Silent Hill: Downpour
Silent Hill: Downpour | |
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Single-player |
Silent Hill: Downpour is a 2012
Silent Hill: Downpour received mixed reviews from gaming critics, who praised its atmosphere, story and return to the series' survival horror and exploration roots after the action-heavy linearity of Silent Hill: Homecoming, but criticised its monster design, combat and technical performance. A patch fixed many of the technical issues.
Gameplay
Silent Hill: Downpour is a survival horror game played from the over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective. The game uses a
While exploring, Murphy may periodically encounter monsters, either alone or in groups. The monsters can harm him, causing his
At scripted intervals, Murphy finds himself in the Otherworld, a supernatural, rusty location where he may have to solve a puzzle to progress, navigate traps, or successfully evade the red, indestructible light chasing him. The light causes him harm in close proximity, and being caught by it will lead to a game over.[4] Murphy can attempt to slow it down by knocking items into its path.[4] Other monsters can damage him as he attempts to escape, while the environment will often change during these sequences: doors may suddenly close when Murphy runs towards them, for example.[4]
The game offers fourteen optional
Plot
Silent Hill: Downpour focuses on Murphy Pendleton (David Boyd Konrad), who has been incarcerated for several years for stealing a
In his journey through the largely abandoned town, he encounters the cryptic postman, Howard Blackwood (William Tate),[a] and travels to the Devil's Pit, a tourist attraction, where he encounters the suicidal park ranger J.P. Sater (Andy Hendrickson). Indirectly responsible for the deaths of eight children, Sater is eventually consumed by guilt and commits suicide.[17] As the game progresses, it is revealed that Murphy made a deal with the corrupt corrections officer George Sewell (Joel Bernard), to gain access to Napier, who had abused and drowned Murphy's son, Charlie.[18] Murphy locates DJ Bobby Ricks (Antoine L. Smith), who has been dedicating songs to him to attract his attention. Although he has been trapped by the town, Ricks proposes a plan to escape by boat; his keys, however, have been lost. Before they can leave, Anne confronts them, and all three are attacked by monsters. Murphy regains consciousness to find himself alone again.[19] Led to a monastery on the premise of collecting a deceased relative, Murphy encounters the Bogeyman, a sledge-hammer-wielding monster who murders a child in front of him. Murphy finds it again, seemingly lifeless, and learns that it is the relative he is intended to collect. Murphy confesses Napier's murder did not bring him any solace. Spotting the keys to Ricks's boat around its neck, Murphy seizes them and is drawn into a confrontation with the monster.[20]
After defeating it, Murphy tries to leave the town by boat, to be stopped by Anne. She shoots him when he refuses to return to the town. He wakes in a prison in the Otherworld and eventually kills the Wheelman, a massive, mute creature in a wheelchair by disabling its life support. Afterwards, Murphy relives the favor he had to repay Sewell, which required him to kill Frank Coleridge (Leer Leary), another corrections officer who was planning to testify against Sewell's corruption and who believed in Murphy. Anne reveals that Coleridge was her father, and after the attack, he lived in a vegetative state until his death years later. Motivated by revenge, Anne had arranged for Murphy's transfer to her prison. In the final sequence of the game, Murphy transforms into the Bogeyman and follows her as she attempts to kill him.[21]
There are six endings available, based on choices made throughout the game. If Murphy does not kill Anne, the "Forgiveness" and "Truth and Justice" endings show that Sewell framed Murphy for his attack on Coleridge. In "Forgiveness", Anne forgives Murphy, and the pair are transported outside of Silent Hill where Anne reports Murphy's death, allowing him to escape. In "Truth and Justice", Anne is also seen seeking revenge against Sewell by confronting him in his office. If Murphy kills Anne, the "Full Circle" and "Execution" endings reveal that Murphy did kill Coleridge. In "Full Circle", Murphy commits suicide out of guilt, only to awake in an Otherworld prison to relive the events again, observed by the Wheelman. In "Execution", Murphy is executed for the murder of Charlie by Sewell. If Anne kills Murphy, the "Reversal" ending has her awaken as a prison inmate in events mirroring scenes of Murphy in prison, with Murphy taking Sewell's role. A joke ending can be obtained that shows Murphy tunneling out of his cell, to be greeted on the other side by a party in his honor, with various characters from the game and series present.
Development
Silent Hill: Downpour was developed by
The narrative of Downpour was intended to be a self-contained story in the same vein as
After deciding on the concept of a criminal protagonist, the thematic elements of his Otherworld were considered, with water eventually chosen.
Music
With Downpour, long-time composer for the Silent Hill series Akira Yamaoka was replaced by Daniel Licht.[26][27] Licht studied the music from previous games to allow him to score the game's soundtrack with musical themes in line with the traditional sound of the series but which also had his personal touch.[28] He worked with regular series vocalist Mary Elizabeth McGlynn on several tracks and considered her voice crucial to the music.[28] Despite the influence of water on the narrative of the game, he avoided musical instruments that incorporated water, such as the waterphone, in favor of vocals, strings, guitar, mandolin, and "industrial sounds and ambiences".[28] The mandolin in particular was chosen as a musical nod to the theme of the first Silent Hill game.[26]
Downpour's main theme, "Silent Hill", was performed by the American nu metal band Korn.[2][29] Konami selected the band from the options available to them, and the theme song did not comprise a significant part of Downpour's gameplay;[30] in response to the announcement of Korn's work on the game, a group of fans created an online petition for the removal of the main theme from Downpour.[30][29] The soundtrack was published on 13 March 2012 by Milan Records.[31]
Release
Silent Hill: Downpour was initially slated to be released in October 2011,
As part of a promotion for the game, video game publisher Konami held a Facebook contest from 10–16 February 2011, which invited its Silent Hill fans to design an original graveyard sculpture that would appear in the finished game.[39]
A spin-off comic, Anne's Story, was written by Tom Waltz and illustrated by Tristan Jones.[40] Based on downloadable content for Downpour that was never released, it centers on Anne and her parallel journey through Silent Hill as she attempts to capture Murphy.[40] IDW Publishing released the four issues in print from September to December 2014,[41][42] and reprinted them as part of the second volume of the Silent Hill Omnibus in October 2015.[43]
Critical reception
Aggregator | Score |
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X-Play | [54] |
Silent Hill: Downpour received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[44][45] In general, most critics praised the game's story and atmosphere but criticized the combat and technical performance.
