Silent Hill: Book of Memories

Silent Hill: Book of Memories

Developer

WayForward Technologies

Publisher

Konami

Release date

October 16, 2012 (North America)
November 2, 2012 (Europe)
February 14, 2013 (Japan)

Platforms

PlayStation Vita

Silent Hill: Book of Memories is a Silent Hill role-playing spin-off game exclusively for the Sony PlayStation Vita, developed by American game developer WayForward Technologies and published by Konami.

The primary focus of the gameplay is on dungeon-crawling and cooperative multiplayer action, rather than the survival horror elements that the series is known for.

Plot

Note: Silent Hill: Book of Memories is set in the year 2010.

The protagonist receives a strange book on their birthday from an unknown sender. Howard Blackwood, the local mailman, assures the player that the book was meant for them before he departs. The protagonist opens the book and finds that all of their memories are written in it. Curious, the protagonist decides to change some memories before falling asleep. When they awaken, they find themselves in an Otherworld-like dungeon.

Howard Blackwood.

After traversing the dungeon they locate Howard Blackwood, who appears to be running a general store within the dungeon. Howard introduces the protagonist to a substance known as "Memory Residue" and explains that in order to change the protagonist's past, the substance must first be collected. After the protagonist finishes exploring the dungeon, they awaken the next morning back in reality. However, after falling asleep the following night, the protagonist finds themselves back in the dungeon. When they awaken on the third day, the protagonist realizes that what they wrote in the book has become reality. With this new power, the protagonist continues to rewrite recent past events at their discretion while each night they encounter a new zone within a particular dungeon.

In-game clues and notes suggest that the Book of Memories was created by the Order with the purpose of bringing their God's will to Earth via its writings. An alchemical journal page details three elements considered to be the base of all things. "Light: borne by the Heavens; Blood: borne by this world; and Steel: borne by mankind, and the most powerful". The rest (Fire, Water, Earth and Wood) are considered lesser elements.

Depending on the protagonist's Karma Meter, the characters affected by the Book's powers will meet different fates when the protagonist changes the past.

The dungeons and their respective characters are as follows:

• Fire Dungeon (Derek Copeland) - Derek is one of the protagonist's co-workers who has recently beat them out of a job promotion. After the player rewrites their past, they receive the promotion instead, while Derek is suspected of stealing money from the company and either hastily quits or is transferred to another store.

• Wood Dungeon (Katie Collins/Matthew Collins) - The protagonist has a chance encounter with an old high school crush. The protagonist rewrites their past so that their crush, Katie or Matthew (depending on the protagonist's gender), breaks off their current relationship with Trent or Ashley respectively, and instead asks the player character to go out with them.

• Light Dungeon (Graham Reynolds) - Graham Reynolds, a police officer and family friend of the protagonist, appears to have been sitting in his patrol car outside the player's parents' house while they've been house-sitting it with their sister. This makes the protagonist nervous, so in order to throw Reynolds off their trail, the protagonist rewrites the past. It is revealed via notes that Graham and his wife Lorelai Reynolds have had a shaky relationship recently, and he has been having an affair. The protagonist's intervention either results in Graham's wife filing for a divorce and taking their kids with her, or the two reconciling after Graham solves a major case. In both scenarios, the protagonist concludes that Reynolds won't have enough time to worry about them or their Book.

• Water Dungeon (Trent Baker/Ashley Baker) - Trent/Ashley (the spurned lover) begins harassing the protagonist out of jealousy and desperation. The protagonist decides to take care of the problem by writing in their Book. At one point, it is revealed that Trent/Ashley was in possession of their own Book prior to the protagonist receiving their Book of Memories, but it was stolen in a mugging. After defeating the Water Guardian, Trent/Ashley stops calling the protagonist either because they suffer an accident that renders them amnesic, or because they find a new love interest.

