Downpour’s early National Park–like area — appropriately dubbed Devil’s Pit — is evocative of Alan Wake’s touristy Pacific Northwest setting.Thanks to a revolving door of developers putting their own spin on Silent Hill’s survival-horror formula, recent entries in the spooky series have suffered a bit of an identity crisis. And with Vatra Games (creator of last year’s Rush’n Attack: Ex-Patriot) steering Downpour, the franchise receives yet another facelift. Though the studio takes a stab at some new ideas, it also retains much of what made the earlier games such a scream. This latest trip to the goosebump-inducing burg isn’t perfect, but it’s the most fun we’ve had being scared in a while.
As protagonist Murphy Pendleton, a convict whose prison transport crashes outside Silent Hill, you’re immediately introduced to the game’s defining feature: rain. Yup, this one’s all about the wet stuff, and it isn’t long before Pendleton’s wishing he’d packed an umbrella in his coveralls. Besides complementing the insanely creepy atmosphere, the precipitation attracts the town’s more demented denizens.
The game's optional, play-extending sidequests — a first for the Silent Hill franchise — reward players with items, intel, and an extra dose of psychological horror.Whether taking on the series’ signature she-monsters or tangoing with a towering freak whose face looks like it lost a fight to a George Foreman grill, you’ll grasp Downpour’s combat quickly. Wisely, it side-steps the action-focused mechanics of 2008’s Silent Hill: Homecoming and opts for a simpler approach. Switching between brutal melee swipes and effective blocks with the X and Y buttons, respectively, makes you feel fittingly vulnerable against supernatural threats, but not frustratingly underpowered. You’ll incapacitate all manner of monstrosities with satisfying face-ventilating finishers, accompanied by stomach-churning sound effects and gore galore.
Blunt objects come in all shapes and sizes, so you can split skulls with everything from pickaxes to lead pipes. Don’t get too attached, though: they degrade with use. (Thankfully, you’ll find plenty of weapons that don’t break easily — as well as the occasional ammo-deprived firearm — and running like hell’s a viable option, too.) Rather than sullying the experience, this risky mechanic keeps the combat engaging while supporting the narrative’s nerve-fraying focus; watching sledgehammers slowly turn into toothpicks while frantically fighting lanky-limbed monsters is an especially good way to spike your pulse. Despite the thrill that comes with driving a crowbar into a crazed creep’s eye socket, we wish weapons were better differentiated from quest items. Not seeing objects through the choking fog is fine, but accidentally trading a fireman’s axe for a splintered board because we’re worried that ignoring the “pick up” prompt might rob us of an integral item? Not cool.
The creepy atmosphere alone is enough to get your neck hairs dancing an uneasy jig.The balance and pacing of Downpour’s combat are also evident in other aspects of its design. Sure, we wasted time rattling locked doorknobs and fumbling through frustrating puzzles, but generous saves and plentiful med-packs usually kept these immersion-breakers at bay. Varied encounters also keep you on your toes: whether you’re chatting up creepy NPCs, cracking macabre brain-benders, or hoofing it from a soul-sucking vortex in the hellish Otherworld, fresh threats are always ready to tingle your spine and mess with your mind. Downpour’s prison-based plot, supported by absorbing characters such as a corrupt guard and a female officer who relentlessly pursues Pendleton, will also keep you guessing until its satisfying payoff.
At times, the game’s many puzzles and open-world areas did leave us aimlessly wondering and wandering. But varied gameplay, solid combat, and an effective mix of psychological scares and freaky encounters make Downpour a worthwhile trip to Silent Hill’s haunted ’hood.
PUBLISHER: Konami • DEVELOPER: Vatra Games • ESRB: Mature • MULTIPLAYER: No • ACHIEVEMENTS: Slow and steady • COST: $60
+ Oozing with creepy atmosphere.
+ Playing in the baddie-bringing rain is a white-knuckled treat; visceral fight-or-flight combat.
– Occasionally not knowing what to do next; accidentally trading a good item for useless crap is frustrating.
? “Why is that abandoned wheelchair following us?” (You’ll find out!)
