to the game and characters. It is here that Heather first meets the detective Douglas Cartland and Claudia Wolf, as well as experiences first-hand the effects of the Otherworld and defeats the game's first boss.

Heather first enters into the Otherworld after meeting Claudia. After a short conversation about the birth of Paradise and God, Heather falls to her knees, in pain, and Claudia leaves. Afterwards she is left alone to find a way to escape the now hostile mall. Through exploration, subtle clues are left for Heather to remember her past and true self, including a static-ridden message heard in the first game and various Halos of the Sun scattered throughout. Heather also comes upon the trademark items of the series; the flashlight and the radio. She discovers many strange oddities such as a barbecued dog, hospital gurneys everywhere (due to Heather subconsciously remembering Alessa's hospitalization), a moonstone inside a walnut, and even a room resembling a torture chamber.

In the end, Heather climbs down a ladder to the ground floor and faces the Split Worm, the first boss of the game. Upon its defeat, she returns to the Real World and wonders if she was daydreaming. She then heads to the Hazel Street Station in order to get home. It is also implied that the events described were witnessed by the other major character shown, Douglas Cartland.

Silent Hill: The Arcade

Eric and Tina visit the mall inside the Little Baroness and make their way to the subway.

Silent Hill: Revelation

CSMall

Central Square in Revelation.

Centralmall

Central Square in Revelation.

In Silent Hill: Revelation, Central Square Shopping Center is seen both in the Real World and affected by the Darkness. Heather waits for her father in the Central Square Shopping Center, but he never arrives.

The mall then shifts into the hellish Otherworld, and Heather starts to see visions of children eating bloody flesh burgers, an evil clown, a security officer with a stitched face, and living people being skinned alive and having body parts cooked in Happy Burger's kitchen.

Douglas Cartland follows Heather, but is killed by the Missionary after the creature chops his fingers off. Heather is then able to flee the mall, however, detectives find her jacket and declare her a suspect in Douglas's murder.

Stores

MallStore

Symbolism

This article or section contains speculation, analysis or theories which may not be officially approved.

Like many things in the Silent Hill series, locations can carry symbolism. In this case, the player is an American teenage girl trapped in a hellish shopping mall filled with horror and monsters. Many of the stores are completely boarded up and empty, former shells of themselves.

To Heather, a shopping mall, more than anything else, represents her everyday life as it was before her true past was revealed to her by Claudia. She is surrounded by everything she once knew and was certain of, as well as all the material aspects of life that were once important to her. Yet the irony is that these things are no longer of any significance to her although they are still present alongside her journey, nor are they essential to understand or to pay attention to for socialization survival skills.

BBQ dog

Barbecued dog which Heather wouldn't eat.

MallTorture

A sports store transforms into a torture room.

Some ideas are inverted, for example:

  • Finding a Bulletproof Vest in a fashion boutique store
  • Finding torture devices, which are meant to cause pain to the physical bodies of humans, in a sports store which is meant to express the physical side of humanity
  • Finding a dead dog in a restaurant served as food (a probable parody of the urban myth about Chinese restaurants using dog meat in their meals)
  • Finding an extremely useful Moonstone in an ordinary-looking walnut

The tragedy of the setting is the passive memory of what the mall was, a thriving and bustling complex which more than anything was representative of the needs of humanity. Yet in the Otherworld, humanity is very much absent, significantly perhaps as it is not in God's plans for the blueprint of "Paradise". This in turn makes the "grey setting" far more depressive and frightening to the player, because the player is very much a part of that pre-existing reality and are imbued with the same social values.

The mall is an empty shell, whose purpose and origin was to be built by mankind, and effectively "brought alive" by fulfilling its purpose (to provide for the physical needs of mankind). The presence of the monsters only emphasizes the absence of humanity, purpose, hope and the future.

The Closers could be a distorted interpretation of real people: mall shoppers. It is reminiscent of a figure holding a shopping bag in each hand. This is supported by the fact that it first appears in the Central Square Shopping Center.

Trivia

Tirn Aill

Cafe Tirn Aill.

  • Heather wakes up from her dream in Happy Burger, a restaurant first seen in Silent Hill 2.
  • The words "Tirn Aill", which in Welsh mythology means "Other World", appear twice in the normal shopping center, once on a poster entitled "The Revolt of Tirn Aill" and again on a door saying "Cafe Tirn Aill". The door which says "Cafe Tirn Aill" is actually the same one used to enter Cafe Paradise Noon, which is only entered after the Otherworld transition.
  • Some of the doors in the employee hallways change to say "Nornen" and "Yggrdrasil" right before the shift to the Otherworld version of the shopping center. These are both names from Norse mythology. "Nornen" presumably refers to the three Norns who control the past, the present and the destinies of every being and object, and "Yggrdrasil" presumably refers to Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life in Norse mythology, which was believed to connect all nine worlds in Norse cosmology. "Nornen" is also a class of patrol ship.
  • There are posters that say "Silent Hill 2" in the employee hallways.
SH3-042

Unidentified creature in the elevator scene.

