This picks up right where we last left off, and provides a deeply satisfying conclusion that we didn't realise we needed, but now can't imagine not having. I'm not surprised, but I am very happy to report, that this is absolutely not a tired retread. Rather, it is a compelling follow-up which gives us what we didn't know we wanted, not what we might have asked for. The ending is absolutely perfect and I refuse to give it away. Everything in this is directly connected to the central concept. There is not a single thing that was put here for no other reason than it is kind of neat. You encounter personifications of different aspects of your psyche, such as Reason and the nightmare fuel Agony. If I never see its monstrous face ever again it will be too soon. All of them are very in character for what they are. And it makes for a convincing take on how to process certain things, such as trauma.
This has every strength of the original as well as addressing the very few criticisms; it's very clear that one man studio Jesse Makkonen listened to feedback rather than getting defensive, bitter or doubling down. Since there is backtracking, you're now given a run function, also enabling you to flee the various terrifying creatures. You still can't fight them, which I'm very glad for. As much as I love that element of the Silent Hill franchise, something this takes clear inspiration from, it would simply not feel right here. You're not supposed to be an impressive individual here - you are not the danger. You don't knock.
You sometimes hide. The spots where that's possible are easy to recognize and you'll find yourself spotting them, making a mental note of their position before you need them, so you know exactly where to go when it's necessary, you walk up to it and easily go in and then leave once it's safe. It's a way to increase the tension without turning it into something it shouldn't be. The score is amazing. I'm deeply impressed by how much difference there can be between some of the tracks, whilst all of them are creepy, since that is a constant element. All of them feel like they belong with each other. The soundtrack is worth buying and listening to independently of the rest of this. Even when there is a sense of hope that remains a hint that things could easily escalate it's always disturbing.
When this means to imply the potential of a happy life, it does use the standby of married life, which I would usually take issue with. For quite a few people of all genders, that does not actually leave them feeling fulfilled. This is relying on stereotypes to convey the different things that it seeks to communicate, and this shorthand allows it a lot of nuance. Also, yes, this is after we've already seen that Price is actually miserable with where he is now. It's telling us that he does have an alternative. Because of this I absolutely approve of it.
This tells us a lot about the lead, his background including his childhood. Before this he was defined entirely by his actions and how he feels about them right now. This one tells us how he got there and points out that he did once have dreams and hopes for the future. Which does of course bring up the question: is it too late for those? And this is a major theme. It's something he wrestles with along with whether or not he actually can forgive himself, something that is vital once you've admitted that you've done something that was wrong and done all you can to make amends, which clearly is what he feels he has. Whether you agree is another matter. Neither here nor there. Where? Dunno. I'm getting into the weeds. Let's get this thing back on track.
Before, when you could interact with something there would be a generic icon. This time it actually tells you what you would be doing. This could be examine, talk, etc. Every time there is dialogue, there are now speech bubbles. There is still no voice acting; you read the lines and they're still colour-coded so you're never confused, and it gives the sense of hearing them. This does also mean that regardless of which of the languages you choose when you boot this up, you get the same level of experience without it needing a bunch of different actors from different countries. It doesn't even need one. Which of course helps make it possible for it to all be made by one person, other than the translations.
This features a greatly increased level of variety to the puzzles. Not quite as much as what he gave us in 2020, which is quite understandable; that one you use the mouse allowing for push pull movements and other such things. In this, you do it with the Use key. So it's very impressive what this manages despite this limitation. Also, this time around not even a single one of the dozens of brain teasers is obnoxious. I do maintain that's very impressive; I mean, what a success rate! This jumps a lot between locations, not in a overwhelming way and always reflecting the personal growth of the protagonist. A lot of areas feel like they could exist, some are even ones you visited before. Many others? Much more abstract. Clearly this is no longer taking place in the real world. Some of these, rather then having walls to impede your progress, actually do allow you to move into a zone that is entirely impossible to see, and you get the sense that something awful will happen if you stay in it. Ultimately, I was a tad too focused on completing this to stick around and find out if there actually was anything there. Still, I appreciate having something like that in there. 9/10.
This has every strength of the original as well as addressing the very few criticisms; it's very clear that one man studio Jesse Makkonen listened to feedback rather than getting defensive, bitter or doubling down. Since there is backtracking, you're now given a run function, also enabling you to flee the various terrifying creatures. You still can't fight them, which I'm very glad for. As much as I love that element of the Silent Hill franchise, something this takes clear inspiration from, it would simply not feel right here. You're not supposed to be an impressive individual here - you are not the danger. You don't knock.
You sometimes hide. The spots where that's possible are easy to recognize and you'll find yourself spotting them, making a mental note of their position before you need them, so you know exactly where to go when it's necessary, you walk up to it and easily go in and then leave once it's safe. It's a way to increase the tension without turning it into something it shouldn't be. The score is amazing. I'm deeply impressed by how much difference there can be between some of the tracks, whilst all of them are creepy, since that is a constant element. All of them feel like they belong with each other. The soundtrack is worth buying and listening to independently of the rest of this. Even when there is a sense of hope that remains a hint that things could easily escalate it's always disturbing.
When this means to imply the potential of a happy life, it does use the standby of married life, which I would usually take issue with. For quite a few people of all genders, that does not actually leave them feeling fulfilled. This is relying on stereotypes to convey the different things that it seeks to communicate, and this shorthand allows it a lot of nuance. Also, yes, this is after we've already seen that Price is actually miserable with where he is now. It's telling us that he does have an alternative. Because of this I absolutely approve of it.
This tells us a lot about the lead, his background including his childhood. Before this he was defined entirely by his actions and how he feels about them right now. This one tells us how he got there and points out that he did once have dreams and hopes for the future. Which does of course bring up the question: is it too late for those? And this is a major theme. It's something he wrestles with along with whether or not he actually can forgive himself, something that is vital once you've admitted that you've done something that was wrong and done all you can to make amends, which clearly is what he feels he has. Whether you agree is another matter. Neither here nor there. Where? Dunno. I'm getting into the weeds. Let's get this thing back on track.
Before, when you could interact with something there would be a generic icon. This time it actually tells you what you would be doing. This could be examine, talk, etc. Every time there is dialogue, there are now speech bubbles. There is still no voice acting; you read the lines and they're still colour-coded so you're never confused, and it gives the sense of hearing them. This does also mean that regardless of which of the languages you choose when you boot this up, you get the same level of experience without it needing a bunch of different actors from different countries. It doesn't even need one. Which of course helps make it possible for it to all be made by one person, other than the translations.
This features a greatly increased level of variety to the puzzles. Not quite as much as what he gave us in 2020, which is quite understandable; that one you use the mouse allowing for push pull movements and other such things. In this, you do it with the Use key. So it's very impressive what this manages despite this limitation. Also, this time around not even a single one of the dozens of brain teasers is obnoxious. I do maintain that's very impressive; I mean, what a success rate! This jumps a lot between locations, not in a overwhelming way and always reflecting the personal growth of the protagonist. A lot of areas feel like they could exist, some are even ones you visited before. Many others? Much more abstract. Clearly this is no longer taking place in the real world. Some of these, rather then having walls to impede your progress, actually do allow you to move into a zone that is entirely impossible to see, and you get the sense that something awful will happen if you stay in it. Ultimately, I was a tad too focused on completing this to stick around and find out if there actually was anything there. Still, I appreciate having something like that in there. 9/10.