• Earth Dungeon (Jack Merrick) - The protagonist is attacked by a man who claims to have his own Book of Memories. The man, Merrick, threatens the protagonist, informing them that he knows where they live and work, and that he intends to take their Book. It appears that the man is a convicted felon who had been arrested by Officer Reynolds in the past for attempted murder, among other charges. It also appears that Merrick had used his Book to aid him in his various crimes and to evade the police. At the end of the dungeon, due to the player's intervention, Merrick is either severely beaten by law enforcement to the point of permanent brain-damage, or he is arrested and his Book is placed in an evidence locker.

• Blood Dungeon (Shannon) - The protagonist's sister, Shannon, has been distant to the protagonist as of late, which causes them to worry. Notes imply that Shannon has been suffering from depression for an extended period of time, and it is revealed that Shannon was the woman that Graham is/was having an affair with. Depending on the Karma Meter, Shannon either sends the protagonist a goodbye letter before attempting suicide, or she sends them a letter thanking them for always being there for her, and letting them know that she is optimistic about her future.

• Steel Dungeon (protagonist) - The protagonist realizes that each specific action in the nightmare-worlds have had a direct effect on the past. They also realize that the Guardians they have been fighting represent the other characters' wills and desires, and that by defeating them, they have been asserting their own will over the others. From this it is concluded that when one individual benefits from the Book's powers, another must be adversely affected in order to restore karmic balance. Regretting their interference in the others' lives, the protagonist decides they must find their own Guardian before someone else does, and in doing so, find a way to undo the damage they've caused. In their trek through the dungeon, the protagonist finds the rewrites they've made to their Book: "I wish I'd gotten that promotion," "I wish Katie/Matthew and I were dating," "Officer Reynolds needs a distraction to keep him off my trail," "Trent/Ashley should just forget about Katie/Matthew," "Whoever that guy is, he can't EVER use his Book." The protagonist eventually confronts their Guardian at the end of the dungeon and expresses their intent to destroy it. The Steel Guardian informs the protagonist that they are the same being and that the Book simply gave the monster its physical form, therefore, it can never be destroyed. The two engage in battle and the protagonist subdues the monster, then awakens back in reality.

The protagonist's Karma Meter, and positive outcomes vs. negative outcomes affect the ending achieved.

Endings

• Pure Light ending: "I use the Book to help others." The protagonist decides to stop using their Book for selfish reasons and instead use it to help others, thus controlling the Book's impact by assimilating others' misfortune in order to restore karmic balance. This decision ultimately leaves the protagonist weakened and very ill, lying in a hospital bed. At some point during their stay in the hospital, they overhear a woman speaking with a doctor about about how her daughter's life-threatening condition is quickly worsening. The doctor regretfully informs her that there is not much else they can do for her daughter. The protagonist then makes changes to the Book in order to save the girl's life, but at the same time, this causes the protagonist to wheeze, indicating that their own condition is simultaneously worsening.

• Light ending: "I'll make sure the Book never falls into the wrong hands." After the protagonist decides that they are done trying to change things, they lock the Book away so that no one else can be affected by its powers. They then turn on the television, and flip through the channels, each station broadcasting a different disaster or tragedy occurring somewhere in the world or in a movie. The protagonist then walks over to the drawer where they placed the Book in and unlocks it. They hesitantly repeat to themselves, "I don't need to change anything...," while staring at the Book.

• Neutral ending: "I have to make everything perfect." The protagonist muses about how, though difficult at first, they eventually began to notice a pattern in how the Book's powers work, and have since slowly taken advantage of it to positively affect the outside world. It seems that the protagonist has become obsessed with making everything "perfect." They achieve this through making small adjustments to the world, while balancing the Book's karma in order to create a perfect world. The protagonist spouts, "I'm so close. Just a few more lines [and] the whole world will be perfect, ordered, and happy." It is then revealed that the protagonist has actually suffered a mental breakdown and has been hallucinating the whole scenario, while being held within a psychiatric facility.

