Silent Hill 4:The Room

Category: Horror/Survival
Publisher: Konami
Video Channel: baruttv
My Game Rating: 2.5

My fourth trip to Silent Hill. It was not supposed to be part of the Silent Hill series. It really shouldn't have been. It lacks many of the typical Silent Hill trademarks. The only reason it got the name Silent Hill was because the villain was mentioned in Silent Hill 2.

This time I am doing my review different. I am going to be watching a walkthrough instead of a LP.

The Story:

Harry Townshend lives in room 302 in South Ashfield Heights apartment building. Five days ago, he started having a recurring nightmare. He also hasn't been able to leave his apartment. His windows are sealed shut, his door has been chained from the inside, and his phone won't work. He wonders if he is going insane.

During the first part of the game, Henry goes into the hole and visits four different location: subway, forest and orphanage, water prison, and an alternate verion of his apartment building. In each location he meets someone new (Cynthia, Jasper, Andrew, and Richard) and learns more about Walter Sullivan and what has been going on. Before he leaves each world, he finds the people he meets murdered.

On the second trip to the alternate apartments, it is Eileen, his next-door neighbor, who becomes Walter's next victim. However, thanks to a mysterious little boy, she survives. However, Henry has to find a way to keep her alive.

During the second part of the game, everything becomes more intense. In your apartment, you have hauntings to deal with. In the other world through the hole, you have to revisit the locations and kill the ghosts of the people. While keeping Eileen alive. While trying to find a way to stop Walter.

You also have to watch out for adult Walter Sullivan, who will chase you in parts of these places.

They eventually end up in Room 302 of the past. There they encounter the ghost of Joseph, who gives him even more information on Walter and his intentions.

Going back to his apartment with the axe of hope, Henry busts the wall to find a body that looks like Walter tangled into a pipe. He gets a key that unlocks all the locks on his door...to find his apartment building has been affected by the evil.

As they explore the apartment building, they learn more about Walter, then Eileen gets possessed.Henry finds Walter's true location through the hole he made. He is just in time to stop Eileen from playing in a pool of blood, defeat Walter, and escape with Eileen.

At the game's end, we see Henry limping outside in the fresh air. Then, the next day, he is bringing flowers to Eileen in her hospital room.

Atmosphere:

This does not take place in Silent Hill first off. The closest we get to Silent Hill is a forest and orphanage outside the town.

The appearance of places in this game have low lighting and a run-down look. There are a few extra things:

The forest has a thick fog and darkness in places.

The inside of the prison has a damp appearance; outside has some thin fog.

The alternate version has some walls that have a red bubble look (guess it is supposed to look like bubbling blood?).

New Features:

You can look through windows and peep holes to see what is going on outside the apartment. Gives you that isolated feel.

Health drinks are now called Nutrition Drinks. Geez, even the video game industry is getting on the Healthier-You bandwagon.

Your main enemy is ghosts. They take forever to kill. They constantly drain your health. In the second part of the game, they start showing up at the apartment, screwing up the awesome decor,if you don't use the candles.

There is a box in Henry's apartment where you can store things. Awesome idea because he finds ALOT of items and who in their right mind would want to lug it all around?

Eileen can defend herself...sorta. Step up from previous followers like Maria and Ashley from Resident Evil 4. However, if she has a weapon and you want to run past monsters, she isn't smart enough to keep going...she will in fact stay and fight.

No flashlight or radio this time.

Background Music and Sounds:

The background music is a little eerie but pretty much generic. The songs are far and in between but they are beautifully done.

The sound effects in spots sound off and/or just plain weird.
Examples:
1-The dogs sound like a big cat growling when they die.
2-Henry's footsteps sound squishy instead of like regular footsteps in places where there should be no squish.
3-The enemies in the hospital make burping sounds when you hit them.
4-The apartment building section after Richard falls from the sky just doesn't match Silent Hill.

The breathing sounds you hear when Henry finds the peephole in his wall is interesting touch.

Protagonist:

Henry Townshend, personality-wise, seems really bland. He shows very little reaction to everything going on around him.

Visually, he's good looking.

His voice actor did a sad job too. He spoke in monotone for most of the game.

Other Characters:

Cynthia Velasquez

She is hanging out in the subways. She thinks that they are in her dream. She comes onto Henry, promising a "special" treat if he helps her out of the subway.

She is murdered in the turnpike in the subways.

Eileen Galvin

Eileen is Henry's neighbor. He spies on her at times through the peephole in his wall through the first part of the game. Around the middle of the game, she becomes a victim but doesn't die like the previous victims, thanks to boy Walter.

Henry finds her in the hospital and soon she follows him to stay alive. She survives the game, thanks to Henry.

Jasper Cein

He is sitting outside the orphanage. He stutters about a rock that ancients used to communicate with the dead that a cult is interested in. He follows Henry into the orphanage.

He burns himself to death in the orphanage.

Andrew DeSalvo

He is locked up in the water prison. He worked at the orphanage where Henry previously visited. He tells Henry who the mysterious little boy.

His murdered body is found in some water.

Richard Braintree

One of Henry's neighbors. He falls out of the sky and into an alleyway. He tells Henry about the previous tenant in Room 302.

He is electrocuted in a chair.

Joseph Schreiber

Joseph was the tenant before Henry. He leaves numerous notes for Henry to find, to help him on his journey to stop Walter. Henry and Eileen encounter his ghost in Room 302 in the past, who arms them with even more knowledge.

Walter Sullivan

10 years before this game takes place, Walter Sullivan went on a killing spree. His trademark was numbers carved in his victim's body. He was caught but he killed himself in his jail cell.

However, that didn't stop him. Seven years before the game, he killed more people. Now, in this game, he is back for more.

He shows up as two different people in the game: the mysterious little boy and the man in the coat. The little boy is looking for his parents. The man is trying to complete the 21 Sacraments.

Special Things to Note or See:

You have to keep Eileen alive or it is game over. Also you have to backtrack sometimes to find her because she seems a little slow and easy to lose.

During the chases with Walter, a few things can happen. He can suddenly run the opposite direction (are you supposed to chase him? o.O), raise his weapon but not fire, or take forever to attack you.

In the hospital, there are two things you have to see: the wheelchair obstacle course and the giant Eileen head in the wall.