Silent Hill Shattered Memories

Meet Harry Mason. He's crashed his car in the middle of a blizzard on the outskirts of a small town called Silent Hill. He's confused -- his memory is iffy, but he's painfully aware that his little girl is no longer in the vehicle. So with flashlight in hand, he braves the cold, the snow and inevitably the terror as he searches blindly for her. This is the setup for Shattered Memories, which is not a remake but a full-blown re-imagining of Konami's classic horror adventure game. While devoted franchise fans will find some familiar gameplay elements, characters and story arcs, the Climax Studios sequel is simultaneously distinguished by some altogether new mechanics and concepts that represent bold and refreshing departures from the conventions that some purists hold dear. Backlash is therefore inevitable, but whether you choose to define the experience as Silent Hill-esque or not, it is undeniably well-executed, eerily atmospheric and at times downright chilling -- literally, as I'll explain.
Shattered Memories is an adventure game riddled with a host of disturbing themes, not least of which is the fact that the town is caught in the grip of a snow storm, most of its inhabitants are missing, and dreadful monsters periodically scream from icy formations. The nightmarish and disorienting storyline is surrounded by high production values, from detailed character models whose bodies and faces animate fluidly to strong voice acting and a moody and dynamic soundtrack by series composer Akira Yamaoka. It all comes together convincingly in what can only be described as a standout experience on Wii.

Mason controls very tightly from the third-person and his indispensable flashlight is tethered to the Wii remote . The beam mechanic is simply the best implemented in any game I have ever played. Pointing the light here and there is extremely responsive and just as satisfying because it looks amazing. A robust particle system allows for heavy snowfall and your light will shine on individual flakes as they blow in the wind. The beam illuminates the icy intersections and darkened corridors Harry explores with stunning pixel-perfect accuracy, even casting and projecting lifelike shadows on walls. Not only does it look beautiful, but the gadget responds so well that it's fun to wield even when doing so is not integral.

Meanwhile, a lush and wholly immersive world complements the moody flashlight mechanic. You will believe that Silent Hill is a real town as Harry makes his way through fully modeled bars and diners, bathrooms and bedrooms, hotels and malls, amusement parks and fishing docks, woods and underground passageways -- each location meticulously rendered with the little details like framed pictures, posters and papers with perfectly legible text. In an attempt to keep suspension of disbelief, the game is almost entirely void of text overlays. Instead, you'll simply be able to read clues in the world because the texture resolution is more than adequate. Harry will even make aural notes and offer clues as you interact with environments.

The monsters in the game evolve, but their designs never match those in previous titles.

The expansive world is completely streamed and you therefore won't encounter any exorbitant load times, which is a great feat. The minor drawback to this, however, is that you must deal with a quick, but noticeable lag as Harry bursts through doorways during monster-intensive situations. Thankfully, the occurrence is infrequent and ultimately a small price to pay for the seamlessly connected construction of the desolate town.

Shattered Memories effectively maintains an air of unease and the element of surprise. In one moment, Harry is trudging through heavy snow and in the next you discover yourself inexplicably seated in an armchair and interfacing with a psychologist, who asks all sorts of sordid questions about your morality and sexuality. From this point forward, Silent Hill profiles you. Every answer you give and every move you make in the game world is considered and the experience altered based on those replies and actions. And as you advance, the psychologist interrupts your adventure repeatedly with more questions and mental tests. It's an ambitious concept that effects some intriguing scenarios and also enhances replay value. Characters change and behave differently. Areas locked in one play-through are opened up in the next. The world itself is modified. Even the gruesome monsters evolve based on your preferences.

Konami has made much ado about the profile system and the countless possibilities tied to it. I found it a novel addition but ultimately a little underwhelming because many of the alterations are subtle and purely cosmetic. For example, a different hue of color that engulfs a particular room or a character whose outfit changes to something more sexually revealing depending on your choices. The trademark jittering, contortionist monsters of the series are back and their collective evolution is at least partially glued to the profile mechanism. For example, the enemies can acquire phallic additions based on your decisions and true enough, some of their physical changes are dramatic. Unfortunately, though, their mutations seem limited to aesthetics because they keep the same behavior throughout the experience, never growing more difficult or even altering their plan of attack as you advance. And Silent Hill devotees will surely find the monster selection lackluster compared to the mesmerizingly bizarre creatures in some of the other games.

That noted, based on your choices the game does boast multiple endings and there are some dramatic differences along Harry's journey, including entire path, character and dialog tree shifts. This truth definitely extends the replay value for what is otherwise a decidedly short experience. Shattered Memories can be completed in about five or six hours, and although the adventure to the end is genuinely captivating if not thrilling, the abrupt closure may leave some feeling unfulfilled, particularly if you measure a game's worth by its length. That said, I'm of the mind that a relentlessly engaging six-hour game is better than a 12-hour one with some dull moments and so I'm satisfied with Wii's first romp in Silent Hill.

