Review | Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Format: Wii/PS2/PSP | Genre: Survival horror | Publisher: Konami | Developer: Climax Group | Release date: 05/03/10 | RRP: £34.99
The story suffers, though. Searching for his daughter, Harry winds up getting lost all over town in the worsening snow storm. At the beginning of the game, it makes a lot of sense. Towards the end, however, it begins to dissolve into the nonsense typical of the series, with Harry magically appearing in various locations after nightmares. The ending you’ll obtain is dependent on the actions undertaken throughout the game, though, and the final twist is definitely worth seeing.
For those seeking the classic, gritty, Silent Hill experience, look elsewhere. Shattered Memories, while rather dark at times, isn’t anywhere as oppressive or macabre as the previous titles. The plot of it is most comparable to the adventures of Travis Grady in Silent Hill Origins, or perhaps the insanity of James in Silent Hill 2. Notably lacking is any reference at all to the main plot involving the Silent Hill cult.
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It looks fantastic, though, considering it’s running on the Wii. The lighting effect from the flashlight is tremendous, and the ice effects will certainly grab your attention. You’ll sometimes have to look pretty hard to pick out the details on enemy models, but it is there. And while some of the in-game objects look a little shabby, there’s certainly nothing that stands out as being even remotely below-par for the console.
Akira Yamaoka and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn both return on soundtrack duty. While the ambient tracks aren’t quite as memorable as the ones from previous games, most aren’t quite 
as abrasive, either. McGlynn reprises her role as the vocalist for a number of songs on the soundtrack, which are fantastic and moody as ever. The sounds effects from the cell phone all come through the Wii Mote, which is a neat feature, requiring you to put the Wii Mote to your ear to clearly hear when someone calls. The Wii Mote also doubles as the flashlight, and the on/off clicking noise also arrives through it. The only audio-related problem appears during the chase sequences, when Harry busts through a door. Sometimes, the animation lags a bit, and the sound doesn’t quite line up with the events on-screen. While it’s not a common occurence, it happens often enough to be noticeable and distracting.
Despite its problems, though, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories provides an engrossing, thriller-styled experience, if not what you’d expect of a new addition to the franchise. Instead, it serves as an alternate, and hugely simplified, version of the first title. The name now means nothing beyond the game’s setting, and has little impact on the events of the story itself. The psyche profile portion of the game might be interesting for about half the game, but when it comes down to it, doesn’t offer anything that a standard four-path story in most role playing games doesn’t.
The short length will be a sticking point for many, lending itself more to the quick, cinematic style the game is presented in. A first playthrough, while gathering much of the bonus material, should take no longer than six hours – and that’s probably a fairly good estimate for players all around, since there’s next to no skill involved here, merely a solid few hours to sit down with it. But it’s still an intense, engrossing game while it lasts, and as long as you don’t expect it to compete with the second or third Silent Hill titles, you’ll enjoy yourself a fair amount. By Sam Cheung
7/10
This review is based on the North American version of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. The game arrives on our shores in March.
