There have long been rumor rumblings of the original Silent Hill being re-released on various systems, but, today, Konami Digital Entertainment broke a full announcement of such a title, billing it as Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
Seeing as the news was originally murmured in the latest issue of Nintendo Power, the company is putting the full hype machine behind the Nintendo Wii version, however, today’s press release announcement has billed Playstation 2 and Sony PSP versions will be on their way as well.
Based on the original title that made Playstation One owners wet themselves in fear, Shattered Memories follows the same plot line of Harry Mason as he chases his daughter, Cheryl, to the streets of Silent Hill. However, it appears the title won’t be a pound-for-pound remake, but, instead, a sort of “remix” as some characters will be located in different places, with some responding to Harry differently, and new clues and game play paths will unfold through the adventure. In obligatory fashion, the Wii version will make use of the remote as players use it to man torches and Harry’s cell phone. The torch illuminates the many dark crevices of Silent Hill while the cell phone hosts maps via GPS and allows Harry to take pictures of select elements in the environment. Aside from Harry’s new secondary functions with the Remote, it also allows players to “pick up, examine and manipulate items.”
Of course, the PSP and PS2 versions will be waggle free, offering more traditional control schemes, however, they will still offer new additions and enhancements. Among the new additions to all versions is what is being billed as a “psyche profile element.” While what the feature does exactly remains to be seen, however, it is probably best described in Konami’s own words:
“Also new to Shattered Memories is a psyche profile element, which monitors every aspect of player’s reactions – from where they explore first, items that have been examined, and their reaction to those they meet. Small visual elements will also be altered slightly, adding to the oppressing atmosphere where nothing is what it seems. The psyche profile will adapt Harry’s actions as and when he meets normal-looking people or the game’s many inhuman denizens.”
The re-imagined title is being developed by Climax, also known as the studio that produced Silent Hill: Origins. It should go without saying that series audio mainstay Akira Yamaoka will be at the helm once again to provide an all-new soundtrack to the title. Currently, the game is set for an autumn release, which means Shattered Memories may conveniently creep its way into homes around Halloween.
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