I was eagerly awaiting the latest installment in the Silent Hill series, hoping to get back that familiar feeling of fear that only the eerie universe of Silent Hill can produce. A new developer means the game has taken a different path and while a new approach is not always a good thing, it seems that "Double Helix Games" has done a good job of making a game that can stand up to its predecessors and is worthy of the name Silent Hill 5.

As I was saying before, some things have changed significantly, starting with the camera and ending with the combat system. While some Silent Hill fans might have a problem with the new control scheme and the more dynamic combat system, I'm sure that after a while you'll get the hang of it.

 

The story, on the outside, has nothing to do with the previous parts, but if you take a closer look you'll find many links to other Silent Hill episodes. A familiar character from the PSP version of Silent Hill, Silent Hill: Origins, will also make an appearance. Silent Hill: Homecoming tells the story of Alex Shepherd, a soldier just released from the hospital, on his way back to Shepherd's Glen, his hometown.

Not all is how Alex remembers though, and he will soon find that the streets of Shepherd's Glen now have a different kind of inhabitants. The (trademark) fog is back once again to cover everything in sight and so are the numerous cut off streets that lead to nowhere. Searching for his brother Josh, who has gone missing, as have other inhabitants of Shepherd's Glen, Alex will discover that much more is behind the seemingly peaceful town. The search for Josh will be further complicated by other family and town "matters" in which Alex plays a very important part. Certain events from the past will also catch up to Alex, leaving him (as well as the player) dazed, but hey, I won't spoil it for you, since I've always played the Silent Hill games for their story in particular. I think it's enough to say that, while predictable, the story is wonderfully told, and if you like surprise endings, you're going to have a real treat.

Like previous parts, Silent Hill also has more than one ending (5 actually), some unlocking special weapons to be found on the second run. The UFO ending is back once again and if you like having an overpowered laser pistol on your second try, go for this ending first.

Now, let's get to some of the changes from the previous parts. The most notable is probably the camera movement. You can now rotate and move the camera as you please, but I'm not exactly sure if this is beneficial for the series. I'm sure you remember the fixed camera angles from before, and the uneasiness that appeared when you would enter a room and see nothing but yourself and at the same time hear that all familiar sound of the radio that announced that you were not alone. Well, that feeling is gone now and so are most of the scary moments that came from the fixed camera.

The other major change is the combat system. Remember how James used to swing that board trying to hit something? Well, not Alex. As he was in the army, his combat experience shows and he is able to perform light and heavy attacks, dodge and counter-attack. This makes the combat much more dynamic, as pressing the dodge button at the right time will usually put Alex into position for a counter-attack.