One of the most negative reviews came from IGN, which gave it 4.5/10. The review said that "the most frustrating thing about Silent Hill: Downpour isn't the lousy combat, dull exploration, or even the technical gaffes. It's the fact that every now and then while playing through the game's story, you'll see signs of brilliance; sunlight hinted from behind the overcast sky".[5]
Several reviews singled out the soundtrack for praise,[49][4] although one criticized the overall sound design, saying dead silence too often made combat commonplace instead of terrifying.[7] The Joystiq review stated Licht did an "admirable job" with the score, yet lamented that "the loss of longtime series composer Akira Yamaoka may be Downpour's biggest detriment."[12]
Notes
References
- ^ https://www.konami.com/games/eu/en/products/shdp/
- ^ Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the originalon 10 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
- ^ "Konami and Vatra present Silent Hill Downpour at three booths, debut 3D support at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo". Vatra Games. 7 June 2011. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
Silent Hill Downpour is scheduled to launch in Winter 2011 on the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jim Sterling (12 March 2012). "Destructoid review". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "IGN review". IGN Review. 12 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ a b c "GR review". Games Radar. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "GameSpot review". GameSpot UK. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ Siliconera. Archivedfrom the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- Games Radar. Archivedfrom the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ staff (24 January 2011). "Silent Hill Downpour Interview". Videogamer.com. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Eurogamer review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ a b c "Joystiq review". Joystiq. 12 March 2012. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ Vatra Games (2012). Silent Hill: Downpour (Xbox 360). Konami. Level/area: Beginning.
- ISBN 4-7571-8145-0.
- ISBN 4-7571-8145-0.
- ^ Mitchell, Richard (14 October 2010). "How Silent Hill: Past Life ties into Silent Hill 8". Engadget. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Vatra Games (2012). Silent Hill: Downpour (Xbox 360). Konami. Level/area: Devil's Pit.
- ^ Vatra Games (2012). Silent Hill: Downpour (Xbox 360). Konami. Level/area: Centennial Building.
- ^ Vatra Games (2012). Silent Hill: Downpour (Xbox 360). Konami. Level/area: Radio Station.
- ^ Vatra Games (2012). Silent Hill: Downpour (Xbox 360). Konami. Level/area: St.Maria's Monastery.
- ^ Vatra Games (2012). Silent Hill: Downpour (Xbox 360). Konami. Level/area: Otherworld Prison.
- ^ Haywald, Justin (9 April 2010). "Konami Announces the Next Silent Hill". 1UP.com. News Corporation. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (20 April 2010). "Is The New Silent Hill A First Person Shooter?". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ VG24/7. Archivedfrom the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ a b c Turi, Tim (25 January 2011). "Crafting Atmosphere: Silent Hill: Downpour And The Czech Republic Influence - Silent Hill: Downpour - Xbox 360". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
- ^ GameStop Corporation. Archivedfrom the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ^ Schramm, Mike (16 June 2010). "Silent Hill 8 (working title) coming in 2011 from Vatra Games". Engadget. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
- ^ a b c Naypolitano, Jason (12 March 2012). "Dan Licht interview". Original Sound Version. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ a b Kietzmann, Ludwig (9 June 2011). "Silent Hill Downpour: now with three dimensions and one Korn song". Engadget. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Richard (10 June 2011). "Tomm Hulett on Silent Hill Collection, Downpour, Book of Memories and Korn". Engadget. Archived from the original on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- Allmusic. Archivedfrom the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Ogilvie, Tristan (15 September 2011). "TGS: Silent Hill: Downpour Needs More Work". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ^ a b Makuch, Eddie (12 January 2012). "Silent Hill creeps up on March". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Silent Hill Downpour". Konami. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Kozanecki, James (2 April 2012). "AU Shippin' Out April 2–6: Kinect Star Wars". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Silent Hill : Downpour" (in Japanese). Konami. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (8 November 2012). "Silent Hill Downpour PS3 patch improves frame rate, fixes broken save system". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (13 October 2016). "Three More Games Added to Xbox One Backwards Compatibility Program". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Konami Launches Original Facebook Promotion For Silent Hill". Konami. 25 January 2011. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b Jesse (3 September 2014). "Silent Hill: Downpour - Anne's Story #1". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Silent Hill Downpour: Anne's Story #1". IDW Publishing. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Silent Hill Downpour: Anne's Story #4". IDW Publishing. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Silent Hill Omnibus, Vol. 2". IDW Publishing. Archived from the original on 30 November 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Silent Hill: Downpour for PlayStation 3". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Silent Hill: Downpour for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ "1UP review". Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ "EGM review". Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ "Game Revolution review". Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ a b c "Game Informer review". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ "Game Trailers review". Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ "Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) review". Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ a b "OXM review". Official Xbox Magazine review. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ "OXM review". Official Xbox Magazine (UK) review. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ "OXM review". XPlay review. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.