Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Preview - Paul creeps silently into the Wii, PSP versions

Silent Hill started life as a suspense drama and grew into a more engaging survival game as the releases racked up. On the Wii, Climax takes the series back to its roots with a game that offers more investigation and avoidance than direct confrontation with abominable enemies. Ironically these seem to generate a more unsettling gameplay experience than the bigger shocks and frights of the 360 and PS3 titles. This more subtle approach to frightening gameplay was impressive not only for its execution but also for its restraint.

First thing to say is that this is a great looking game. In fact before I picked up the controls myself I had assumed it was on the Xbox 360. This comes slightly from a high attention to detail, although it is more from the smooth 60 frames-per-second appearance of the action.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories uses the Wiimote as a torch to illuminate the environment while the Nunchuck controls movement. This is all the player needs to move through the environments, and is extended as required to interact with different elements.

Bolted doors need to be gestured open in a convincing mechanic that avoids the all too common waggle action feel of hardcore Wii games. These interactive tools enable the game to up the ante for its puzzles. These are interacted with via the Wiimote pointing in ways that mirror the related real-world actions required to progress.

For instance, one puzzle puts the player in a room with a locked door and some trash on the floor. As they use the Wiimote to leaf through the detritus they may notice that some items make different noises. Finally they will discover that one of the coke cans rattles. If they then use the Wiimote to tip it upside down, out drops a key and they can go on their way.

Puzzles like these on their own are fun but inconsequential. However, as you play them you are subtly creating a connection between yourself and the game world. Each interaction adds a little to the believability of what is going on. This means that when you encounter the unnerving sequences promised for later on you are much more invested and much more scared.

In addition to the puzzles, a lot of time is spent being chased. This keeps the action moving as the player is aware that any delay means that their pursuers are catching them up. This then leads to more fumbled controls and a heightened sense of engagement. We were also shown how the game can adapt to the player. Those that are making better progress will be blocked from shortcuts through and have to face a tougher challenge. This makes the game more accessible to novice players who may not be used to these styles of gameplay, whilst not dumbing the experience down for experts.

The style of play also effects how the game responds to the player. If you have charged through enemies directly, indiscriminately shooting to get though, you are greeted by a policeman rather than a bar tender at one alcohol checkpoint. Those that took more time and the less violent route through will converse with the bar-tender. It means that repeated play throughs of the game are likely to be different - something that obviously extends the life of the game substantially.

It will be interesting to see how the game is received on the Wii when it hits shelves. Many will have a knee jerk reaction to an adult experience such as this. But those that actually engage with what is going on in the game could find an interesting and mind-changing experience.

It is often said that the Wii needs more hardcore games. But here we see a much more interesting prospect than the porting of hardcore ideas onto this casual platform. The game remains true to its roots by an intelligent re-imagining that creates as many new ideas as it filters out, and doesn't pull its punches when delivering the maximum scares.