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Silent Hill 3
SilentHill3Boxart
Developer
Team Silent
Publisher
Konami
Release date
May 23, 2003 (Europe)
July 3, 2003 (Japan)
August 6, 2003 (North America)
Platforms
PlayStation 2
PC
Xbox 360 (HD Collection)
PlayStation 3 (HD Collection)

Silent Hill 3 is the third installment in the Silent Hill series and the second game to be released on the PC and PlayStation 2. It was developed by Team Silent and published by Konami in 2003. The game is a direct sequel to the first game and it is recommended that the player completes the first game before playing Silent Hill 3. Unlike Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 4: The Room, it was never ported to Xbox.

With the release of the Silent Hill HD Collection, it is now on the Xbox 360. However, this version was criticized for technical issues, artistic changes, and replacing all of the voice actors.

A loose film adaptation of the game and a sequel to the first Silent Hill film, Silent Hill: Revelation, was released in 2012.

Plot

Seventeen years have passed since the events of the first game and the baby whom the Incubator gave to Harry Mason at the end of the first game, Heather Mason, is now a teenage girl. Harry took Heather into his care to raise as his own daughter.

While running an errand for her father at the Central Square Shopping Center, Heather falls asleep inside a burger joint and dreams about Silent Hill, where she finds herself wandering through a nightmarish amusement park. After fighting her way past several monsters, Heather walks along the roller coaster's tracks until she is struck down by the roller coaster.

HeatherSunset

Heather, the teenage protagonist.

After the roller coaster incident in her nightmare, Heather wakes up. She exits the burger joint and calls her father and lets him know that she is on her way home. Just as she is leaving, however, Heather encounters a detective named Douglas Cartland, who was hired by a cult known as the Order to find her. Heather, thinking him a stalker, ducks into the ladies' restroom; she jumps out the window, but her way out is blocked on both ends, forcing her to find another way through the mall. Inside the mall, Heather realizes that there are strange monsters lurking around. In a clothing store, Heather finds a handgun to defend herself with.

HeatherClaudia

Heather's first encounter with Claudia Wolf.

As Heather wanders through the mall, she encounters a barefoot woman dressed in all black with flowing blonde hair. She is the high priestess of the Order, Claudia Wolf, who has been searching for Heather, or rather, Alessa Gillespie, for a long time. Claudia tells Heather that her talents are required and to: "Remember me, and your true self as well", and that she will lead them to Paradise "with bloodstained hands." Heather then comes down with a serious migraine as Claudia departs.

When Heather enters an elevator, its descent causes a radio to drop from the ceiling, which emits static whenever monsters are nearby. The elevator doors open up, revealing a second, more sinister-looking elevator that indicates a crossover into another reality. After riding the second elevator down, Heather then finds herself inside the Otherworld, a nightmare version of the mall. Even though she is frightened, she manages to make it back to the real world after a battle with an enormous worm in the mall's depths.

Once everything is back to normal, Heather heads for the subway so that she may return home. However, Douglas stops her; Heather assumes that the private investigator is on Claudia's side, but he tells her that he was only hired to find her. Heather leaves the bewildered man alone and enters the subway. As with the mall, the subway is deserted, with the exception of the odd monster here and there. Heather even has a close call when she narrowly avoids being run over by a subway car. She takes the aforementioned subway to the underpass and fights her way through the sewer-like corridors until she reaches a construction site, which she uses to reach another building, the Hilltop Center, that is adjacent to the construction site through an open window.

It is inside Hilltop Center that, while inspecting a bathtub, Heather enters the nightmare world once again. She encounters a man named Vincent Smith, who is also a member of the Order, but who has different views on where the cult should go. After a brief conversation, she abandons him as well, voicing her beliefs that there is something wrong with him. When Heather reaches the exit, she finds a monster blocking it; she finds scattered pages of a fairy tale which contains the words 'Tu Fui, Ego Eris' that makes the monster disappear. After getting rid of the monster, Heather is brought back to the normal world and escapes the Hilltop Center.

Upon arriving at her home in the Daisy Villa Apartments, Heather discovers the body of her father, Harry Mason, slumped in his chair, having been brutally murdered. Heather follows the blood trail to the apartment's rooftop where Claudia is waiting for her. Her motive for Harry's murder is he thwarted the cult's plans seventeen years ago, and that killing him would fill Heather's heart full of hatred. Claudia tells Heather that she wasn't the one that killed him, only that she gave the order to her companion, a monster known as the Missionary. Claudia then tells Heather that she will be waiting for her in Silent Hill and departs.

