Silent Hill 2 Presentation 2

Silent Hill 2 When you look into the abyss...jjjjjjjj jjjjjjjj the abyss also looks into you.

Production • Published by Konami in 2001 – PS2, XboX, PC – Available in the USA in September 24, 2001

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Designed by Team SilentCreature Labs Rated “M” by the ESRB Single Player “Mapped" spaces 3D graphics with motion capture animation

History of the Town • Like religion, whoever • Silent Hill 1 views or uses it taints establishes the town it with their own as a locus of great beliefs and metaphysical and understandings. spiritual power: once a – Because of the holy place for lost darkness of the cult’s followers, the god was Indian religions, but born from the suffering now a place of of an innocent with sacrifice and ritual for powerful psychic abilities, but it was dark cults. stopped by Harry • Cults trying to use the Mason. power of the town to birth a god who would bring paradise to earth.

Alone in the Town

Narrative: I got a letter… Silent Hill 2 begins with James Sunderland. Three years after his wife, Mary, passed away after a prolonged and devastating illness, James receives a letter from her. "In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill. You promised you'd take me there again someday. But you never did. Well, I'm alone there now... In our "special place"... Waiting for you..." Arriving in Silent Hill, James recognizes the truth, "A dead person can't write a letter..." but his guilt makes him question reality. He wonders about this “special place” - Rosewater Park. They spent a whole day there staring at the lake, just the two of them. The tunnel ahead on the road is blocked, so James sets off on foot. But will James find his supposedly dead wife, or will he find the REAL reason he came to the town?

Characters • James Sunderland – Searching for his wife in Silent Hill – Loved Mary and stayed by her side, caring for her, even when her slow death made her bitter and spiteful

• World is filled with heat, rust and decay – Allusion to the rotting that Mary suffered, and his own grief

• James realizes after encounters many horrific scenes and monsters, all hinting at the truth – Messages on the walls, posed bodies, puzzles and the questions of others – Weary of nursing her, he smothered Mary with a Pillow... • to release her from the misery of her illness • to release himself from his misery – First game where the good guy was the bad guy all along!

• Unable to withstand the weight of his crime, he repressed the memory

CHARACTERS • Angela Orosco – Raped by her father and punished by her mother for it, Angela was no longer able to bear the abuse and killed her father and ran away – Conflicted by her need to end the abuse and the drastic way she did it, Angela is called to Silent Hill

• Walls are fleshy, full of moving pistons – Representative of rape and sex

• Abstract Daddy – A monster that appears to be two figures on a bed, one behind the other – May only be what James, thus the player, sees

• Her final scene is in a stairwell filled with fire – Jungian representation of hell – She has given up hope of

CHARACTERS • Eddie Dombrowski – Teased because of his weight and low intelligence, Eddie’s frustration because of his treatment became rage and he killed a dog and shot its owner – While running from the police, he felt guilt and was called to the town

• Cold, filled with bodies – Bodies are emaciated, one can wonder if this is a reflection of Eddie’s views of his weight.

• Designed to be reminiscent of Auschwitz – Feelings of persecution... Or the persecutor?

• Eddie is not mentally stable enough to be healed to begin with. His paranoia and new found power in the town lead him to break, and he is killed by

CHARACTERS • Laura – 8 years old, the only innocent in the game – Came to Silent Hill after finding a letter- a real one- from Mary. • Helps James realize Mary was alive only three days ago

– Apparently, Mary had wanted to adopt her

• Laura sees none of the monsters, or any of the worlds the others see – It is possible that the powers of the town allow her to interact with others to help them recover

• Her presence eventually helps James make his breakthrough • Depending on the ending, James leaves the town with her, presumably adopting her- or she is never seen again.

CHARACTERS • Mary Sunderland – Demure, sweet, beloved wife of James – Silent Hill was a place of serenity and peace for her, a vacation spot for the couple – Died three years ago after a prolonged, unknown illness... Or so we are led to believe

• Maria – Bears an uncanny resemblance to Mary- but only in appearance – Presumably a stripper – Follows James through most of the game

• Mary is proven to be dead after James finds a video made in their “special place,” showing him smothering her with a pillow – All he finds is a manifestation of a memory

• Maria is a manifestation... – of James’ desire for the woman he lost to illness – of Mary’s desire for James to live on and be happy

• Maria is killed three times through

Pyramid Head • Inhuman • Horrendously violent and disturbing • Invincible – Rated by many gaming magazines as one of the scariest bosses of all time – Pyramid Head only dies in the game because he commits suicide

• Symbolic – Represents James’ anger towards his wife for “leaving” him, his sexual frustrations and his desire for punishment for what he has done

Now that that’s all out of the way...

NArratiVe vs. gaMepLay • Act division – Discovering the horror of the Town – Discovering the horror of the Truth – Discovering acceptance and forgiveness, or...

• Photo of Mary, continual interaction with PH and Maria, powerful cut scene moments keep long stretches of “Point A to Point B” from overwhelming the narrative – Monster designs also constantly remind players of their ultimate goal – “I’m not your Mary”

MARIA MINDF**K!!

Threats: the CREATURES • Monsters of SH are • Because they are manifestations of the created by an fears, desires, wants individual’s psyche, no and needs of the two people see the inhabitants. There are same creature no “monsters for – Each monster is monster’s sake” symbolic to the • Each monster was created to be disturbing, not just scary – Designed to create a visceral reaction in the player, simultaneously

individual perceiving it • Angela’s “Abstract Daddy” • Eddie’s faceless mockers

• Likewise, some people may not see anything

SIMULATION • • • •

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Survival-Horror, with elements of puzzle Single Player Third person perspective Interaction with the environment is realistic – “Invisible walls,” but running commentary – Keeps the game from becoming inherently ridiculous (“LOL SH” effect) – “Boo” moments Lighting – Play of shadows from the flashlight a big factor in scares

• Camera Angles – Mimics horror movies with strategic camera angles that only show so much • Atmosphere – Foggy environment • Originally used to cover a flaw • Since become a trademark of the series – The environment tells the player what to expect – Sound and music are vital to game play • Klaxon siren • Static

LUDOLOGY • Fighting and survival are key elements of the game, but Puzzles and riddles are just as important. • Players must use strategy – Ammo and health boosts are limited items

• Players are forced to think before they shoot

– Game play deliberately tries to trick player – Often it is far better to simply avoid the monsters than fight them – Forcing players to plan increases apprehension

• “Invisible walls”

– No direct environmental interaction

Ludology • Goals

– Find Mary/Redemption – Minor goals to reach ultimate goal • Puzzles

– range from “get the key” to “get the code” to “find a piece of hair and a bent needle to reach a key in a drain”

• Riddles

– Range from simple to impossible without a guide

• Mini-Boss battles • Exploration

– Some clues to the truth are hidden off the main routes

• The player’s actions change the ending they get – – – – –

In Water Rebirth Maria Leave Dog

REINFORCEMENT • Intra-game reinforcement: – Mystery of the story • Mythos of the story

– Endings – Bonus material • “Born From A Wish” scenario • New weapons

– ADRENALINE RUSH

• Extrinsic reinforcement: – Competition • After-credit scores – Records everything from time to kills to health boosts used – Ten Star Walk

• Mythos of the story • Mythos of the series

OUTSIDE THE GAME • Silent Hill has developed an enormous fan base, ranging from simple horror-genre fans to philosophy majors – Everything is theorized upon, from significance of Laura’s hair color to whether there is air in the town!

• However, ANY fan of horror, suspense or psychology can play

Congratulations- You’ve unlocked

The (Dog) End(ing) Pick up your CHAINSAW at the start of the next game