Konami’s next Silent Hill game will be as scary as always, but a little more damp than previous titles.
The latest issue of Game Informer has unveiled Silent Hill: Downpour, the latest survival horror title in the Silent Hill franchise. Czech-based Vatra Games is on development duty this time, and it’s adding a general theme of wetness to increase the game’s horror level.
Silent Hill: Downpour stars Murphy, a prison inmate whose transport bus crashes in Silent Hill. Not exactly the ideal prison break scenario. Though Downpour will have some connection to earlier Silent Hill titles, Murphy is not the descendant or relative of any previously experienced characters.
Players will be able to make choices and decisions that affect Murphy’s future. Even Murphy’s outfit will apparently determine how characters regard him.
Vatra is going back to the “classic style” of Silent Hill with Downpour‘s camera system. It’ll feature two kinds of sections where players either control the camera or have a predefined camera angle set for them. The goal is to add a feeling of tension, as players won’t know whether a fixed camera switch will lead to a “scare moment” or not.
Of course, wrinkled fetus creatures and inside-out dogs will still pester players, but the new theme of horror in Downpour will revolve around water. For example, in one scene where Murphy is being chased through waist-deep water by a fog creature, the water begins to flow upside-down on the ceiling. Another big part of the gameplay will be clues, maps, and notes found by Murphy throughout the environment. Players will have to determine which of these clues are worth following up on.
Combat plays out just like you’d expect in a survival horror game. Murphy can hold one weapon at a time, such as a crowbar or pipe, and all weapons have limited durability. However, Murphy’s inaccurate striking abilities don’t make him a very good warrior. Fighting should be avoided whenever possible in Downpour, with boss battles mostly taking place through QTE.
Additionally, Silent Hill: Downpour features what could possibly be the biggest playable world of any Silent Hill game. Players will actually have to utilize a subway system to move between areas. Despite the size, Vatra isn’t reusing any locations from earlier titles. The whole game is said to last around 10 hours.
Silent Hill: Downpour is scheduled for release on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011.