Harrydeceased

Douglas and Heather after Harry's death.

After killing the monster, Heather finds Douglas inside the apartment. He helps her move Harry's body into his room, covered by a sheet with lilies. Heather pays her final respects to her father and decides to find Claudia and kill her in revenge, despite the fact that Douglas tells her revenge isn't the answer. Douglas offers to drive her to Silent Hill, which she reluctantly agrees to. Outside the apartment, Douglas hands Heather a map of Silent Hill, a gift from Vincent, and tells her that Vincent says to look for a man named Leonard Wolf. He also gives her a notebook from her father, which acts as an explanation of Heather's past and as a final goodbye to her.

Heather and Douglas arrive in Silent Hill the following day; the town itself is deserted and covered by fog. They set up refuge in Jacks Inn and then split up; Heather heads for Brookhaven Hospital, while Douglas goes to search Leonard Wolf's house.

Heather searches the hospital for clues to Claudia's whereabouts. Instead, among other things, Heather finds demonic nurses, some of which are armed with revolvers. She also finds that one of the hospital's patients, Stanley Coleman, has an unhealthy obsession with her, and that Leonard is imprisoned within the hospital. Heather realizes a startling discovery about herself long forgotten; she is the reincarnation of Alessa Gillespie, as she has memories of Alessa's life previous to a fire she was burned in at the age of 7.

ClaudiaInn

Vincent and Claudia debate in Jacks Inn.

Heather enters the nightmare realm once again and it is here that she encounters Leonard Wolf, who reveals himself to be the father of Claudia. Unfortunately, Leonard has degenerated into a monster and attacks Heather, who defeats him. Heather acquires the Seal of Metatron, a talisman which Leonard possessed, and the hospital becomes normal once again upon Leonard's demise. Heather returns to Jacks Inn to meet with Douglas. However, just before she returns, Claudia and Vincent have a conversation about the cult, as well as Leonard's abusiveness to Claudia, in their motel room.

Vincent is waiting for Heather when she returns to Jacks Inn, Claudia having already left. Heather asks him about Douglas's whereabouts and Vincent tells her that he left a message: "The church is on the other side of the lake." He also tells Heather that Claudia is inside the church, and that she must pass through Lakeside Amusement Park in order to reach her. Heather follows Vincent's advice, only to find that when she arrives at the park, she enters the nightmare world once again, realizing that it has now become her nightmare. Heather follows the path to the roller coaster, only this time around, with foreknowledge of what is going to occur, she manages to jump off the tracks just before the cars run her over.

In another part of the park, Claudia and Douglas are arguing; Douglas feels betrayed by Claudia, saying that while Claudia says that Heather was kidnapped and brainwashed, he feels that Heather is actually happy. Claudia then explains that they need Heather back into the cult because God needs to be born to usher in a new "Paradise" -- an eternal world filled with no pain, hunger, sickness, old age, greed or war. Douglas then points out that a place without any worries or negative implications is not really a paradise, but rather, a stagnant world where nothing happens of any real value. Douglas sighs, saying that type of world would be pointless and boring and in response, Claudia tells Douglas that she pities him. Douglas then pulls out his gun and points it at her, and what happens afterwards remains a mystery.

MemFace

The Memory of Alessa on the Happy Carousel.

After exploring the amusement park, Heather eventually runs into Douglas once again, however, he is unable to come with her due to his broken leg, which is implied to have been intentionally broken by Claudia using her power of psychokinesis. Douglas reveals that his son was shot robbing a bank, and talks more about his life. Heather promises to come back once she is done with things, and she comes to find herself in the same area of the amusement park where Harry was seventeen years earlier. On the carousel, Heather encounters her doppelgänger, the Memory of Alessa. The other Heather is bloodied and severely burned, and wishes to stop the birth of the God at all costs. After defeating her dark self, Heather reaches the entrance of the cult's church.

Heather encounters Claudia inside the chapel and tells her that Alessa is fine with the world the way it is. It is unknown if this was actually Alessa, or just Heather pretending to be her as a way of manipulating Claudia. Claudia has a strong will and explains that there is too much suffering in the world and the God of her cult will change all that, although Heather explains that suffering is a fact of life and that Claudia must face that reality and not hurt anyone. Heather also tells Claudia that she will never forgive her for killing Harry. Heather suddenly feels pain, as the God is close to being ready for birth, and Claudia leaves.

VincentHeatherLibrary

Vincent asking Heather about the Seal of Metatron.

