Silent Hill 3 Preview

Despite the obvious similarities in structure to other survival horror games, the Silent Hill series has successfully carved its own identity in the genre with its incredibly bizarre enemy design, eerie special effects and level design, and disturbing use of sound. Naturally, the third game in the Silent Hill series contains all the things that made the previous two games so popular, but an entirely revamped engine has let Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo create more-detailed character models, stranger environments, and enemies that will have you terrified of what may be lurking just around the corner.

We recently had a chance to check out a small demo version of Silent Hill 3 that begins with the game's main character, Heather, in a psychotic amusement park filled with pink, blood-soaked bunny mascots and an assortment of other pleasant imagery. A thick fog canvases the entire environment, making it slightly more difficult to tell whether these things are dead or alive. Equipped with a small knife and flashlight (which is even more important in Silent Hill 3, since it's possible to fall into pits strewn throughout the environments), Heather explores the seemingly abandoned amusement park, only to find that it isn't abandoned at all. In fact, a group of menacing creatures ranging from bandaged dogs whose heads have been split in two and enormous mummylike monstrosities have taken over. Searching Heather's inventory reveals that she's also carrying a pistol and an automatic weapon, and if you feel so inclined, you can use them against these enemies, but because of their decided lack of agility, it's just as easy to run past them to seek an open door.

It's worth mentioning that if Heather can't avoid confrontation, there are a few different actions she can take. One such action appears to be a blocking maneuver that reduces the amount of damage inflicted by an enemy, which is obviously helpful when taking on some of the more-agile creatures. In addition, Heather can attack some enemies when they're on the ground with the knife, a lead pipe, or even her boot to make sure they don't get back up. Eventually, you'll run into items like beef jerky that can be used to distract certain types of enemies, like the split-faced dogs, giving you time to run or equip Heather with the proper weapon.

Finding a safe path through the amusement park ultimately proves to be impossible, as Heather has to be killed so it can be revealed that the whole thing was simply a nightmare. The next scene shows Heather in a well-lit diner in a mall, and as she starts to walk out the door, an old man appears and begins to follow her. After a brief conversation with the old man, Heather runs into a bathroom down the hall from the diner, climbs out the window, and proceeds to walk through an alleyway just outside the mall. Unfortunately, the alley is blocked on both sides, so she has to go back in, and after exploring a few different rooms, she encounters some of the very same creatures from her nightmare, including one that happens to be devouring an employee of a clothing shop. It suddenly becomes clear that the entire area is deserted and Heather has to find a way out of this maze of shops and corridors. Along the way, you'll discover a few health-restoring items, some beef jerky, and a couple of save points. You'll also encounter one of the first puzzles in the game--one that requires you to retrieve a key that happens to be wedged in between objects that Heather can stick her arm through.

Unfortunately, the demo is fairly short and gives only a brief glimpse into what Silent Hill 3 has in store. But even at this point, it appears that Silent Hill 3 succeeds in executing many of the key elements--such as sound and graphics--that made the previous games in the series so popular. We'll have more on the game in the coming months.