Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
A cover of a video game. It depicts a female child encased in ice on a swing, surrounded by an icy environment; on the upper part of the image, a title reads "Silent Hill: Shattered Memories". Other markers indicate that this game is published by Konami in the PAL region and is intended for gamers sixteen years old and older.
European cover art
Developer(s)Climax Studios
Publisher(s)Konami Digital Entertainment
Director(s)Mark Simmons
Designer(s)Sam Barlow
Programmer(s)Dave Owens
Artist(s)Neale Williams
Writer(s)Sam Barlow
Composer(s)Akira Yamaoka
SeriesSilent Hill
Platform(s)
ReleaseWii
  • NA: 8 December 2009
  • EU: 26 February 2010
  • JP: 25 March 2010
  • AU: 22 April 2010
PS2, PSP
  • NA: 19 January 2010
  • EU: 26 February 2010
  • JP: 25 March 2010
  • AU: 22 April 2010
Genre(s)Survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a 2009 survival horror game developed by Climax Studios and published by Konami Digital Entertainment. It was released in December for the Wii and ported to the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable platforms in January 2010. In April 2014, it appeared on the PlayStation Network in Europe.

Shattered Memories is a reimagination of the first game and retains the premise—Harry Mason's quest to find his missing daughter in the fictitious American town of Silent Hill—but is set in a different fictional universe and has a different plot, and altered characters, alongside new ones. Five endings are available. Gameplay takes place in two parts: a framing, first-person psychotherapy session, and an over-the-shoulder perspective of Harry's journey through Silent Hill, which is periodically interrupted by the occurrence of a shift to a more dangerous environment. Answers given to the psychological tests in the therapy session affect various gameplay elements in Harry's journey.

After designing the Silent Hill prequel (2007), which intentionally replicated elements of the first installment, Climax Studios wanted to try a different approach to creating a title in the series. Among the changes made was the removal of combat and the constant presence of monsters. Akira Yamaoka composed the soundtrack of the game, which was the first in the series to prominently feature dynamic music. The game received generally positive reviews for its graphics, plot, voice acting, soundtrack, and its use of the Wii Remote, and has been favorably compared to M. Night Shyamalan's visuals.[1] However, some reviewers found the puzzle exploration, chase sequences and psychological elements frustrating, and felt the game was too short. It has been since praised by some reviewers for its unique take on the franchise, clever twists to the original story, atmosphere and mechanics.[2][3][4][5]

  1. ^ Turi, Tim. "Silent Hill Review: Motion Control Bogs Down An Intriguing Remake". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  2. ^ "The Legacy of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories". SUPERJUMP. 3 December 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  3. ^ Brown, Phil (26 January 2012). "Silent Hill Shattered Memories, An Appreciation". Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  4. ^ Aaron, Christopher (18 August 2022). "Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Remains A Woefully Underrated Game". ScreenRant. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  5. ^ Gonzalez, Andrea (20 June 2023). "Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Remains a Unique Entry in the Series After Over a Decade". Game Rant. Retrieved 26 May 2024.