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Silent Hill at Wikipedia
A very comprehensive reference of Silent Hill series.
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Silent Hill (Japanese: Sairento Hiru) is the title of a survival horror video game franchise, produced by Konami.
As of 2006, there are five Silent Hill video games available (one available only in Japan), all of which were released to strong sales and critical acclaim. Gameplay includes action as well as puzzles, detailed environments, and storylines revealed through numerous cinematic cut scenes. Each game unfolds like a movie with several possible endings; the player's choices during the game determine which ending is shown. In 2006, Sony Pictures released a full-length Silent Hill film.
The hallmark of the Silent Hill games and the subsequent film is the tightly woven symbolism and plot devices tied together to place the protagonists (and the players/viewers) into a very personal horror story.
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Atmosphere:
The games' visual design has come in for strong praise, depicting dark, fog-enshrouded, decaying environments enhanced by chilling (and very sudden) sound effects and thoroughly unnatural, disturbing and surreal/absurd creature designs, some of whom seem to have been included simply to frighten and cause mental alarm rather to cause actual physical harm. Composer Akira Yamaoka has provided atmospheric and emotional music for the series, which ranges from the first game's post-industrial noise music to more traditional melancholy piano solos to heavy rock pieces. Many fans and reviewers have referred to the Silent Hill games as among the most disturbing ever made.
Gameplay elements that create the unique atmosphere in the game are the dense fog/pitch black settings, limiting visibility to about a three foot diameter about the character, coupled with the use of a radio that emits some of the so-called 'chilling sound effects' whenever a monster comes close to the main character. This creates a general feeling of paranoia in the player. One finds one's self dreading the noises that indicate the presence of the monsters that roam the streets. Being unable to see them, the player is forced to either run or hope they are facing in the correct direction for attack. This element is what distinguishes the series from other horror video games, which usually resort to simple surprise tactics, as opposed to suspense.
