Silent Hill 3
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is a 2003
survival horror Survival horror is a Video game genre, subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and visio ...
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developed by
Team Silent Team Silent was a development team within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET), responsible for the first four games in the ''Silent Hill'' franchise by Konami released from 1999 to 2004. Later titles were developed by non-Japanese companie ...
, a group in
Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...
, and published by
Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...
for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
. The third installment in the ''
Silent Hill is a horror media franchise centered on a series of survival horror games created by Keiichiro Toyama and published by Konami. The first four main games—'' Silent Hill'', '' Silent Hill 2'', '' Silent Hill 3'', and '' Silent Hill 4: The ...
'' series and a direct sequel to the first ''Silent Hill'' game, it follows Heather, a teenager who becomes entangled in the machinations of the town's cult, which seeks to revive a malevolent deity. A port for
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
was released later in November, and a remastered high-definition version was released as part of the '' Silent Hill HD Collection'', for the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
and
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in 2012. Originally planned to be a
rail shooter Rail shooter, also known as on-rails shooter, is a subgenre of shoot 'em up video game. Beginning with arcade games such as the 1985 '' Space Harrier'', the gameplay locks the player character into a set path, only allowing for limited or no di ...
, as a result of the initially slow sales of ''
Silent Hill 2 is a 2001 survival horror video game developed by Team Silent, a group in Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. The second installment in the ''Silent Hill'' series, ''Silent Hill 2'' centers on ...
'' in Japan, ''Silent Hill 3'' was developed almost simultaneously alongside another installment in the series, '' Silent Hill 4: The Room'' (2004). Among the influences on ''Silent Hill 3'' are the film ''
Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder () is a ladder or staircase leading to Heaven that was featured in a dream the Biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of the dream has been de ...
'' and the works of horror novelist
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
. ''Silent Hill 3'' sold over 300,000 copies by November 2003 and was well-received by critics, garnering praise for its presentation, including the environments, graphics and audio, as well as the overall horror elements and themes that are continued from past installments; although there was minor criticism of the game's short length, camera, and gameplay mechanics. Its plot was loosely adapted into the 2012 film '' Silent Hill: Revelation''.


Gameplay

''Silent Hill 3'' is a
survival horror Survival horror is a Video game genre, subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and visio ...
video game in which the player takes control of Heather, a 17-year old girl who awakens from a nightmare in a shopping mall restaurant and tries to return home to her father, while navigating environments that oscillate between reality and the Otherworld, a bloodier, supernatural version of it. Gameplay in ''Silent Hill 3'' resembles closely that of its two predecessors, with gameplay set in the
third-person view In video games, third-person (also spelled third person) is a graphical perspective rendered from a fixed distance behind and slightly above the player character. This viewpoint allows players to see a more strongly characterized avatar and is ...
and divided among elements of combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. The difficulty of both the combat and puzzle elements of the game can be set separately. In the case of the puzzle difficulties, there is a considerable difference between the "medium" difficulty level and the "hard" difficulty level; one of the puzzles on the "medium" level requires only simple pattern recognition, while the "hard" difficulty level version of the same puzzle requires knowledge of
Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
to complete. To aid in exploration, Heather obtains a flashlight and radio early on, the latter of which crackles when monsters are in proximity. She can find "
health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...
" restoratives, such as first aid kits and energy drinks; beef jerky, used to lure monsters away from her path; and a range of firearms and melee weapons to fend off the monsters with. She can also block and perform side-step maneuvers to avoid enemies. Heather will also update any relevant maps of the area with notes on locked doors, inaccessible areas, and potential clues to puzzles. While the floor plans of the various environments largely remains consistent between reality and the Otherworld, certain areas may be rendered inaccessible in the Otherworld, with barriers or bottomless gulfs appearing in the street, for example. The game also features unlockable weapons and costumes.


