Following the same ideal with silent hill two, silent hill three is an intense psychological plotline that immerses your mind and soul. Seeing as how this game is a direct continuation of the first we really get a clearer understanding of who Heather Manson and her father really are. At the beginning of the game, I was reminded of the movie that was made inspired by the game, Silent Hill Two: Revelations. The costume design from the movie was exact, the way she acts in the movie is in line with heather in the game, but the heather in the game is a little sassier and honest than the one portrayed in the movie.
in Silent Hill Three we witness a melange of different events from Heather dreaming of her own death, to her father dying, to her LITERALLY killing off the evil version of herself at the end of the game. much like Silent Hill Two, you go throughout the game fighting different creatures, solving puzzles, experiencing in-depth cutscenes and horrid camera angles. Yes, folks, the horrible camera angles, and cheesy one-liners have returned. Forget about some of Heather's phrases just because they are redundant and silly, can we please discuss the camera no following you in certain instances, or staying in one place while you move through half of a hallway and can't see where you're going until basically the end of the said hallway. Like I have even stated in my gameplay, for a game created over fifteen years ago it was way ahead of its time. It's a shame the game mechanics weren't. Not to mention that a cutscene would linger on a few seconds after it was already over, leaving the camera right in the character's face with them doing nothing but standing there looking bored.
Now, let's dive into the psychology involved in Silent Hill Three.
Much like silent hill two, this game reflects an intense amount of psychology, particularly in reference to heather discovering throughout the game who she is and why she is even alive. With her father now dead, Claudia wanting her to birth a god (Alessa), and all of these monsters following her through the game it's safe to say that if she were to be "psychoanalyzed" she would have a condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder. This used to be classified as Multiple Personality Disorder but has since changed. at one point in the game, I went into a room that was barren, except for a sink and a mirror. if you stare at the mirror long enough, you start to turn into Alessa. If you stay in that room for too long, all that will be left is Alessa, and Heather will die. I find this very telling since the ENTIRE OBJECTIVE in the game is to retain one's self and preserve your true essence so to speak. Heather is Alessa, and Alessa is Heather. When we go further into the game and Heather starts to remember more of her past as Alessa she grows to have more empathy for the "dead" part of herself that was burned, tortured, and killed. even in one of the safe rooms we see a painting of Alessa holding heather as a baby, symbolizing that she is the protector of her own world since silent hill is made of the person's individual fears. Heather, mother to the child who is her.
Now, let's get into the consistency of the movie versus the video game.
the first movie that silent hill was based on was more in line (besides the gender swap) than this one. since I saw the movies first, and not the games I was shocked to see that Heather's father actually dies in the game, but is alive in the movie. To me, that disappointed me that the director could leave a character alive that was actually supposed to die. and that Vincent is a grown man who is a weirdo that looks like a serial killer. Throughout the game, he gave of these creepy vibes that I just couldn't shake off. Then later in the game, he showed that he was one the most diverse characters in the entire game. We know that silent hill is known for its oh so lovely cults, but, to have a semi none believer born within the cult to shed another light on the situation proves to be a useful tactic that Kojima added. We all know religion is iffy if not taboo topic in a lot of circles. Having vincent as this sort of middle ground where he believes in the god Alessa, but also thinks that its ok to make up your own mind and I believes and this shows that video games CAN AND WILL break boundaries. Whether it is religious, socioeconomic, political, and gender equality. Vincent is literally fighting for his freedom towards the end of the game and when he gets it, it's in the form of a knife in the back by his own mother. Freedom, yes. Just not the way he probably saw fit, lastly why did the detective die early in the movie, but remains a consistent character in the game? Douglas made the game multi-dimensional and seamless, having that "father figure" there as a sense of balance."
It all comes full circle.
at the end of the game, you get a very symbolic boss battle and a tasty fetus, no really, Claudia eats the fetus that is supposed to be the newborn god Alessa. Taking the "burden" unto herself, as a humble sacrifice of guilt, passion, and a lot of things that make me go EWW. Video games weren't as politically correct back in the day and as a result, could get away with more. Never imagined a game character eating a god fetus. This is very symbolic of the ingestion of the body and blood of Christ, people eating the body and blood to be closer to their god, while this concept is portraying the same thing, just in a more graphic sense. Even with the use of Tarot cards. They were banned early on in 1367 in Bern Switzerland because of their links to the occult and the Jewish Kabbalah. since Alessa is everything that is "evil" about Heather, this does not surprise me that the ONLY WAY to get to the end of the game is to unlock a door using tarot cards.
Post mortem memories still shock heather as she is plagued with the haunting of a former self. leaving the game you have several ending you can acquire, but the ending I received was the normal ending which is the only one you can receive upon your first playthrough. the other two are possessed where heather kills Douglas, and the third is where harry is alive but orders UFO's to blow up Silent Hill. This ending is a joke one, not a serious one. This will forever hold a special place in my heart. a place of love, satisfaction at the story, and respect for its creator Hideo Kojima.
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