Silent Hill: Downpour - Boxed - PS3

Silent Hill: Downpour is a survival horror game set in and around the town of Silent Hill. The protagonist of this game is a convicted criminal named Murphy Pendleton. He has been imprisoned for many years after stealing a police cruiser. Following a riot at the Ryall State Corrections Facility, where he is held, he is transferred along with several other inmates to Wayside Maximum Security Prison. During the transport, which takes them near Silent Hill, the road suddenly ends in nothing, and the driver sends the bus crashing through the guardrails down the mountainside. When Murphy regains consciousness, he manages to escape his captors and searches the surrounding area for a way out. As the story progresses, Murphy meets local people, fellow inmates who have also escaped, and members of the prison authorities. However, as he encounters strange beings and apparitions, the line between dream and reality begins to blur.

True to the tradition of the series, Downpour combines exploring abandoned environments, conversations with characters and solving puzzles with a slow-paced, psychological horror theme. The difference from its predecessor, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, is the return of combat. Murphy often has to defend himself against monsters using various weapons, but can only carry one melee weapon and one ranged weapon at a time. These also deteriorate over time. Murphy can also fight creatures unarmed, but cannot block their attacks while doing so. There is no visible health system, but when Murphy is in bad shape, his clothes become bloodied and he starts to limp. At key moments in the game, the player must make a series of decisions that determine his moral compass. This ultimately leads to different endings. Alongside the main storyline, there are various side quests that can be completed optionally.

An absolute first for the series is the introduction of a weather system. There is a full day-and-night cycle, and rain often warns the player of impending danger. It is possible to hide until the weather improves again. Most of the game takes place in the nature and surroundings of Silent Hill, with mountains, forests and streams, but also in the town itself and in the series' famous shift into the industrial hell of the Otherworld, when the town's evil influence distorts the environment.