  • During transition to the Otherworld, Heather enters the second elevator, where she briefly sees an unidentified creature with Valtiel.
  • After receiving the radio inside of the elevator, Heather steps into another elevator. The elevator closes behind her and the back of the elevator looks very similar to the stitched framed corpses that Angela Orosco was staring at near the end of Silent Hill 2.[1][2] It also seems to have a faint Seal of Metatron imprint.
The_Noises_of_Silent_Hill_3_—_Nightmare_and_Shopping_Mall.

The Noises of Silent Hill 3 — Nightmare and Shopping Mall.

Noises in the shopping mall.

  • When Heather enters the Otherworld version of the mall, various strange noises can be heard by the player, such as groans unmatched by any monster found in the game. In one area, Heather can even hear babies or children crying, possibly referencing her pregnancy.
MallToilet

Heather looks inside the toilet in an optional cutscene.

  • Examining the third toilet in the 1F Women's Washroom activates an optional scene if the player has a Silent Hill 2 save file on the same memory card. This is a reference to James Sunderland reaching into a filthy toilet in the Blue Creek Apartments.
  • The images seen through the static on a television in the Otherworld mall comes from a scene in the first game.
  • The design of the fountain on the first floor is similar to the shape of the Split Worm's mouth.

Gallery

Maps

"Reality"

Otherworld

Return to "reality"

Other media

v · e · d
Characters
Major Characters
Heather Mason - Douglas Cartland - Vincent Smith - Claudia Wolf
Other Characters
Harry Mason - Alessa Gillespie - Leonard Wolf - Stanley Coleman - Lisa Garland - Cheryl Mason - Jennifer Carroll - Joseph Schreiber - James Sunderland - Greys - Happy Birthday Caller - Danny - Confessor - Robbie the Rabbit - Sewer Fairy
Weapons
Beam Saber - Flamethrower - Handgun - Katana - Knife - Maul - Pipe - Shotgun - Stun Gun - Submachine Gun - Unlimited Submachine Gun
Monsters
Closer - Double Head - Glutton - God - Insane Cancer - Leonard Wolf - Memory of Alessa - Missionary - Numb Body - Nurse - Pendulum - Scraper - Sewer Monster - Slurper - Split Worm - Valtiel
Locations
Borley Haunted Mansion - Brookhaven Hospital - Carroll Street - Central Square Shopping Center - Chapel - Construction Site - Daisy Villa Apartments - Happy Burger - Happy Carousel - Hazel Street Station - Heaven's Night - Hilltop Center - Jacks Inn - KMN Auto Parts - Lakeside Amusement Park - Last Drop Cafe - Nathan Avenue - Underpass
Terms
Flashlight - Fog World - God - Map - Metatron - Monster - Otherworld - Paradise - PTV - Radio - Real World - The Order - Manifestation - Seal of Metatron - UFO Ending - Sexuality - Halo of the Sun - Red Square
Archives
Items - Keys - Memos - Puzzles - Soundtrack - Limited Edition Soundtrack - Secrets and Unlockables - Pachislot
v · e · d
Characters
Eric - Tina - Bill - Jessie - Ryan - George - Emilie Anderson - Frank Anderson - Michelle Anderson
Hanna - Lorraine - Captain - Scott Fairbanks - Greys
Monsters
Creeper - Double Head - Greedy Worm - Gum Head - Hummer - Insane Cancer - Mama - Numb Body - Nurse - Phantom - Pyramid Head - Robbie the Rabbit - Scraper - Split Worm - Toadstool - Tremer - Tuberculosis
Locations
Brookhaven Hospital - Central Square Shopping Center - Jacks Inn - Labyrinth - Lakeside Amusement Park - Silent Hill Historical Society - Spiral Staircase - Toluca Lake - Toluca Prison
Terms
Flashlight - Fog World - Little Baroness - Monster - Otherworld - Radio - Real World - Siren - Welcome Sign
v · e · d
Characters
Major Characters
Heather Mason - Christopher Da Silva - Vincent Cooper - Claudia Wolf - Leonard Wolf - Dark Alessa - Douglas Cartland - Alessa Gillespie
Other Characters
Rose Da Silva - Dahlia Gillespie - Suki - Travis Grady - Order Soldier - Detective Santini - Mannequin Girl
Monsters
Armless Man - Delusion - Leonard Wolf - Lobotomy - Mannequin Monster - Memory of Alessa - Missionary - Nurse - Pyramid Head - Valtiel
Locations
All Hallows High School - Brookhaven Asylum - Central Square Shopping Center - Jacks Inn - Sanctuary - Silent Hill, West Virginia - Lakeside Amusement Park
Terms
The Brethren - Halo of the Sun - Monster - Manifestation - Otherworld - Fog World - Real World - Robbie the Rabbit - Seal of Metatron - Siren - The Order - Great Knife - Welcome Sign
Español Italiano Русский
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
More Fandoms