• Blood ending: "I'm going to destroy this thing." The protagonist decides that after all the harm the Book has caused, it must be destroyed, as simply throwing it away could allow for it to be discovered. The character attempts to rip out the pages without success. They then try destroying the binding with an axe, but the book endures the bludgeoning. Finally, the protagonist attempts to burn the Book, which successfully destroys it. As they watch the Book smolder, the protagonist states their relief in finally being freed from the Book's influence.

• Pure Blood ending: "I have the only Book." The protagonist decides to keep and continue using the Book to fulfill their own selfish desires, such as using it to win the lottery, become a rock star, travel the world, and get married (at the expense of their partner's wishes). Eventually, the protagonist finds their wife or husband writing in the Book, claiming that they need a change; a simpler life. This leads the protagonist to conclude that that they can no longer trust anyone, and in response, "writes" their spouse out of the Book. Paranoid, the protagonist hires a private army to defend their home against any potential intruders who might want to steal the Book. The protagonist lives in isolation for some time, until the writing on the pages mysteriously begins to vanish, which infuriates and confuses the protagonist.

Silent Hill Book of Memories - Joke Ending

The Joke ending.

• Joke ending: The joke ending is illustrated in a comic book-style format. A group of tourists, Matt (rocker male), Derek (bookworm male), Trevor (jock male), Kayce (rocker female), Katie (preppy female), and Becca (bookworm female) decide to meet up and spend their spring break vacation in Silent Hill. In the meantime, they bump into characters from previous installments, such as Harry Mason, who asks them if they have seen a girl (his daughter). Heather Mason appears to be working as the front desk clerk at Jacks Inn where the characters stay, and sarcastically mutters "Tourists" under her breath as they leave. She is then told that the guest in Room 302 accidentally locked himself in his room again, causing her to slump her head down on the desk in frustration. While in the motel, the creepy bellhop, Walter Sullivan, asks the tourists if they are interested in room service, but they refuse. The women decide to head to Toluca Lake, on the way running into James Sunderland and Mary Shepherd-Sunderland, who accidentally get sneezed on by Becca, causing James to become concerned for his wife's health. At the lake, Mira can be seen playing in the sand, and Alex Shepherd appears to be supervising his brother, Joshua, while he swims. There, Katie asks Kayce about her recent nightmares. The boys decide to explore the town, when they spot Lisa Garland passing by, and Matt, who is dating Katie, comments on her cardigan. Cybil Bennett appears and arrests Trevor for "resisting decency and intent to seduce", and he meets Murphy Pendleton in the back of the squad car. Travis Grady appears on the side of the street with a sign, asking for gas money.

Gameplay

Character customization

One possible player appearance.

At the start of the game, the player must select a charm, which is a permanent gameplay boost.

The player is given a template for their own character which they can customize to a limited degree. The first aspect of character creation is the class system of which there are five to choose from: jock, bookworm, rocker, goth and preppy. Each class gives a slight boost to certain artifact slot stats.

The player can choose their character's gender, face, hairstyle, hair color, outfit, skin tone and accessories. Accessories are purchased from Howard's shop and range from traditional fare (such as glasses) to fan-service items (such as Robbie masks, Princess Heart earmuffs and a Pyramid Head helmet).

If the player is unsatisfied with their character, they can re-customize using an Identity Stone.

Zones

The player exploring a zone.

The game is puzzle-based, taking place in isometric auto-generated zones, where the player(s) must complete challenges (essentially single-room enemy gauntlets) in order to collect puzzle pieces which are used in conjunction with clues to solve a puzzle located at the end of each zone. Many doors in zones are locked and require keys found throughout the zone to unlock them. Once the player has navigated through three zones, they are then faced with a Guardian boss battle. After Zone 21, the zones become randomized and there are approximately 500 zones in total.

There are also various sidequests made available to the player, such as completing zone-wide missions, locating notes and TV broadcasts, hunting down particular creatures, and collecting Memory Residue. Valtiel serves the role of quest-giver and rewards the player upon the completion of a quest. All of the quests, puzzles, and dungeons are randomly generated.

