Nueva info e imágenes de Silent Hill 5

Character Debacle

Although Alex may look similar to other protagonist’s in the series, he is an altogether different character. Alex Shepard is 22 years old and with that comes the attitude and thinking’s of a standard young adult.

While SHV will feature an entirely new plot (ala SH2), the developers have said that the player should not be suprised to see themes, settings and other surpises familar to series fans.

Along with Alex and his family (more on that later), a new host of characters will be featured in this entry. That doesn't mean however, that settings, situations and settings wont be familiar.

"It's important that the characters fit into the overall style of Silent Hill," says Brian Hourton (SHV Lead Artist).

About that story bit...

(what follows is a recap of the story we know so far)

Alex is in a Military Veteran's hospital, recovering from a near fatal wound he received. (It is not specified how he received the wound). While there, Alex has a premonition that his young brother, Joshua, is in danger.

"Alex will be confronted with horrors that reflect his psychological state" Horton adds.

He leaves the VA for his New England home town of Shepards Glen. Upon returning however, he finds his mother in a catatonic state, his brother and father missing and the entire town shrouded in a bizarre fog.

Along his travels, he will team up with a spunky upbeat girl named Ellen. It isn't known at this time if she will be playable or not but she seems to be a cross between SH2's Maria and SH3's Heather.

The developers feel the game and its characters seem to lean much more to Silent Hill 2 and its psycological thematics. It is confirmed that the player will actually GO to Silent Hill, not any hole buisness ala SH4.

Gameplay

Alex's military background plays both into the game dynamics and the theme of the story. Knowing this however, the developers aren't attempting to create any sort of political standpoint. The developers want the battle system in SHV to be tougher, more interactive and ultimately engaging. Seeing as Alex is a former solider (tentative), he is more agile and better suited for doing actual "battle" with his adversaries.

It seems Alex can unleash a flurry of heavy or light physical attacks and has several melee weapons at his disposal. Each melee weapon, saw, pipe etc, will have its OWN set of moves and combos (giving a much more actiony feel to battle). The player can also use grapple techniques, counter moves and can expect the same from enemies.

Strangest of all?

Alex has a dodge roll.

The developers have yet to confirm any info on the gunplay mechanics yet though they promise they aren’t turning this game into a "shooter."

Graphics

To sooth everyone's soul, the grain filter will indeed return for Silent Hill V, however in addition, other filters will be added as well. Filters that give hairline cracks in the screen or are filtered with debris allow the developers to change the mood and atmosphere of the game WHILE it's being played.

Interestingly enough, the game is using the Havok engine in a unique way. The middleware is being used in the same capacity as it was in Saints Row and in the upcoming game Halo 3. Now when you bump into chairs or tables or open doors, the game will register that action in the in-game environment. Bump into a chair? It will in turn bump into a table causing not only a response physically but also audibly. This new "noise", the running on creaking floors etc, can and will alert enemies to your position.

The fog in Silent Hill V will also be receiving a graphical overhaul as well. EGM wasn't able to see much of it, it's still in development, but what they saw was amazing. The fog ebbs and flows in the air and occasionally chunks of ash or debris filter down. It is meant to be specifically interactive, it swirls around you and as Alex cuts through it, the fog conforms to his shape.

Wounds will also be shown in real time.

"We want it to feel physical and alive, like you're carving the fog with the beam of your flashlight," adds Hourton

The camera is now controlled using the left analog stick and allows the player to view the horrors much better then earlier iterations. Inspired by Christopher Gan's movie adaptation, the worlds in SHV, or rather the transition between the two, will all be done in real time. Like in the movie, the setting will peal and melt away or suddenly burst into flesh painted walls.


All the Rest

Boss battles will be revived in this entry as well. The Collective is obsessed with delivering cinematic massive, epic boss battles. Interestingly, they are looking for Zelda like encounters...hmmm.

Endings....yes there will be many, though a number has yet to be given. The developers are looking to make the decision on which ending you are given to be much more player induced then before. Missing an item or killing someone wont automatically move you to a predetermined path. The actions you do, the way you speak to the different people you meet. These interactions will have a much more fluid transition into the story upon up intriguing possibilities.

Monsters are now fully motion-captured (ala the Silent Hill movie) and all new beasts are set to make their debut. One such creature, Siam, is a fusion of a male and female body. What’s left is a pulsating, overtly sexual enemy. Monsters will now have visible effects on them. So if an enemy has busting pustules or bleeding mouths, it will be animated, in real time and will be effected by Alex's attacks.

Some of the enemies are humanoid in nature, favorites such as the nurses, will indeed return, however the variety of creatures is said to be quite large.

(Side Note: In the Silent Hill games, the "enemies" are usually physical manifestations of the protagonists mind. It can even be argued that the "monsters" they see aren’t even real or that perhaps what a character see's as a monstrosity might in fact be human after all.)

Closing Words

There seems to be some worrying that Silent Hill has gone the way of Resident Evil 4. I can assure you that this is not the case. The battles seem to be more focused on action than wild flailing and we've yet to see how this will play out. This is still, first and foremost, a psychological HORROR game and the developer is doing a good job so far proving that. For those worried about the "real time" transitions....DON'T. It goes far beyond simple instantaneous morphing of the environment. Audio will also play a role in transitions as well, imagine walking in an apartment hall way and suddenly a dozen hands come reaching our of the walls near you. Transitions are being held very carefully and I give them credit for what they've done so far.

Of note however is the plot implications this might have, of which we are not yet aware of. In all past Silent Hill games, the transitions happen for a reason, not simply as a game play device (this is why in SH4, "climbing" into each world seemed so off base).

~Akira Yamaoka is indeed returning for the music and all sound design~


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