What Goes on in that Place Called Silent Hill

 Recently, I've been going through the first four Silent Hill games and as I am almost done with the fourth entry, I thought that I should talk a bit about them. For this piece, I kind of just want to talk about my experience with the games. It is no mistake to call Silent Hill 2 the cream of the crop that rises to the top. The story of James Sunderland and his delusions of guilt and grief is told masterfully in the space of this game. From Maria to Laura, the cast is rounded out to one of the best that I have dealt with across games. Whereas Silent Hill 1 built the foundation for unhinged personalities to dwell, it is the second and third entries that really elevated the series as a whole for me. 

While there are many great elements to gush about in Silent Hill 2, the character that I liked the most was Angela. A young woman looking for her mother in Silent Hill. Meeting her in the foggy cemetery with no one else in sight was unsettling, but her attitude made you feel less tense. She wasn't insane, yet she looked exhausted. Angela was not at the end of her rope, not yet. With every interaction, it became more apparent that Angela was winding down. After meeting up with Angela in the apartments, you see that unraveling and exhaustion start to catch up without knowing the context fully. These pieces don't form together until we kill the Abstract Daddy boss and Angela becomes unhinged from the years of abuse suffered at the hands of her father and brother. A truly heartbreaking story for a character that I felt was justified in her actions, yet Silent Hill was passing judgement at this time and everyone was going to the gallows. Saying goodbye to Angela on the fiery staircase is bittersweet as she has gotten the sweet release of death, but the cost was her whole being at the hands of awful family members. As we move on from the deeply abused, Angela, I would like to delve into my favorite protagonist, Cheryl Mason.

Known throughout the game as Heather Mason, she does not go back to Cheryl until the end when she has slain god. For a 17 year old girl, killing god is pretty impressive. What draws me to Cheryl more so than Harry, James, or Henry is that she has a bit more spunk to her. While I will give a pass to James for the context of Silent Hill 2, I can say that Harry and Henry really do not care too much about the monsters they come across. To play as a character who is being blunt towards the insane people of Silent Hill is really refreshing. Even her attitude of dealing with Claudia and then processing her emotions is really poignant. This kind of trait showcases that Cheryl really just needed to deal with this cult before she could figure out how to process the complete loss of her father. That in a way makes the character feel more relatable as processing the loss of loved ones is very hard to deal with. There is not a magical button to just move on. I related heavily to her break down because it's your dad. Not having him around, if you have a healthy relationship, feels so empty. It's about the impact and the presence. There is no replacing that part in your life. Cheryl's story is one that can make you yearn, but you can still have a little bit of fun with it. 

While I am not done with Silent Hill 4: The Room yet, I will not be passing complete judgement on it. So we'll just go into the wrap-up now. Playing these games has made really appreciate good writing in video games, especially in the horror genre. There are not many titles in my experience with writing quality on par with Silent Hill 2 or a protagonist as interesting as Cheryl Mason. It makes me appreciate the series that much more because writing is hard, and captivating people who are quick to judge is a gamble. I hope with the Silent Hill 2 remake, we can get Silent Hill 3 as well. If you haven't played these games, I would highly recommend it.