While fighting her way through the corridors of the church, Heather encounters Vincent inside the library. He asks her about the Seal of Metatron, which Heather has in her possession. Vincent is relieved, as he believes it can be used as a weapon to defeat Claudia, whom Heather finally catches up to inside the cult's inner sanctum. Claudia wounds Vincent by stabbing him from behind, and Heather is somewhat taken aback by this action. After Claudia calms down, she resumes her usual composure and thanks Heather for making God feel hate and becoming closer to Paradise. Heather then points out that a God who believes in hate can never create a perfect world. Claudia retaliates by saying that even a joyful world can be a cruel place and that in order to understand sympathy, one must understand pain and suffering. Vincent, still alive, desperately tells Claudia that Heather has the Seal of Metatron; Claudia then reveals that the Seal of Metatron is nothing but a useless trinket before stabbing Vincent in the heart, resulting in his death.

Fetus

Heather vomits God on the floor.

Heather nearly succumbs to her rage after calling Claudia a "bitch", but finally gains control of herself. The pendant Heather wears around her neck was a birthday gift from her father. Inside, it contains a small capsule of Aglaophotis, a liquid known for exorcising demons. Heather swallows it and vomits the bloody fetus of the God onto the floor. After taunting Claudia that "God didn't make it," Heather attempts to stomp on it with her boot but Claudia shoves her aside and picks up the repulsive creature. After ingesting God herself, Claudia falls through a hole, and Heather jumps in after her.

Inside the chamber, Claudia is dead, after giving birth to the monstrous God. Heather then discovers the God, which resembles a repulsive skeletal body with a reptilian female face, which resembles Alessa's own face, and a shroud provided by Valtiel. Due to Claudia, God has been reborn. Heather kills the God, thus finally avenging her father. Heather then collapses to the floor and mourns over her father's death.

Endings

HeatherEnd

Cheryl visiting Harry's grave.

  • Normal: Heather returns to the amusement park, no longer in the Otherworld. She acts very strangely as she approaches Douglas. She wields a knife and seems unresponsive. She acts as if she is about to kill Douglas but then suddenly stops and tells him she was just playing a joke. Douglas makes a comment on how she has a twisted sense of humor. She then insists that Douglas call her Cheryl, which is the name her father originally gave to her. Douglas then asks if she is also considering going back to her original black hair color, to which she replies that blondes have more fun. The game closes with an image of Cheryl visiting Harry's grave. This is the canon ending, due to a mention of Douglas surviving and exposing the cult in Silent Hill: Homecoming.
Corpse

Heather murders Douglas Cartland.

  • Possessed: Heather is standing still in the Otherworld amusement park. Douglas is lying before her, stabbed to death. Heather is holding her knife in her hand, soaked with blood. This may allude to Claudia's prophecy, which said that Heather would "lead believers to Paradise with bloodstained hands". To get the "Possessed" ending, the player must have already finished the game at least once, with Heather accumulating a certain number of "points" throughout the second attempt. Points are accumulated through killing creatures (10 points each), taking damage (1 point with each attack), and forgiving the confessor (1,000 points). The player must accumulate 4,000 points to receive this ending.
RevengeEnding

Heather telling Harry what happened.

  • Revenge: Just like in Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3 has a UFO Ending. After doing what is necessary to attain this ending, a storyboard\comic-like ending commences. Heather returns home to find that her father, Harry Mason, is not dead, and is in fact sitting at a table drinking tea with an alien. James Sunderland, the protagonist from Silent Hill 2, can be seen in the background, hiding behind a curtain. Heather, who seems unfazed by the fact that an alien is present, informs her father of the horrors and events that she has experienced. Harry, clearly upset, vows revenge on the town for wronging his daughter. He then jump-kicks a wooden board held by James clean in two pieces in a fit of rage, as Heather and the alien look on and cheer.
    The next scene portrays the town being obliterated in a UFO attack similar to a 1950s science fiction B-horror movie. The credit sequence then begins, with an unseen Japanese man coaxing an unseen chorus of what sounds to be Japanese men impersonating children into singing an odd song, entitled Silent Hill no Uta ("Silent Hill's Song") about the Silent Hill 3 characters, featuring silly jabs at each of the characters. They then appear to be gunned down by anonymous machine gun fire.
    This ending cannot be acquired on the first playthrough, and requires that the player kill at least 30 monsters with the "Heather Beam" or "Sexy Beam" before entering Harry's apartment; also, when entering Harry's apartment, Heather must not have any weapon equipped (i.e., the Heather Beam is currently active). This is ironically the best ending, due to the fact that Silent Hill has been destroyed and Harry is alive.

