The curse of Silent Hill makes you are wonderer, a nomad in the ever-present world of the dead and the living. In Silent Hill Four The Room we take a closer look at the psychology and mental state of the lonely, the victims, the killers the concept of a waking nightmare, and monsters who were once human now damned to a purgatory Esq hell. All of us are damned in the game. Some a little less than others. Was It All Just A Dream? A waking nightmare, wading through hell like water, stagnant and in a state of morbid confusion silent hill, 4 brings into existence the fears, tormented thoughts, and in a sense a metaphysical state of being for all characters involved. Is everyone alive, dead, or in this transient existence that cannot be healed or destroyed? Henry Townshend is just your average guy, and the 21st sacrament on Walter Sullivan’s list as the “receiver of wisdom”. He is our main protagonist and someone who lacks a little motivation from the looks of it. Henry is the quiet and introverted type, and for most, if not the whole game he looks distanced from emotional tragedy. Only showing actual discomfort when getting searing headaches (a theme in a lot of silent hill games). Henry’s main catchphrase is “what the hell” a man of stoic looks, but not many words. Silent Hill four encapsulates a lot of themes that are confusing when you see each one at first, for example, Ghosts and purification of an area, psych wards, interdimensional holes, and the concept of there being separate “you’s” at once hinting at a multiverse theory. The separate yous being that in silent hill is the damned version while in the real world is the normal version. When all these concepts are brought to you at first and in pieces as standalone ideas they are confusing and I was worried about how the game would transpire but as the game goes on and I saw all of these themes, ideas, and concepts put together with the already steady story that is Silent Hill, it made sense and was done eloquently and logically. Going into the dream feeling that Henry awakes with over and over could be categorized as a reoccurring nightmare, but that’s too simplistic if it were just that I would simply leave the review of here and call it a day. Henry and his interactions with the characters in this world/nightmare/town of silent hill are much more complex than that. This game links all the other silent hill games and does a bit of forshadowing to future silent hill games, as well as clears up story plotlines as well.
Ghosts in This Game Paint A Bigger Picture: The concept of being a ghost in a dream-like world makes the ties in Silent Hill to the concept of being forgotten one of the most prominent ideas if you will. Silent Hill is a nightmare of a person’s own creation. Silent Hill is everyone’s own personal nightmare and psychologically we can see that with every game. James Sunderland and how he had a need to control his wife, Alex, and his hatred towards his parents, heather, and the misplaced guilt that she carries for basically existing after she found out who she was. It all ties together. This game encapsulates what mental illness can be. Fighting demons only you can see, and your interpretation of them. This is why I believe you have to “purify” your apartment so often, the main character is fighting things he can’t even see in the game, another example is the wheelchair ghosts which at first glance are comical but then when looked at deeper have a sinister truth hidden within their leathery exterior. The ghosts that inhabit the apartment and the ritualistic cleansing are symbolic of mental cleansing and restoration of the soul. Since we are taking a deep dive with the analysis let’s go even deeper and suggest that this game encapsulates what mental illness can be. Let’s go a step further and suggest that each monster represents a different form of mental illness. The ghosts in henrys apartment could possibly represent the paranoia that Henry feels since he is an introverted, isolated type figure. The ghosts he encounters could be a form of paranoia that someone is watching or following him even. The twin victims could represent the attachment to the mother /house figure that Walter had and while this might be a stretch Walter did kill twin victims who are Billy and Miriam Locane who were first mentioned in Silent Hill 2, it's not far off to suggest that this could be a manifestation of Walters unhealthy connection to the mother house. Even the gum heads are a symbol and are stated In the Silent Hill community to be a representation of Walters's misanthrope attitude towards the world and its inhabitants.
The Link to Death Stranding: While Hideo Kojima didn’t have a direct role in making this I feel as if “off-screen” he had some influence. The use of the umbilical cord is the start of what death stranding was going to be I believe. The connection between two worlds of the living and the dead, being the living ghost in-between worlds of silent hill and the real world. To be attached to this mother, this force that creates an almost gloomy existence before you’ve even had the chance to live. It makes me wonder if Walter was just a mere experiment. Since he is the cause of the existence of silent hill his birth mightn’t be an accident. It All Adds Up: Going through this game at times was intense, to say the least. Witnessing notes from the previous games and overshadowing for what would be Silent Hill Homecoming. The best part of this game was seeing the connection made to Silent Hill Two. Seeing notes from James Sunderland, and having his FATHER as one of the main characters, the superintendent of the apartment ( Frank Sunderland). Alessa is also in the game as well tying things even FURTHER back. Alessa's image is on the saint medallion, and her name is shown in the Wish House Orphanage which asks “Have you found Aleassa yet? Send me a report” Everything in this game links up smoothly which is refreshing to see and I honestly did not expect it. bringing in all the concepts that were made on The Oder, really bringing to lite more of who they are and their purpose is another thing that added more depth to this already in-depth game. Back to the Real World, Final Thoughts: This Silent Hill game in particular really grabbed my attention. Aside from all the holes, you had to crawl through, bad dialogue, and awful, just purely awful control and camera work this game stands out from the rest. This is the direction that P.T Silent Hills was going to go and it shows. Being trapped in your own mind, isolated in a single area that you always have to return to. Is this game referring to the concept that you have to return to your mind? That there is no escape from oneself? It is up to the player to postulate that. Would I recommend this game? Yes. %100. Now that it is available on PC there is no excuse not to buy it. Everyone needs to experience a Silent Hill game at least once in their lifetime. Escape your own world for something, a little maddening.
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