Plot

''Silent Hill 3'' takes place in the fictional universe of the ''Silent Hill'' series, 17 years after the events of the first game. It opens with Heather's (Heather Morris) nightmare of being trapped in a derelict amusement park and killed by the roller coaster. She awakens in a burger restaurant within a shopping mall, but before she can leave the mall and return home to her father Harry Mason, private detective Douglas Cartland (Richard Grosse) confronts her, claiming to have information about her birth. Heather evades him and discovers that the mall is mostly abandoned except for monsters. She then encounters Claudia (
Donna Burke } Donna Burke (born 1964) is an Australian actress, singer, and businesswoman. She primarily voices characters in anime and video games including Angela Orosco in '' Silent Hill 2'' (2001), Claudia Wolf in '' Silent Hill 3'' (2003), and has pe ...
), a mysterious woman who hints that Heather will be instrumental in bringing about paradise on earth. Heather soon finds herself in the Otherworld version of the mall—a monster-filled, bloodstained, and decaying alternate world—and eventually returns to the original shopping mall, where she finds Douglas again. He confesses that Claudia had hired him to find her, though denies prior knowledge of the Otherworld or of any greater agenda of Claudia's. Heather leaves the mall and resolves to go home on the subway. When she returns home to her apartment, she discovers that her father was murdered on Claudia's orders. Claudia informs her that Harry's murder was out of revenge and to engender hatred in Heather. Before leaving, Claudia tells her that she will be waiting for her in the town of Silent Hill. Intent on killing Claudia, Heather resolves to go to Silent Hill and accepts Douglas' offer to drive her there. On the journey there, Heather learns from a journal left by Harry that she was the baby left to him at the end of the first ''Silent Hill'' game. Because she is the reincarnation of Alessa, the girl originally intended to birth the cult's god, Claudia intends for her to bring forth the god. Arriving in the seemingly abandoned and fog-shrouded town, Heather sets out to find a man named Leonard in a local hospital, being told by a member of the cult named Vincent that Leonard was in possession of a powerful magical sigil, the Seal of
Metatron Metatron (Mishnaic Hebrew: ''Meṭāṭrōn''), or Matatron (), is an angel in Judaism, Gnosticism, and Islam. Metatron is mentioned three times in the Talmud, in a few brief passages in the Aggadah, the Targum, and in mystical kabbalah, Kabba ...
. Revealed to be Claudia's abusive father, Leonard intends to dispose of Claudia as cult leader and attacks Heather after learning that she is not a member of the cult. Heather defeats him, taking the Seal of Metatron. She journeys to the local church of the cult through a local amusement park at Douglas' request, who—despite being a member of the cult—opposes Claudia's goals. When Heather arrives at the amusement park, she finds him wounded, having tried to stop Claudia. He considers killing Heather to stop the god from being born but decides against it. Heather reaches the church and learns that Claudia, who was Alessa's childhood friend, intends to bring about the god's birth to remake the world into a paradise. Heather confronts her and vomits out the fetal deity, which was nourished by her hatred, using a supernatural substance given to her by Harry before his death to expel the god. Claudia promptly swallows the fetus to Heather's horror in an attempt to complete the birthing process of the god. Claudia is snatched away by an archangel of the cult to the chapel below, where she is found to have given birth and disappeared (with Heather presuming her dead). Heather then defeats the newly born god, before taking time to mourn her father. Three endings appear in the game. The "Normal" ending, which is the only ending available on the first play-through of the game, sees Heather and Douglas survive, while in the "Possessed" ending, Heather kills Douglas. In the "Revenge" ending, which is a joke ending accessible by performing certain in-game actions, Heather reunites with Harry, and Harry orders
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
s to blow up Silent Hill.