Gameplay

Memory_of_Alessa

Memory of Alessa

Heather fighting the Memory of Alessa.

Gameplay is similar to that of the previous two installments. Heather must solve puzzles, collect key items, and fight monsters to survive. Heather is equipped with a flashlight and radio; the flashlight is often the only source of light, and the radio emits static when an enemy is near. A new item in the series is Beef Jerky, which can be used to temporarily distract certain monsters.

CancerShoot

Heather shoots an Insane Cancer.

Combat with the various monsters is done through melee and firearm weapons. It is recommended to rely on strong, fast melee weapons, such as the Katana, saving the guns for bosses and strong monsters. Unlike the previous two installments, the Hunting Rifle is replaced with the Submachine Gun. Heather can also block attacks, reducing damage inflicted instead of negating the entire attack itself.

Silent Hill 3 has a set of unlockable weapon which include the Flamethrower, Beam Saber, "Heather Beam" and a "Sexy Beam", and are only unlocked after beating the game once. The player can also unlock various costumes after completing the game once. Some require the player to enter in codes to unlock them. The player can only use the "Sexy Beam" while wearing the "Transform" costume.

Music

SH3

Silent Hill 3 Original Soundtracks

Main article: Silent Hill 3 Original Soundtracks

The North American release came with an extra soundtrack CD titled Silent Hill 3 Official Soundtrack, a first in the series. It was also the first game to feature songs with lyrics sung by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and written by Joe Romersa, which became a series staple.

Reception

Silent Hill 3 received positive reviews, garnering an 83.77% rating at Game Rankings for the PlayStation 2 version, and a 71.15% rating for the PC version. Its Metacritic rating for the PlayStation 2 version is 85/100, while the PC version has a rating of 72/100.

Positive reactions were given to the general horror and atmosphere of the game, including "truly horrifying sections," it "packs some genuine scares" and "the feeling of eeriness and doom is almost overwhelming." The story told as part of the atmosphere was also received positively, making for a "satisfying, coherent sequel," although its status as such meant that "it may be a little tough to follow for people who haven't played the first game", despite "a laudable effort to help people catch up." In addition, the graphics, audio and production values were all credited with adding positively to the atmosphere.

Negative criticism largely stemmed from the lack of any innovations in gameplay; the game "doesn't do anything major that the series hasn't done before", "does little in term of innovation" and "doesn't offer much beyond the other titles in the series." Also criticized was the game's camera and control system which, despite having been improved from previous games, was described as "awkward, disorienting, and motion sickness-inducing." Some criticism stemmed from the length of the game, as it "can be easily beaten in a handful of hours."

Similarities to Silent Hill

There are many similarities between Silent Hill and Silent Hill 3. This is because Silent Hill 3 is a direct sequel to the game, essentially being a rehash of the first game's plot, and upon playing the game the first time, the player may not fully realize how similar the two games are.

The protagonists of both games have two syllable names that start with "H" (Harry, Heather) with a last name of Mason. The antagonist is a priestess of the Order whose name ends with "-ia" (Dahlia, Claudia). Alessa/Heather is pregnant with God's fetus, and the priestess is searching for her with the intent of birthing their deity.

Both games start off with Harry and Heather inside of a nightmare. In their nightmares, they are both killed while visiting the nightmare version of Silent Hill. They soon wake up inside of a diner next to bottles of ketchup and mustard. A few moments later, they both meet detective-like characters who later support them throughout the game (Cybil and Douglas). In the Otherworld shopping centers they visit, they both see televisions with images of Cheryl on them. In these shopping centers, they both enter a room that they are trapped in (Harry falls down a hole and Heather's ladder breaks) where they must defeat a giant version of a worm (Twinfeeler, Split Worm). Upon its defeat, the Otherworld changes back into the world they were previously in. The first bosses they encounter both have their heads split in half (Split Head and Split Worm). In the hospitals they visit, they both see the video tape of Lisa Garland, as well as use a camera (Camera, Instant Camera) to solve a puzzle and sacrifice a blood pack in order to progress.

They both visit the Otherworld Lakeside Amusement Park and go on the same carousel where they fight a female, doppelgänger-like boss (Puppet Cybil Bennett, Memory of Alessa). After the carousel, they visit "Nowhere", a collection of manifested memories. For example, Harry and Heather both visit a manifestation of Alessa's classroom in Midwich Elementary School, and Alessa's sick room. The final save point in both games is located in Alessa's room; the final boss lies just beyond the door. In Nowhere, both protagonists are required to collect five items (Harry must collect 5 occult items, Heather must collect five tarot cards). Upon placing the 5 items on the door in Alessa's room, the player navigates through a hallway and the final confrontation occurs. In the final confrontation, Aglaophotis is used to expel God.

