Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
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Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is an upcoming video game in the Silent Hill series. Set to be released December 2009 (February 2010 in Europe and Australia due to an inevitable delay), it is a re-imagining of the original Silent Hill for the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, developed by Climax Studios. According to producer Tomm Hulett, "It's not a remake or a port. That's an important distinction. It really feels like a new game." Akira Yamaoka will be contributing to the sound track.
The subtitle Shattered Memories means shattering and reimagining the memories of the player's experience from the first game.
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Premise
Harry Mason starts the game having crashed his car into a snowy embankment in a junkyard in Silent Hill. Upon awakening, he finds that his daughter, Cheryl Mason, is missing, and he must search the town and avoid monsters if he is to find her. Along the way he will also discover the truth about what kind of person he really is.
As well as Harry, the game will feature other familiar characters, such as Cybil Bennett, and the same story premise as the first game, but character's relationships and the events that unfold are different. The game is designed to reflect the player's psychology (a psychology warning appeared when playing the game at E3, saying that the game will play you as much as you play it); a psychiatrist named Dr. K will ask the player to input answers to psychiatric questions. This, and the behavior of the player throughout the game, will help determine the course of events and the appearances of the monsters, most notably the Raw Shocks.
Characters
Harry Mason's personality varies depending on how the game is played and the actions and decisions made by the player. One constant will be his devotion to his daughter and his dedication to finding her, however other personality traits such as his levels of aggression and fear will change. For example, when police officer Cybil Bennett seems unlikely to help him, he claims her to be screwing with him. Contrarily, in other scenarios he is patient and grateful. In a departure from the first game. it is revealed that Harry lives on Levin Street, in Silent Hill. His relationship with his daughter, Cheryl, and details about his wife will both be expanded on in more detail.
Cybil Bennett's personality differs depending on your actions, she can be somewhat aggressive, questioning Harry's reasons for being in town, how his daughter came to be missing, and even asking to see his license. Her appearance has three possible designs; one that is more casual and revealing, another that is more attuned to her work and much more practical considering the freezing weather, and the last which is still formal, but her hair is down and she doesn't wear a cap. Also unlike in the original game, Cybil is a police officer of Silent Hill, not Brahms.
According to the E3 2009 debut trailer, Dahlia Gillespie will also be in the game, though her role is currently unknown. Unlike the original game, she appears as a young woman in contemporary clothing, with a tattoo of a snake on her stomach. The most recent trailer has shown a different version of Dahlia, with brown hair and and a loose fitting T-shirt that covers her midriff, as well as several necklaces. This reveals that she too may have different personalities, actions, and appearances depending on the players actions.
A nurse has been sighted in the game as well, presumed to be Lisa Garland.
Creatures in the game also exhibit the twitching movements seen in Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3.
Gameplay
Psych Profile
One of the main new gameplay features for Shattered Memories is the way the world reacts to the player's actions. Different actions yield different results, in a manner more advanced than the simple "good or bad" responses that have been prevalent in most games that incorporate this mechanic. This will affect certain aspects in the game, such as what buildings will be open or closed to you, or who you will meet and what clothes people will be wearing. Real time decisions made by Harry, such as which restroom he enters first, affect the game in many ways.
As well as this, there is a sequence at the beginning of the game where the character is given a psychiatric evaluation by a psychiatrist. The mode here in first person, and the player must answer questions regarding their personality and psyche. They can nod or shake their head in response to questions. These will help determine certain elements and encounters within the game.
Exploration
The flashlight is a recurring item present in nearly all the Silent Hill games. It returns in Shattered Memories with improved visual effects, and in the case of the Wii, it will be a major form of physical interaction that helps to keep the player immersed in the game. Rather than moving a controller's analog stick to maneuver the flashlight, the player will physically move the Wii Remote around, using its motion sensor capabilities to interact directly with puzzles and to aim the flashlight.
Harry also has a modern style phone, which he can use to uncover secrets by taking photos of his surroundings. Photos might help uncover past events or hidden features. He can also use it to call any phone number he finds during the game. The phone also replaces the radio from other Silent Hill games. Whilst using the phone, the player is still susceptible to enemy attacks, as well as being able to move.
Harry will also traverse a few unique locations, such as holiday cabins on Toluca Lake, and listen to recordings of previous visitors, which both help emphasize the fact that Silent Hill used to be a cheerful tourist spot. Typically, the recordings Harry listens to reveal that not everything was as pleasant as it seemed.
Chase sequences
To add depth to the fear and tension aspects of playing the game, combat has been completely removed in favor of evading enemies. Monsters can cling to Harry to inflict damage, pursue him over fences and through rooms, drag him out of hiding spaces, and ultimately kill him. There are however a number of actions you can do in the world to evade monsters, such as jumping through windows, climbing fences and barging through doors while on the run. Harry can also knock down bookcases, briefly delaying his foes. Concealed areas such as wardrobes can be used for hiding places to try and avoid detection.
