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.

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Combos are also implemented, but nothing fancy, more like a couple of light attacks followed by a heavy attack. Also, when enemies are downed, you'll be treated to much more than a simple stomp, usually along the lines of decapitation or a nice skewering. Even though you'll usually fight more than one opponent, the dodge capability and the new camera control allows players to maneuver around enemies and emerge from most fights unscathed.

This is also quite a problem, since the game doesn't feel challenging anymore, especially since you can find a lot of healing items so even if you do take damage, it's irrelevant. You'll be glad to hear that the nurses are back once again, with their twitchy and erratic movement, but not very dangerous thanks to the dodge capability. The plethora of monsters is not exactly large, but they are as twisted as ever. Boss fights are a little more difficult, but not like in previous parts, especially when you consider that most can be finished with the first knife found, since it's such a fast weapon.

I also must mention that the loading screens that occurred whenever you would enter a door are now gone. Alex, as well as the monsters, is free to explore, opening doors and moving from one room to the other without interruption. The scenery is also filled with interactable items and locations. You will encounter doors that can only be opened when hacked with an axe and certain places where you can pass only after cutting some sort of material that stand in your way. The interesting part is that you will encounter some of them way before attaining the weapon or item required to open it, so a little bit of backtracking needs to be done.

The Silent Hill series has always had its share of interesting puzzles and Silent Hill: Homecoming is no exception although a tad on the easy side. I must confess I would have liked to see more puzzles like the coin puzzle in Silent Hill 2, or the library puzzle in Silent Hill 3. I think an option for selecting combat difficulty and puzzle difficulty would have been greatly appreciated, but I guess we can't have everything now.

Of course, The Otherworld will make a grand appearance as well, with the transition from the real world looking better than ever. Just like the movie Silent Hill, when the world starts changing, everything around you transforms and decays and this is excellently shown in the game. The music, composed once again by Akira Yamaoka goes from soothing to shattering in a heartbeat. Sometimes the music is so good that you just want to stand there and listen to it, making sure you won't be interrupted by any monster.

This seems to be the most cohesive Silent Hill so far, with not a lot of loose ends left at the end, and this is refreshing for a change, as you aren't left with a whole lot of unanswered questions like in previous parts. It's nice to have some fighting skills as well, but this, once again, detracts from the feeling of fear that came from playing as a normal person, not trained in combat and not knowing if you will survive the next encounter.

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Conclusion:

Alex's story, while not as deep and emotional as James's, is certainly worthy of your time. If you can live with the changes that came as a package with the new developer, then you will find that Silent Hill: Homecoming is a great game. Once again though I must warn you that this is very different from previous parts, so if you have the option of trying it before buying it, I would recommend that.

Gameplay: 82

Full advantage must be taken of the new camera system which allows for a much better exploration of the environment, unlike previous parts. The combat options also provide diversity, a thing that Silent Hill sorely needed, as I think everyone was tired of hacking away mindlessly at enemies. Also, the story is worth it, and I recommend playing it to the end, to see exactly what the "deal" is between Silent Hill and Shepherd's Glen.

Graphics: 85

Changing from one world to the other looks great, especially for the first time seeing it, the decaying effect being wonderfully reproduced and also the shadows have an important part to play in setting the right atmosphere for the game. Blood effects are nicely done, providing a nice contrast between the dark and macabre environment and the blood red... blood. 

Sound: 92

Akira Yamaoka once again, ladies and gentlemen, and I'm sure that says enough. Don't be surprised if you actually forget to play the game and just sit there listening to the music.

Multiplayer: n/a

Hardware: 70

Just like the console version, the PC version also has its number of bugs that range from irritating to game ending. Messing around with the details option in the menu is usually a sure way to return to your desktop, and so is hitting Alt+Tab in the game. Be warned that save points are scarce, so think twice before Tab-ing out of the game to check your messenger.