If a Siamese twin with hands growing out of its head doens't scare you, what will?
Streets shrouded in fog, demonic and disfigured creatures lurking in the shadows and the sound of footsteps echoing through dimly-lit corridors.The oppressive atmosphere so expertly created in each iteration of the Silent Hill series sends a tingle up and down your spine as you roam its claustrophobic locations with total fear and trepidation about the evil that lies ahead.
We're expecting the same again then with the sixth instalment of the horror adventure series, Silent Hill: Homecoming but there is one slight concern. it isn't being developed at Konami HQ, instead, development has been transferred to California-based Double Helix games, who have little experience in the genre.
Nevertheless, with solid foundations to build upon and the graphical power of the Xbox 360 and PS3 at it's fingertips, the franchise is surely going to reach it's peak in terms of 'creeping out' its audience. We're expecting nothing less than a buttock-clenching, anxiety-inducing dark tale of mystery and horror and thanks to a new game engine, that has enabled the developer to create some eerily realistic character models and a new physics model that ensures any object that isn't nailed to the floor will move when touched, therefore alerting any evil-dooers to our presence, we're safe to assume that we can at least expect the sinister atmosphere of the series to be paid due credit here.
The story of Silent Hill: Homecoming begins with the main character, Alex Shepherd returning to his home town after a stint in the army only to discover that his brother has vanished. From Shepherd’s Glen to the foggy streets of Silent Hill, Alex must face the darkest of horrors in order to find his brother. Struggling with his own grip on reality, Alex must unravel the mystery behind his nightmares, discover the truth behind his brother’s and father’s disappearances, and confront the evil that has taken hold of his own flesh and blood.
This time around Double Helix is going to take us deeper into he history of the abandoned town of Silent Hill, where we'll learn of the true evil that lurks in its shadows. Like previous stories, Silent Hill, Homecoming will switch between realities, but instead of seeing the environment fade out and then re-appear looking totally different, the switch to the new dimensions will now happen in real-time where we'll see the environment slowly strip away and change around us.
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