While progressing through zones, the player can find and equip a maximum of any two weapons. All weapons have a durability level (listed by an icon which changes from green to red) and/or ammo count depending on whether the weapon is ranged or melee. Some of the weapons available to the player are from previous titles, including the Hyper Spray, Great Knife and the Sword of Obedience.

Players can also equip "artifacts", which are trinkets/talismans that boost RPG-esque stats, such as strength or endurance. These items are modeled around objects that have appeared in previous titles, such as the Channeling Stone from Silent Hill.

Each zone has a library with a save point, as well as Howard's store to purchase items. Every player also has a backpack in the bottom-right corner which has upgradable slots. The backpack stores health kits, tool kits to restore weapon durability, weapons, and ammo.

Combat and Karma Meter

There is a large focus on combat in Book of Memories, including the ability to harness special powers called Karma Abilities which can assist the player in combat. Karma Abilities require usage of the Vita's rear touch pad.

Monsters are separated into three categories: "Blood", "Light" and "Steel". Killing enemies that belong to either the Blood or Light affinity will spill pools of their opposing element. The messier the kill, the more that is spilled. These pools are then collected and measured in conjunction with a new gameplay element known as the "Karma Meter" in the top right.

This meter controls what powers are unlocked and usable at a given time. If the player is more inclined towards Blood (killing Light creatures), they will unlock destructive abilities (Typical DPS) while Light (killing Blood creatures) unlocks powers focused on healing and protection. The Steel category is composed of creatures with more power than the other two categories and that do not affect the Karma Meter when killed.

There are also Power Moves, when can be purchased in Howard's shop. Power Move Gems are blue stones under the health bar, allowing the player to perform a super move.

Multiplayer

The game features multiplayer for up to 4 players. Co-op is not drop in/out, but hosted sessions only. If these sessions end, players are free to continue their experience in single player mode from where they left off.

Players can communicate with each other using pre-recorded classic specific shout-outs (hold L and up on the d-pad) or by using the built-in voice chat.

Expansion Pack

On March 18th, 2013, a 339mb downloadable content patch was released that contained multiple new content. [1][2] To install it, the player must tap the yellow circle icon on the game's menu screen.

• The player receives 5 Identity Stones.
• Maximum level cap increased from 50 to 70.
• Removes death penalty for dying in a zone (maintains character progress).
• Poison traps no longer able to one-hit kill a player and inflicts damage for a shorter period of time.
• General enemy stat balancing.

5 Character classes

• Type F: Cosplay
• Type G: Hip-Hop
• Type H: Raver
• Type I: Vintage
• Classic: James Sunderland (male) and Heather Mason (female)

2 Monsters

• Raw Shock
• Grey Child

15 Accessories

• 3D Shades
• Bloody Knife
• Blue Robbie Mask
• Box Head Mask
• Casket
• Cool Shades
• Creature Head
• Cyber Mask
• Headphones
• Heart Sunglasses
• Jack-o-Lantern Mask
• Joke Sunglasses
• Mira Head
• Square Glasses
• Strong Degree Glasses

11 Weapons

• Beam Saber
• Chainsaw
• Crossbow
• Grenade
• Great Spear
• A. Y. Guitar
• Pillow
• Princess Heart
• Torch
• Television
• TV Remote

5 Missions

14 Artifacts

• Bloodied Coronet of War
• Butter Cake
• Dawn the Duck Pin
• Disk of Ouroboros
• Fairy Pendant
• Huey the Horse Pin
• Django's Dondonda
• Jeweled Coronet of Conquest
• Kathy the Kitty Pin
• Robbie the Rabbit Pin
• Spike Coronet of Death
• Stone of Maxwell
• UFO Model
• Vine Coronet of Famine

2 Forsaken Rooms

• Hospice
• Family Portraits

4 Trophies

15 Notes

Music

Silent Hill: Book of Memories Original Soundtrack.

