Silent Hill: The Homecoming

Category: Horror/Survival
Publisher: Konami
LPer: Helloween4545
My Game Rating: 3.2

This is the final trip through Silent Hill. While it is a good game, it just seems Konami is hitting a wall. It happens. We just have to sit back and wait.

Story:

Alex Shepherd returns home to find his hometown a ghost town, his little brother and dad missing, and his mom looking like death warmed over. He searches first Shepherd's Glen and then Silent Hill to find the answers, some of which he had buried deep in his mind.

The founding families of Shepherd's Glen left Silent Hill originally. To keep their town safe, they made a pact to sacrifice one of each of their children every generation. Alex was supposed to be the one for his family. However, one night on the lake, he accidentally caused his younger brother's death. It sent him into a breakdown and he was sent to a mental hospital.

In the end, he kills the bad guy and saves his brother's soul and his girl, Elle.

Atmosphere:

Both Shepherd's Glen and Silent Hill have the same atmosphere. The only thing that sets them aside is you find people in Shepherd's Glen and monsters in Silent Hill.

Interiors can be very dark, even with a flashlight. Nightmare world has an improved rusty metal and bloody look.

Konami improved upon the transaction between normal and nightmare worlds. This time you SEE it transform.

Background Music and Sound:

The score is pretty good. The background sounds match, unlike the previous trip.

New Features or Upgrades:

Going with that more realistic approach, you can only carry so many bullets. If you find you can't carry anymore bullets, simply make sure all your guns are fully loaded then see if you can pick them up.

You can turn items 360 degrees and see all sides of it.

You pick what Alex will say to someone or how he reacts to someone. Best example would be with Alex's mom. You can shoot her and put her outta her misery OR you can let her suffer. Of course your choices in some places affect your ending.

The game features many QTEs or Quick Time Events.

Pathways and Puzzles:

The pathway system still has locked or jammed doors.

However there are a few new additions to finding a way around:

1-use your knife on special wall sections to cut a hole
2- squeeze through existing holes in walls,
3-jump down to a lower section then back up to where you previously were
4-jump over fences
5-duck under items blocking a path
6-break windows then hop through them

Puzzles still follow Silent Hill logic yet they seem more reality grounded. The first puzzle in game is to find the code to unlock the door.You have to find the second piece of the x-ray and put it together on the board to get the full code.

Protagonist:

Alex is an intriguing character. His worry about his missing brother and his mounting horror over what he learns about the town makes him seem very authentic as a human.

He ranks second in my favorite Silent Hill characters.

Other Characters:

There are tons of characters but I am only listing those I think are worth mentioning.

Judge Holloway

She is Elle's mom. She killed her younger daughter, Nora, by strangulation as per the pact made by the founders.

Elle Holloway

She is a childhood friend of Alex's. She has no idea why everyone is going missing in town. Alex runs in to her the first time as she is posting missing people posters.

Joshua Shepherd

Josh is Alex's younger brother. Alex's main objective throughout the game is to find his missing brother. Joshua died prior to the game when him and Alex took a boat out onto the lake.

Lillian Shepherd

Off the deep end. Best description of her. She also favors Josh over Alex. The way she dies (if she suffers or not) is determined by you.

Adam Shepherd

Throughout the game, we see flashbacks. Adam seems very harsh and negative towards Alex.

Deputy Wheeler

A very interesting and smart man. He's very paranoid about what is going on but still open-minded enough to believe Alex's story.

Helloween4545's Contribution:

Shocked that the LP is from someone else? Well Vega hasn't done this one. Plus I wanted someone knew. I had heard of him from watching one of Katrinonus's videos and, just my luck, he had done this game.

He is British, so he brings that wonderful style of humor and that awesome accent (I have a thing for accents). Who doesn't love it when he says McStabby?

I really love how he also talks to Alex as if he is a real person. I don't know about anyone else but I have tendency to do it too!