Silent Hill: Homecoming First Look

Throughout gaming history many developers and publishers followed design patterns of archetypical horror survival titles like Konami's Silent Hill and Capcom's Resident Evil. Both franchises have existed for roughly 10 years and are still counted among the best horror games on the market.

Let's settle this peacefully.

Open wide. Now lay a wet one on me.

Unlike Resident Evil, which admittedly paved the way for horror survival shooters, Silent Hill relied more on psychological aspects of the genre, as opposed to the typical shock effect and in-your-face violence. The SH series had its ups and downs, but that didn't stop Konami from investing further into the franchise. During a press conference held at the E3 Media & Business Summit 2007, Konami announced that a fifth continuation in the Silent Hill series is under way and that it will be heading to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, most likely during fall 2008.

Fans might be disconcerted with the fact that Team Silent, makers of the previous Silent Hill games, won't be working on this one. Instead, the project was entrusted to The Collective, known for games like Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (very decent title - Ed), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Da Vinci Code, etc. Despite of what some of you might think about this, it appears the game is shaping up quite nicely, according early reports.

Silent Hill: Homecoming follows the story of Alex Shepherd, a war veteran who returns from an overseas tour of duty to look into the mysterious disappearance of his younger brother, Joshua. Recovering in a military hospital, Alex experiences a premonition that his little brother is in trouble. He then returns to his hometown, Shepherd's Glen, only to find that both his brother and father are missing, while his mother is nearly catatonic.

As you can probably tell, the writers opted to move away from the story and characters seen in earlier Silent Hill games. You'll therefore be introduced to all-new characters and settings. Even so, they are using the same approach in shaping character profiles. Basically, in true Silent Hill tradition, you can distinguish the anguish some of these characters endured, simply by looking into their faces; this especially refers to Alex. Also, his military backdrop and psychological state is an integral part of the game and will influence some of the horrors and gruesome encounters that await.

Next to Alex, other characters were mentioned, such as Elle, who will accompany you during your endeavors in Shepherd's Glen. Elle and Alex apparently have a history, although it hasn't been revealed just yet if she will be a playable character or simply support, controlled by the AI.

Since the stakes were raised with additional equipment for Alex and more intelligent opponents than in earlier Silent Hill titles, you'll find numerous ways to deal with each of them this time. Certain foes, for example, are attracted to light, which is something Alex can rely on in order to distract them and proceed without being noticed. No enemy, however, should be underestimated. They are more attentive and will do almost anything to get to Alex; smash through doors and find the quickest route to their prey.

Combat-wise, there's a variety of moves on offer. Players may use a chain of different light attacks to bring about a deadlier heavy blow to monsters. Only a few melee weapons were hinted for now, such as a knife and rusty water pipe (another familiar trait from earlier SH games). As for ranged weapons, we still have to wait for Konami to spill the beans, but we can assume that the military background of the central character will open the door towards a few extra side-arms. Nothing too elaborate, of course, since the designers promised not to turn SH 5 into a stereotypical shooter.