MY SHATTERED MEMORY OF SILENT HILL

Cover Art.

I can still remember the day I bought a Nintendo Wii after wanting one for a while. I handed the woman at the register the money, she gave me my change and receipt, I walked out happy as hell and stopped to look back at the story gleefully as I had purchased the last Wii they had in stock. I still remember that store. Blockbuster…..I hope it’s doing well.

All Joking aside I instantly fell in love with the Wii. The motion controls, the graphics, the music (that Wii Shop Jingle is catchy AF) and the virtual console classics (and originals) you could purchase. It was quite a system. Gradually I began growing my Library of games for the system and then a question arose in my mind. Are there any Horror games on the Wii? I was surprised to discover that there in fact was! Some pretty good ones as well given Nintendo’s family friendly mantra. One such game that caught me was Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. I had only dabbled with the original Silent Hill on the PlayStation so I didn’t know too much about it. I did however play and beat Silent Hill 2 and that game is still a personal favorite of mine! I had also dabbled with Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill 4: The Room so I was familiar with the series but not what you would consider a hardcore fan. So I jumped into this game with some genuine curiosity. What struck me instantly was the tone. It seemed ominous and creepy. Then the whole warning about being psychologically analyzed by the game further intrigued me.

Psychology Warning Appears In Game

“What kind of game is this?” I thought. The controls were extremely responsive given they’re motion controls and the music is just perfect. It’s simplicity perfectly fits the creepy tone of the game. The fact that you can call every single number you find throughout Silent Hill is also a neat inclusion (call the Konami Help Line for a cool little Easter Egg). The main protagonist Harry Mason is an everyday guy. He isn’t a tough guy or special forces. He is a regular man simply looking for his missing daughter in this distorted and haunted town. He is clearly not prepared for something like this and I feel that makes him relatable. Not everyone is a badass and that’s ok. For all the praise I give this game I have to take a moment to mention the one blotch I find in this otherwise perfect game. The “Chase” scenes. They seem more annoying than scary. I honestly feel they damper this amazing experience. Besides that though? Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a great game that has sadly been overlooked or forgotten by many gamers throughout the years. If you’re able to play this game? I highly suggest you do so. You won’t regret it!!