Silent Hill: Room 304 Review
I was anticipating this game from the day Joe announced it.
Rarely does something surpass high expectations, but Silent Hill: Room 304 did.
*Presentation.
When you first announced the game, i was expecting the game to be similar to Silent Hill 4: The Room (hence, the title).
However, this game absolutely blew me away. From the story, to the gameplay, the game was presented to me very well.
The 5 months of work paid off Joe!
*Story.
You wake up in the woods and eventually end up in the town of Silent Hill. The main character eventually finds out that things aren't quite normal, as he makes his way through a confusing world, trying to help a individual escape the room 304.
While the story isn't heavy on the symbolism as the games, it still has a lot of twists and turns and by the end of the game my jaws droped and tears came out of my eyes.
I can also see how Ernest Baldwin's character from the "Born From a Wish" scenario of Silent Hill 2 payed off for the character of Andrian.
*Graphics.
Just as all Joe's games, the graphics are stunning.
Photoshop and Adobe were very well used.
The enviornments are atmospheric.
*Sound.
Exellent.
Very well detailed sound effects and Bell45's voice acting is all top-notch as always (although a little over-the-top sometimes, especially during the tape sequence).
Akira Yamaoka's music is placed perfectly and added very well to the overall mood.
*Design.
The design is pretty... straightforward i guess: There's no HUD, inventory, and a like.
*Gameplay.
As i said: straightforward.
Most of the puzzles are fetch quests and there's only one real puzzle. There's no combat as well, unlike Silent Hill: Final Redemption (played Silent Hill: Shattered Memories much, have you Joe?).
Some of the fetch quests CAN be a bitch and a half to do. Finding the very first key pissed me off: i looked at the guide and, litterally, my first words were: "I'm... an... Idiot".
*Lengh
You first playthrough will clock in 30 minutes, and probably half of that if your using a walkthrough (i didn't use the walkthrough much...).
Good stuff i say
Overall: 10/10.