Silent Hill: Downpour is the eighth game in the series of survival horror games with puzzle elements.
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Story & Themes
Silent Hill is a small American town that is covered in fog, snow, or ash, depending on the story. It is strongly implied that the town takes on the form that its occupants subconsciously invoke. Although all games—and the movies—in the franchise feature different characters and settings, each of them has a few elements in common. The town of Silent Hill is one of them (except in the 4th installment). The horrific creatures, alternate-reality setting, police officers as NPC characters, and the loss of someone close to the protagonist are elements found in each game.
Silent Hill: Downpour features a prisoner on the run. He struggles with his conscience and must work with a policewoman whose father he supposedly murdered to escape Silent Hill.
Most games in the Silent Hill franchise are survival horror games; each game has a slightly different mechanic, but in most, the idea isn’t so much to fight the monsters as it is to escape the monsters. Even when combat is included, it isn’t the focus. In Silent Hill 1, for instance, Harry Mason can use both firearms and melee weapons, but he is inexperienced and pretty bad at it. The games also all feature multiple endings, one of which is a joke ending where the protagonist encounters UFOs.
Save Points
Savepoints occur at specific intervals; players must locate the savepoints in order to save their progress.
Heads Up!
Violence Silent Hill is extremely violent, with visceral gore and bloodshed. It is one of the most obvious examples of body horror in video games; most of the monsters are horrifically deformed versions of humans.
Scary Imagery Silent Hill is pretty terrifying—its creators have defined it as psychological horror with a focus on the fear of the unknown. The atmosphere is incredibly disturbing, there are multiple jump scares, and its creatures are typically horrifically deformed versions of humanity. It is insinuated that many of the protagonists are suffering from mental illness, delusions, or hallucinations.
Sex & Nudity Some female characters and female-presenting monsters (the "Nurses") have fairly low-cut tops—they are manifestations of a protagonist’s sexual frustration. Aside from the nurses, most enemies do not appear to wear clothing, but are removed enough from humanity that the nudity does not seem explicit. Think Ken doll without shorts.
Sexuality and sexual frustration is a theme in many of the games, for various reasons and with various outcomes. Sexual abuse is also heavily insinuated in several of the games, though it tends to have occurred in the past. Several monsters also present sexual themes, including the Abstract Daddy (a deformed bed), the Nurses, and the Two-Back. Silent Hill’s sexual content, though it is not generally explicit, is an extremely disturbing and negative representation of sexuality.
Strong Language Strong language is used throughout the games.
Substance Use Characters drink alcohol on several occasions.
Conversation Starters
I'd advise caution before letting younger kids play any of the Silent Hill games, as they are intensely horrific at times. Keep an eye on any gaming that might happen before bed. However, here are some conversation leads for kids who are ready:
- Silent Hill is an American town based on what a group of Japanese writers thought it might be like. Do you think the representation is accurate? Why do you think they pictured a rural American town like this?
- The monsters in Silent Hill all resemble humans, though they are grossly disfigured. Do you find these enemies more frightening or gross than typical game enemies? If so, why?
- Silent Hill is primarily about psychological horror. What do you think makes the games as unsettling as they are? Is it the setting, with its strange noises and rusted contraptions, or is it the monsters? Is it the uncertainty about the protagonists' memories / motivations / perceptions?
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