Main article: Silent Hill: Book of Memories Original Soundtrack

The Silent Hill: Book of Memories Original Soundtrack was composed by Daniel Licht, and is the original music score of Silent Hill: Book of Memories. The soundtrack was released on April 17th, 2012, by Milan Records.

The menu song "Now We're Free" and the credits song "Love Psalm" are sung by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, with "Love Psalm" featuring Akira Yamaoka on guitar and Troy Baker as backup vocals.

Reception

The game has received mixed reviews on Metacritic. The game currently holds 58 out of 100 based on critic reviews. [3]

Hardcore Gamer Mag gave it an 80/100, saying: "While survival horror purists may balk at the concept, anyone a fan of top-down action/RPGs, deep gameplay and a interesting story will find not only the most addicting multiplayer Vita game to date, but the best Silent Hill in recent memory." Greg Miller of IGN gave the game a score of 6.0 and said: "Flawed, but fun", he added: "Silent Hill: Book of Memories isn't a good game, but it's one I keep coming back and playing. While we were tantalized with the Diablo-like gameplay of Warrior's Lair (a crossplay dungeon crawler) before the PlayStation Vita launched, the game formerly known as Ruin hasn't been seen or heard from in months. Development hell, they call it. Now, Silent Hill is here to fill that void, but it does so without any style or polish". He concluded with: "If you just want dungeons to crawl through and couldn't care less about polished menus and engaging stories, great."[4]

Overall, long-time players of Silent Hill have generally rejected the game for deviating from the general themes of the series, though it has garnered its own fans among newcomers.

Trivia

• Book of Memories marks the second Silent Hill game in the series in which protagonists are able to manipulate magical/supernatural powers, the original being Silent Hill 3 protagonist Heather Mason. Her powers, however, were not as avidly used as that of the characters in Book of Memories.

• The Raver class speak Japanese and the Vintage class speak French. The Raver class also has unique flashlights.

• The game can easily be the longest game in the series, especially due to its replayability.

• The game parodies another fictional game called "Violent Hell", featuring "Box Head".

• The storyline is reminiscent of Dying Inside, in which a teenage punk girl receives a magical book in the mail (albeit through eBay).

• The Konami code can be used during the menu screen in the bedroom to unlock a Robbie the Rabbit weapon.[5]

External links

• Silent Hill: Book of Memories on PlayStation Store
• Silent Hill: Book of Memories Expansion Pack on PlayStation Store
• Trophy list
• Information

Gallery

Concept art

Characters.

Character variations.

Monster artwork.

Monster artwork.

Environment artwork.

Environment artwork.

Environment artwork.

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Promotional artwork.

Screenshots

Howard Blackwood makes an appearance.

The protagonist reading the book.

Charms.

Overview of the Air Screamer.

Information about the Amethyst of Rain Goddess.

Handgun info.

A nurse in the Bestiary.

A character wearing a germ mask.

The female goth appearance.

Female rocker with spiral sunglasses.

Male bookworm with steampunk goggles.

The Butcher from Silent Hill: Origins.

A Forsaken Room.

Another Forsaken Room.

Brandishing a guitar as a weapon.

Wielding the Great Knife.

The player using the Great Cleaver.

The Schism from Silent Hill: Homecoming.

One of the super powers in the game.

The player using a super power.

Flesh Lip from Silent Hill 2.

A Needler from Silent Hill: Homecoming.

The player battles against an Air Screamer.

The Bogeyman's Hammer used by the player.

The Fire Guardian.

Woodguardian2.jpg

The Wood Guardian.

Battling the Wood Guardian.

The Light Guardian.

A boss fight.

The Water Guardian.

The Earth Guardian.

The Blood Guardian.

Howard Blackwood acting as shopkeeper.

Note explaining Valtiel.

Robbie weapon

The screen before the Joke ending.

Pre-production demo

Player using a flashlight.

In-game exploration.

The player-character noticing a large Halo of the Sun.

Dungeon area.

A different angle of the dungeon area.

The Fire Guardian.