...::: Silent Hill Heaven v2.1~php :::...

..::Feb 21st 2003

Silent Hill Heaven - Playtest SH3
What We Saw...

So the game begins. We kick off as our heroine, Heather, stumbles into Lakeside Amusement Park, looking painfully lost, lonely and confused. As she wanders along, it's clear from the offset that neither she - nor we - have the slightest idea of where she is, why she's there, or even how she got there. Already, the motives of Team Silent Hill are about as clear as the fog engulfing our poor Heather.

As we progress through the Amusement Park, Heather bumps into three new 'friends' - Closers, Pendulum and Double Head. Believe us, they're all just as frightening in-game as they've appeared to be in previews. Although seemingly slow-footed, the Closers are surprisingly quick and with a shockingly far-reaching range. The sharp blades on their arms don't shoot from their limbs, but extend from the length of them in a Barbers-blade-esque fashion. The Double Heads aren't an easier foe - catch them feasting upon the remains of the various torsos and body parts left lying haphazardly around and you may be able to sneak past them unharmed . . . Catch their attention however, and these beasts are fast, sharp and painfully difficult to shake off. As for the Pendulums? *shudder* Don't even try to run away - spinning and hovering in mid-air, this Enemy is also damned near impossible to loose. Although it's lucky Heather has come well armed - she's inexplicably equipped from the outset with a switchblade, steel pipe, handgun and even an Uzi - we presume that, with some careful timing, it's possible to run through this segment without needing to resort to too much bloodshed. Not that we were willing to attempt it there and then, though. Hey, those guns are there for a reason.

We (somewhat reluctantly) progressed through the park, eventually concluding that our only route of escape was to climb the rickety rungs of the Roller Coaster track. Hope you have a steady hand - creep too far to the edge of the track and Heather may plummet to her untimely doom. (Thankfully, she should let you know if she gets uncomfortably close - if her arms should windmill and sway in an attempt to keep balance, take a careful step away from the edge.) The sense of impending dread is strong as our unsuspecting heroine creeps up the roller coaster track, and when Heather sees the Coaster Cart come rocketing towards her, she has no option but to leap from the tracks . . .

But, as usual, nothing is as it seems. Instead of viewing the shattered remains of the girl sprawled below the tracks (well, this is Silent Hill - allow us to get a little carried away), we're taken into a café and watch as the girl awakes. The light from the blinds is warm, the everyday noises of the café comforting and extremely reassuring. Still looking a little bewildered, she takes the pendant around her neck and tucks it safely beneath her jacket before standing to leave. Heather steps out into the Central Mall and finds a public phone to call her father; no, she couldn't find what it was he wanted, but yes, she loves him too and she's on her way home now . . . all the while, she's unaware that she's being watched.

Replacing the receiver, she's approached by a middle-aged man who introduces himself as a Detective called Douglas Cartland. He asks for only half an hour of her time, but Heather - instructed by her father not to talk to strangers - is not convinced; and even his intriguing comments about her birth do nothing to change her mind. Seeking escape, she retreats into a Ladies Bathroom, where a red symbol - familiar to Heather, even though it makes her head hurt - is sprawled across the mirrors above the sinks. You've guessed it . . . It's the SH3 version of the Notepad and the Red Square. We'd reached our first Save Point.

Anxious not to bump into the Detective again, Heather escapes through the bathroom window and jumps down into an alley, blocked in one direction by a carelessly abandoned van. The only exit is an Employee door that leads back into the Mall, only - as our heroine quickly comprehends - the mall she left has fallen peculiarly quiet. Treading carefully through the Employee corridors of the Mall, she encounters the Closers again - this time found taking macabre delight in chewing the face off a poor woman lying, hopefully dead, on the ground. Terrified, she grabs the handgun near to her and fires off some shots at the monster. Defeated it falls to the ground and Heather, having the sense her previous two SH lead characters seemed to lack, wonders about calling the police to report the death of this stranger. It's only the fact that the adversary was a 10-foot tall monstrosity that holds her back.

Her troubles are just beginning though. Now armed with the handgun, she meets yet another new foe. The official name for these creatures has yet to be released, but we likened them to small, blue web-footed chickens that walk in a very peculiar way. Thankfully though, they pose little threat, succumbing easily after only a few shots from the gun. We were impressed with Heather's ability to kick, too - unlike her SH predecessors, Heather's not afraid to put some muscle behind her stomps and we found that this forceful kick was useful is finishing these enemies off.

We then meet Claudia. Strange, vague and bare foot - and posing a frighteningly similarity to Dahlia from the first game - she informs us that the monsters have gathered to witness the beginning - the "birth of paradise", supposedly led by Heather herself. The girl, understandably, has some problems with this information, and is in the process of demanding answers when she's struck with inexplicable head pains. Claudia uses this time to make her exit, leaving our heroine even more confused - if it's possible - than before.

Heather continues on her reluctant journey, solving a puzzle or two as she goes and eventually reaches an elevator. It's only when she enters that she realises that it has no buttons - which, I'm sure you'll agree, cannot be a good sign - but it's too late as the doors close and the elevator lurches into movement. As if the movement dislodges it, a Radio inexplicably drops from the ceiling, and the static it emits makes Heather comment that it must be broken. In true SH style, the girl takes it with her anyway.

When the elevator stops, the doors open into a dark room and - having no option otherwise - Heather treads forward, unwittingly straight into yet another elevator. Doors smash shut, metal bars slam down from the ceiling and we enter the familiar cut-scene as the lift starts to fall and we witness Heather's abject fear as she passes the weirdest of creatures during it's descent.

When the lift finally crashes to a halt, Heather steps back out into the Central Mall . . . only this time, things look very, very different indeed . . .

What we thought . . .