Silent Hill: Downpour Preview

This Silent Hill: Downpour preview gives a quick look at what can be expected from Vatra Game’s upcoming survival horror title!

Silent Hill: Downpour will follow Murphy Pendleton, a prisoner who is stranded in the town of Silent Hill after the prison transport vehicle he is riding in veers off-road; Downpour’s plot will be unrelated to previous installments in the series, focusing on Murphy rather than the series’ mythos, and its events will take place in the southeastern region of Silent Hill, which has never been explored in before!

Developed by Vatra Games, Downpour is due to be released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 25th (US) and November 4th (EU) 2011.

Sit down with horror-game veteran Brian Gomez in part 1 of this Gamescom interview, in which the story, central themes and weather elements are discussed in detail!

In part 2, Brian reveals the unseen corners of Silent Hill; the dark environments, tourist areas, the central character and moral decisions are explored.

In the final part of this video interview, Brian talks about inspirational Eastern-European mythos, folklore and local areas. Other studio elements such as the music and writing is also talked about, as well as its departure from the original Japanese team.

And check out this gameplay demo and developer walk through showcased at E3 2011!

Key Features of Silent Hill: Downpour

Here is a list of key elements that will be available in Vatra Game’s Silent Hill: Downpour, based on news and announcements made so far.

Downpour, being a Silent Hill game, is a survival-horror adventure in which the player explores detailed and abandoned environments, solving puzzles, fighting away monsters and facing psychological themes along the way. Players control Murphy Pendleton in a third-person perspective.

Known Characters
These characters have been confirmed thus far, the last three however have surfaced through trailers:

  • Murphy Pendleton: The protagonist of the story and an escaped convict.
  • Anne Cunningham: A policewoman. Early in the game, she falls from a cliff as a result of the player’s choices, but may return as the story progresses.
  • J.P.: The ex-tour guide of “Devil’s Pit”. He wears a violet jacket and appears in many places throughout the journey.
  • A little girl in a red dress: bears some resemblance to Alessa Gillespie.
  • Howard Blackwood: an African-American postman. This character was present the comic Silent Hill: Past Life and seems, in-game, to be quite friendly with Murphy.
  • DJ Ricks: He is seen speaking to Murphy Pendleton and is a radio DJ on the local radio station WLMN FM.
  • Unidentified boy: Appears briefly in the trailer. Might be a younger version of Murphy, though it hasn’t been confirmed.
  • Unidentified inmate: Survives the bus crash and can be found later in the story. In one instance he is seen hanging from a noose, and in another he is getting his throat cut. It’s unknown if he really dies multiple times or if his deaths vary with Murphy’s actions.
  • Nuns: Can be found in an unknown church in the town, which Murphy explores in the trailer.

Combat
A strong combat element has returned to the series. Murphy can only carry one firearm weapon and one melee weapon with him, which is much more realistic. In addition to combat, Murphy’s weapons will also gradually deteriorate and break. Murphy’s clothing will also become bloodier, and he will limp to indicate his health status.

Known Enemies
Here is a list of known monsters that will, no doubt, terrify in Downpour:

  • Weeping Bat: spider-like monsters capable of climbing walls and ceilings.
  • Screamer: monsters which can stun Murphy by shrieking.
  • The Shade: a creature resembling black fog.
  • Faceless monster: very similar to the Raw Shock
  • Female, silver-haired monster: naked and covered in blood, she is nicknamed “Barbie”
  • Large humanistic creature: he is briefly shown ripping a metal gate from its hinges.

Decision-Making
Downpour features a “decision-making” system, in which the player has to make certain, often moral decisions. We can assume that the player’s decisions will have an impact on how the game unfolds, and perhaps, the ending the player receives. The decisions can be obvious, whether or not to save someone dangling off a cliff for example, or they can be very subtle. There will also be optional side quests available to break up the main story if the player feels it is too linear.

Real-Time Weather System
Downpour also features a real-time “weather” system – a first in the series. Every once in a while, rain will pour in Silent Hill, this serves a specific gameplay-function and will alert the player that danger is approaching. In this case, the player can attempt to fight away the danger, or run and hide. The time of day will also change from day to night.

Silent Hill – ‘Au Naturale’
This title has put more emphasis on the natural world of Silent Hill.
Whereas Silent Hill 3 was set in heavy industrial settings such as shopping malls, subways, hospitals and amusement parks, Downpour explores Silent Hill’s mountainous area, forests, and streams. However, this isn’t to say that Silent Hill won’t feature an industrial hell, which Murphy will explore from time to time.

Check out the trailer!

Eagerly anticipating this game? Don’t forget to leave a comment and share your opinion.

Be sure to check out our Silent Hill: Downpour Screenshots Gallery & Spotlight On: The Dialogue Silent Hill Downpour!