Soul Hill Origins (2008 Konami)
by Zedian 
It’s that time again, once more we get an opportunity to traverse into the sick-twisted dimension known as Silent Hill. A place that one could argue doesn’t really exist, only manifest itself on the psychological state-of-being of the person who dares enter it.
Let me start off by saying that Silent Hill: Origins is the first of two Silent Hill installments that is not developed by Team Silent. For those that don't know, Origins was developed by Climax and the upcoming Silent Hill V is being developed by The Collective.
We start the game off with a trucker with a shadowy past by the name of Travis Grady who is doing his regular job as any trucker would do in the good old US of A. While driving through the harsh rain he slams on his brakes as a figure runs across the road in front of his truck while on his path into Silent Hill. Once he gets out of his vehicle to investigate, a mysterious girl steps into view then quickly runs off. Travis follows her to see if she is ok as she runs toward the town of Silent Hill and thereby starts a journey in which Travis must face his own personal demons much like other personas have before him.
Origins takes place before the original Silent Hill game (As we take it as the name implies) and tells the tale of how the town was consumed in darkness. Travis interacts with many characters from the original Silent Hill throughout the game's cut-scenes while dealing with his own dark past. Once more the town is decorated in total fogginess and there is a Otherworld (the Dark World) version that still looks just as grim as it always does in every Silent Hill game.
This time, the protagonist has control over which world he is in. By touching a mirror, Travis can travel in between the normal world and Otherworld. This leads to many challenges where one will have to switch between both worlds in order to get to a certain destination to solve a puzzle or unlock a door that was previously locked. This gives the game an almost Chrono Cross like effect and actually works well for the series.
| "I am slightly letdown with the story, considering this is called “Origins” I would’ve expected the game to explain in greater detail about how the town and it’s monsters truly came to be." |
It's very hard to believe that at one point this game was a PSP game as it has some amazing lighting effects and super detailed backgrounds. The flashlight produces shadows that stretch along walls and floors and enemies have a shiny appearance from up close that helps to make their grotesque form even more horrific. I’d say the only complaint graphically I have is that are a few jagged edges can be noticed on each character while they move. Thank goodness for that filter effect though as more often than not it hides away the flaws.
The camera angles focus in on particular portions of the environment to build tension just like in other games in the series line. With the Silent Hill 4 control scheme that this game carries, some of the camera angle switches can lead to some control issues. Run toward a certain area and the camera will suddenly change and you'll be heading in the wrong direction. Problems like this can get annoying while running from a group of enemies on the streets of Silent Hill or in one particular boss fight you have later. I also had a few problems with the camera not showing me what was in front of my character which lead to some unwanted damage.
A player can press the L button to center the camera behind Travis, but while Travis is up against a wall or door, the camera will remain fixed in whatever direction it is currently in which again can lead to being hit when you don’t want to.
Silent Hill has always been about sound being a key factor in delivering rich ambience. The soundtrack helps to immerse a player into its horrific world and Origins does not disappoint at all in that aspect. The soundtrack is almost absolutely perfect!
While the soundtrack is a thing of utter beauty I feel like the sound effects though have taken a step back. I hate walking on the street and the pavement sounds like the wooden floor of your grandma’s house. Also a lot of the monster noises and general sound effects like those of the weapons and items have been recycled from previous games. Some original bits we have not heard before would have been nice!
One thing you will notice is the complete abundance of weapons, you’ll use everything and the kitchen sink literally to kill off these minions of Hell. Too bad the same can’t be said about health drinks and other healing items, as they are not scattered as much.
The game clocks in at about 6-9 hours from beginning to end depending on how well your brain is working to solve all the 
puzzles and how much you stay and fight. This isn't that long for a first time through a survival horror especially a Silent Hill which take on average about 15-20 hours (Except for Silent Hill 3 which was easily the shortest in the series). The game has many unlockables and a few extra endings so it does have its share of replay value to keep the experience lively - some extras can only be obtained on a second playthrough.
I am slightly letdown with the story, considering this is called “Origins” I would’ve expected the game to explain in greater detail about how the town and it’s monsters truly came to be. Yes we see Dahlia Gillespie and hear how bad she treated her daughter Alessa which could’ve caused the town to be formed but there is still some empty spaces not marked in. At times I felt like Konami had released this game as a filler point until Silent Hill V comes along.
Though it isn't perfect in all aspects, Silent Hill Origins is a good game overall. The sound and graphics alone are truly a site to behold and shows we are on the last legs of the PS2. There isn’t much character development and story is wishy-washy, no doubt there are some really terrifying moments in this game and it will keep you glued to your TV set for the whole duration.
| Visuals: | 8.4 |
| Sound: | 8.0 |
| Play: | 7.7 |
| Story: | 8.2 |