At the end of both games, the antagonist (Dahlia, Claudia) dies and the birth of God is prevented. Both protagonists have lost someone precious to them (Cheryl, Harry) and they leave Silent Hill and return to the real world.

Similar locations in both games include a shopping mall, jewelry store, sewers, church, hospital, motel, and Lakeside Amusement Park. Both protagonists can obtain gold and silver items (Gold Medallion and Silver Medallion for Harry, gold and silver pipes for Heather) and solve puzzles involving birds. Both protagonists find wheelchairs with their wheels still spinning.

Trivia

TeamSH3

The development team of Silent Hill 3.

SH3voiceactors

The voice actors of Silent Hill 3.

File:MarySH3.jpg

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.

  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has a few pieces of art from the church of Silent Hill 3 inside of the library in the Graniny Gorki Lab. As well, the "silencer corpse" in the Construction Site in Silent Hill 3 is noted as being a reference to the Metal Gear Solid series in the official strategy guide by Dan Birlew.
  • Silent Hill 3 is the first game in the series where the player takes control of a character shown in a previous game, in this case, Cheryl from Silent Hill.
  • According to the Book of Lost Memories, there is a fourth ending referred to as a "phantom ending", in which Heather attempts to kill Claudia Wolf before she uses the Aglaophotis. The creators stated, "It's not game over, and can be interpreted as another conclusion to the story." [1]
  • Initially, Heather was supposed to hear the wail of a newborn baby in the Otherworld at the end of the game, implying God has been reborn into a new host. Though it was removed from the game, creator Masahiro Ito confirmed the baby is part of canon. It is unknown who the baby is.
    • Although the sound itself is removed from the game, according to Ito, Heather seems to hear it, which is the reason why she turns her head at the end of the game.
  • Silent Hill 3 is the only Silent Hill title in the main series that doesn't have a child who is a major part of the plot.
  • In many areas of the Otherworld, the walls are a compact mess of red hues and a throbbing sound can be heard. This could be symbolic of a child in the womb, the red, "veiny" walls symbolic of the uterus, and the throbbing noise representing a heartbeat.
  • A possible, hidden significance to the bathtub Otherworld shift could be a nod towards Valtiel: just as Heather turns a valve to turn on the bathtub, Valtiel is the dictator of rebirth and is seen multiple times turning valves beneath two identical girls meant to be Cheryl and Alessa.
  • In "Making of Silent Hill 3" when Heather, asleep, is seen inside Happy Burger. Masahiro Ito says: "In this sequence, which takes place in the beginning of the game, the color of the sunset is redder than it is in reality. This is a way of telling the player, right from the start, that in Silent Hill 3, something 'red' is waiting for them..." This "red" color also occurs in a later, quite emotional part in the game where Heather is in the church and finds a room nearly identical to her father's. The lighting is easily distinguishable from anything else.
  • Silent Hill 3 is the first Silent Hill game where the player is able to unlock different outfits.
  • Harry's voice in the UFO Ending is digitally scrambled because he does not have a voice actor in the main story.
  • One sound file omitted from the final version is the frightening noise of a baby crying in another room, meant to be heard on the third floor of Hilltop Center. Though it is unknown why exactly it would be removed from the game, it is possible that the developers found it too disturbing even by Silent Hill standards.[2] In the Silent Hill HD Collection port of the game, a similar sound of a baby crying was used during Heather's first meeting with Claudia.

External links

See also

Videos

Gallery

Silent Hill games v · e · d
Main series Silent Hill · 2 · 3 · 4: The Room · Origins · Homecoming · Shattered Memories · Downpour · 2 (Bloober Team) · ƒ
Ports / Adaptations Play Novel · Mobile · HD Collection · Slot machine · Escape · Return
Spin-offs The Arcade · Orphan · Mobile 2 · Mobile 3 · The Escape · Book of Memories · Ascension · The Short Message · Townfall
Crossovers Dead by Daylight: Chapter XVI - Silent Hill · Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals - Silent Hill
Cancelled Silent Hills (P.T.) · Cancelled projects
Production Konami · Team Silent · Climax Studios · Double Helix · Vatra Games · WayForward Technologies · TAKASAGO · Bloober Team · Annapurna Interactive · HexaDrive
Extras Inspirations · Features · Fonts · Horror Adventure
v · e · d
Silent Hill 3
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
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