Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Past remaster.
As intriguing as these tests are, and as satisfying as the exploration and puzzling can be, some of the real standout moments are reserved for one-off interactive sequences where, for example, you find yourself trapped underwater in a sinking car, desperately fighting for survival using only quick thinking and motion controls. The panic this inspires is almost unparalleled, and even casual observers reported feeling unsettled as I grappled furiously with the controls. Being trapped in a sinking car appears to be a unifying nightmare.
Another thing to celebrate throughout Shattered Memories is the pacing. What it lacks in terms of length it more than makes up for in how well it holds your interest. By switching regularly between analysis, puzzle exploration, one-off set-pieces and nightmarish escape sequences, nothing ever outstays its welcome. As soon as you've seen enough of one particular location, you're off to the next, and, crucially, without any of the tedious backtracking and laborious map-checking that characterised all previous entrants in the series.
Shattered Memories also pushes the technical capabilities of the Wii to the max. One thing Silent Hill was particularly good at in its heyday was striking facial detail, and Climax has evidently worked hard to come up with techniques that recapture that style. At first glance during the psychological profiling phase you might have trouble believing it's a Wii release, and it's a standard that's maintained once you start wandering the snow-ridden world outside.
The flashlight effect is also mightily impressive, as well as being exceptionally intuitive to control via the Wiimote. Comparisons to Alan Wake spring to mind as you roam the detailed, gloomy environments admiring real-time shadows and recoiling from the menacing atmospherics. The importance of the audio conjured by Akira Yamaoka cannot be overstated, either, and if it does prove to be his swansong it will be a worthy one, demonstrating an understanding of exactly what's required to build tension. Excellent voice work and characterisation back this up, with Climax doing a fine job of creating a credible cast that does justice to the series.
It has been a rocky road getting Silent Hill back on track after the unexplained decision to remove development duties from the original Team Silent, but with Shattered Memories, Climax has found its feet in some style. Packed with inventive ideas and one engaging sequence after another, it's a spirited, poignant and unsettling game that not only delivers a long-overdue return to form, but reinvigorates horror adventures in the process.