The game psych profiles you and watches your every move. If you have a propensity for sexual themes, the cop you meet might be more voluptuous.

I do realize that some die-hards will scoff at the notion that Shattered Memories offers a true Silent Hill experience and I can certainly understand that viewpoint, even if I don't agree with it. This game is to previous Silent Hill outings what Resident Evil 4 is to Capcom's survival horror series. A departure and its own entity. Some purists will have to get over that fact and move on because there is a lot to love about this title and some of the bold design choices Climax has made, many of which enhance the suspense. Mason has tools, including his flashlight and his cell phone, the latter tied to some original puzzles. Oftentimes the character will need to dial phone numbers to trigger sequences to advance and discovering those numbers is a task occasionally embedded in fun puzzles. But he never gains access to any weapons. When the world freezes over, the character has no real defenses against the incoming monsters -- all he can do is run. It's a novel mechanic that some gamers can't even fathom. Seriously. Every time I explained the concept to seasoned players, they repeatedly questioned whether it was something that lasted through the entire experience. It does. Harry never fights back. He sprints for his life. And you know what? It's terrifying.

Harry doesn't have any weapons, which is downright frightening. He does carry a useful cell phone, though.

Frantically running from doorway to doorway with deranged screaming monsters in tow is truly frightening, especially since the creatures are both fast and adequately smart. They will tail you through doorways, over crevices, under crawl spaces and even open lockers that you might hide in. The problem with the system is not that there are no weapons, but rather that these hair-raising run sequences are interspersed throughout the game and predictable. When the world takes on an icy sheen, you know the monsters are coming, it's intensely scary, and you will likely panic as you stumble toward a safety point. However, as soon as the ice disappears, so does any sense of danger because you know the monsters have temporarily retreated and any genuine threat with them. Exploring the dark town with your flashlight remains moody and often eerie, sure, but your heart rate isn't likely to quicken. Not knowing when or where the creatures might appear next would've proven far scarier and as a result every new dark room would've held the potential for danger -- a missed opportunity by Climax.

Even if there is both an upside and downside to the weaponless sequences, though, I have to give the developer full credit for bravely trying something unabashedly new. The same could be said for many of the unique gameplay offerings contained within the title. As Mason progresses through the adventure, he is able to interact with the insides of moving vehicles, to roll around in a wheelchair, to go for a long swim and there's even a couple scenarios where he falls down huge, black chasms. These are not cut-scenes, but clever gameplay situations. He can roll down windows, unlock doors and fool around with dials inside the cars. His swim strokes are tied to gestures on the Wii remote and nunchuk -- and it feels good. And when he seems to fall forever into the darkness, you can look around and shine your flashlight on decrepit icy buildings as the slide ever upward with your Wii remote. Several times I found myself amazed by the variety and interactivity.

These unconventional gameplay situations are wrapped in a similarly fresh narrative and the developer is unafraid to utilize flashbacks and even throw you into seemingly nonsensical world-altering challenges on a whim. Harry chats with a character, goes to the bathroom and returns to find her completely different -- new hair, face, and clothing, not to mention attitude. You don't know why. And when he opens the bedroom door in his apartment and the world morphs to an underground lair complete with a staircase that descends forever downward, you won't know why, either. You will therefore never feel wholly at ease, which is undoubtedly the desired result.

The best flashlight we've seen in any Wii game is tethered perfectly to the Wii remote.

Closing Comments
Shattered Memories isn't your typical Silent Hill game. Some devoted fans will undoubtedly raise a fuss over every difference whether subtle or grand, but I believe this re-imagining succeeds as both a sequel and a departure. The overarching narrative, characters, and monsters will all seem faintly familiar to Silent Hill purists, but Climax has taken the series and run with it, crafting a title refreshingly different yet still at times terrifying.

The game looks fabulous, the controls feel tailor made for Wii, the flashlight mechanic is stunningly atmospheric and useful, and the decision is to omit weapons results in chilling chase sequences. There is simply a lot to love about Shattered Memories, which is why it's so easy to recommend the title despite a couple of shortcomings.

I feel that the separation between safe exploration and puzzling and run-for-your-life monster scenarios is too transparent and as a result you will inevitably come to fear the ice and few things else. And despite a unique psych profile system that allows for multiple endings and various changes throughout the adventure, the game runs a bit short -- perhaps too short for some.

Even so, there are some incredible moments encapsulated within Harry's icy journey and you will be both wowed and scared as you finally uncover the truth about his daughter's disappearance and the nightmarish goings-on in the creepy town.