Hands on Silent Hill Origins

In Silent Hill Origins you step into the shoes of Travis Grady, a truck driver who has suffered from hallucinations since he was a child. In the demo Travis arrives at a deserted school and a creepy girl points him to a mirror. When Travis steps inside the mirror he enters a new world with a red tint and the usual undead Silent Hill nurses. Instead of overloading players with guns Silent Hill Origins emphasizes physical combat with fists and two by fours. Punching the zombie nurse is one way to knock her down, but you can pick up breakable objects like bottles to deal more damage. Once on the nurse falls to the ground Travis has to finish her off otherwise she gets up and starts chasing him again.

The gameplay is completely different from the barricade system originally in Silent Hill Origins. Hiding and shooting is out, face to face combat is in. If the zombie nurse gets too close the screen cuts into a close up of her trying to stab Travis with a syringe. The faceless nurse slowly lowers the syringe into Travis, but you can push her back by rapidly tapping the X button. I liked how Silent Hill Origins had these interactive action scenes; it made the game feel more action packed and cinematic.

Silent Hill Origins also has a neat style with its grainy film look in the real world. The noise makes Silent Hill Origins look like an old movie, a distant memory, which goes well with the tone of the story. The secret behind the hellish town of Silent Hill will be revealed in Origins and that alone should pique the interest of any Silent Hill fan. There are multiple endings too, I was told somewhere between 6-8 and a way to unlock the noise filter for future plays.