Traditionally, the Otherworld in each Silent Hill game is unique to individuals, despite the recurring rust and blood-soaked environments of some of the later games. Silent Hill 4 had many variations, and in Silent Hill 2 there were also multiple interpretations differing for each important character. This continues in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, with the environment taking on an ice theme. Unlike the original game, the Otherworld here is consumed with ice and snow, and the monsters inhabited in this world react in a negative way to heat; for example, flares will aggravate them and help keep them at bay. In the game's first revealed trailer, the Otherworld's transformation is seen causing physical destruction to the environment; power poles and lights are collapsed by the encroaching ice, giant glaciers from the ground and lean into buildings, and the snow-covered ground is replaced by solid ice.
Soundtrack
The music in Shattered Memories will be produced by Akira Yamaoka. The music is similar to that of the previous games in the series. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn has stated in an interview that she will be providing the vocals for 4 songs in the game. A cover of "Always on my Mind" had also been shown in a trailer. Producer Tomm Huelett has suggested that some songs from previous Silent Hill games may make appearances, including remixes. For example, at one point during development a song from an older installment was used as a temporary track, and later replaced with a remixed version of that same track.
To those who pre-order the game, Gamestop is offering a soundtrack with 18 different tracks from throughout the series (not to be confused with a Shattered Memories OST).
Development
Rating
On October 3rd, the British Board of Film Classification rated Shattered Memories for people aged 15 and over. No cuts were made to the game. It issued the warning:
- Consumer Advice: Contains unsettling atmosphere and strong sex references.
"When submitted to the BBFC the linear elements within the work had a running time (eg cut scenes) of 192m 55s.
- 01:50:00:00 – CUTSCENES
- 00:00:45:00 ALTERNATIVE END CUTSCENE
- 01:19:00:00 NO TITLE ON SCREEN
- 00:03:10:00 MONTAGE CUTSCENE"
Release date
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories was originally set to be released for October 13th, 2009 in North America and October 30th in Europe. In September 2009, Climax revealed that the release date would be pushed back to November 3rd, 2009. Around early October near the game's original release, it was revealed that Climax Studios pushed back the release date from November 3rd to December 8th, 2009.
On October 13, Konami announced that Shattered Memories will be released across Europe in February 2010.
Pal Box Art Change
On October 24, 2009, Go Nintendo revealed the Pal release box art was changed. The original version bore a close up of Harry's frozen face, his glasses angled. The new one is closer to the American release of Cheryl on the frozen swing, with a slightly different background and art filter, and the awards removed.
Development Blog
Late in the game's production, Producer Tom Hulett began a bi-weekly development blog, updated on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which discussed various facets of information regarding the making of Shattered Memories, as well as other Silent Hill related matters. Each blog featured a picture, usually a glimpse at in-game artwork such as Cheryl's sketches, or even a part of the script itself. The blogs were initially delayed, but eventually caught up in real-time.
Blog Gallery
 June 1, 2009. The first blog. |
 June 23, 2009. A nod to the fans at Silent Hill Heaven. |
 July 18, 2009. Hulett gets a Pyramid Head plush for his birthday. |
 August 23, 2009. A glimpse at Cheryl's coloring book. |
 September 21, 2009. Poster art hangs in Climax's office. |
 October 13, 2009. The sign outside Sinister Pointe. |
 October 15, 2009. A glimpse at in-game artwork. |
 October 20, 2009. Artwork of the frozen Nightmare world, and Konami goodies. |
 October 23, 2009 brings us...Tomm Thumb. Har har. |
Trivia
- Harry keeps a photo of Cheryl in his wallet, a sign of his devotion to his daughter.
- This is the first Silent Hill game to feature permanent loss of combat, as the game is meant to avoid confrontation to make the game more intense. This is similar to the Clock Tower series and Haunting Ground, where the protagonists flee their enemies instead of fight.
- This is also the first Silent Hill to have a different storyline depending on how you interact with scenery, characters, and monsters.
- When taking a picture of certain strange phenomena, the image may distort and reveal a hint or secret to Harry. This is similar to the Fatal Frame game-series.
- When Harry examines something, he will vocally respond, a first in the series.
- In the Wii version, the Wii Remote's speaker acts like a radio, delivering static to the presence of monsters.
- Footage of the profile select screen show Harry playing with Cheryl next to his car, wearing more casual clothing and possibly at their home.
- There's always a way through any locked door, instead of the notorious "The lock is broken."
- This is the second game to be released on a Nintendo console (the first being Silent Hill: Play Novel, released on the GameBoy Advance, which is also based on the original game).
- Unlike the Otherworld in previous games, which was bloody and rust covered, the Otherworld in Shattered Memories is frozen and everything is covered in snow and ice.
- At the beginning and periodically throughout the game, there is a character named "Dr. K". This is possibly Dr. Kaufmann or a reference to him, but it's not confirmed.
Gallery
See more concept art and screenshots here.
 Shattered Memories' concept logo. |
 Shattered Memories' final logo. |
 Shattered Memories concept art. |
 Cheryl Mason in Shattered Memories. |
 Harry sits with a photo of his daughter. |
 Harry wards off Raw Shocks with a flare. |
 A nurse, currently assumed to be Lisa Garland |
 Harry talking to Lisa |
External links
| Silent Hill Games | |
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| Main Series | |
| Remakes | |
| Spin-offs | |
| Production | |