Development

''Silent Hill 3'' was created by
Team Silent Team Silent was a development team within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET), responsible for the first four games in the ''Silent Hill'' franchise by Konami released from 1999 to 2004. Later titles were developed by non-Japanese companie ...
, a production group within
Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...
. Development on the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
version began after the release of ''
Silent Hill 2 is a 2001 survival horror video game developed by Team Silent, a group in Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. The second installment in the ''Silent Hill'' series, ''Silent Hill 2'' centers on ...
'' in September 2001, and was carried out almost simultaneously with development of another ''Silent Hill'' title that was intended to explore a different direction for the franchise and not be part of the main, numbered series; known as ''Room 302'', this game would eventually become integrated into the main series as '' Silent Hill 4: The Room''. The development team for this iteration was smaller than that working on ''Silent Hill 2'', with around 40 people working on the game, made up of the core team from the second title and some newcomers. A smaller group of Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo staff later developed a port for
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
. ''Silent Hill 3'' was originally planned to be a
rail shooter Rail shooter, also known as on-rails shooter, is a subgenre of shoot 'em up video game. Beginning with arcade games such as the 1985 '' Space Harrier'', the gameplay locks the player character into a set path, only allowing for limited or no di ...
, not a direct sequel to the first ''Silent Hill'' game, as a result of the initially slow sales and fan criticism of ''Silent Hill 2'' in Japan. According to
Masahiro Ito is a Japanese video game artist best known for his work with Team Silent. Career Ito worked as background and creature designer on the survival horror video game ''Silent Hill'' in 1999. He was art director for its sequel, ''Silent Hill 2'' (20 ...
, this decision wasted considerable development time and part of the game's budget. Eventually, the plan was discarded, with most of the early work produced between September 2001 and September 2002 being almost completely scrapped; although the concept of a ''Silent Hill'' rail shooter was later explored with '' Silent Hill: The Arcade'' in 2007. ''Silent Hill 3''s final version was developed from scratch in less than nine months, between September 2002 and May 2003. Like all ''Silent Hill'' games, one of ''Silent Hill 3''s influences is the film ''
Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder () is a ladder or staircase leading to Heaven that was featured in a dream the Biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of the dream has been de ...
'': one of the subway platforms is named Bergen Street Station, the station Jacob was inquiring about at the beginning of the film. The developers also cited horror writer
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
as another of their influences. ''Silent Hill 3'' incorporates references drawn from real-life actors and actresses. Douglas Cartland's name came from American actor
Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...
. The developers stated that his name "just seemed to suit him" and that there was no true connection to his namesake. During the sketching process, his character was modeled after actors
Giancarlo Giannini Giancarlo Giannini (; born 1 August 1942) is an Italian actor and voice actor. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' Love and Anarchy'' (1973) and received an Academy Award nomination for '' Seven Beaut ...
and
Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor. After graduating from RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) and beginning his career on the British stage as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he became a ...
. It was noted even during the concept designs that Cartland was designed as a middle-aged detective. Richard Grosse, the actor that played Douglas, died on April 12, 2003, a month before the game's release. Claudia Wolf's character was considered the most difficult to design. Early sketches revealed that the creators wanted to dress her like a holy woman, and at one point she had a shaved head, with her body covered with tattoos, however, the creators thought that this way of showing her malevolent side was too obvious. Eventually, the creators decided to model her on
Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress and children's author. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent ...
, and then remove her eyebrows, so that the appearance was slightly skewed. She was first named "Christie", but it was deemed too "cute" and the character was eventually named after Italian actress
Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress. Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...
. Vincent's name originated from actor
Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo (born April 11, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician. He has won several accolades, including a Volpi Cup for Best Actor, and has been nominated for the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, and the Bronze Horse. Gallo was ...
in connection with his unshaven look. Early designs were based on actor
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...
and focused on capturing a look of "derangement and moodiness." A remastered high-definition version was released as part of the '' Silent Hill HD Collection'', for the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
and the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
on March 20, 2012.


Music

The soundtrack for ''Silent Hill 3'' was composed by
Akira Yamaoka is a Japanese composer, musician, producer, and sound designer who composed for Konami's ''Silent Hill'' video game series from 1999 to 2009, and 2024 onwards. He also produced many of its installments, and composed for its three film adaptatio ...
. It was released in Europe on March 25, 2003 and in Japan on July 16, 2003. The song "You're Not Here" was included in the PS2 port of ''
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme is a music video game by Konami and is the eighth release in the main ''Dance Dance Revolution'' (''DDR'') series. It was released on December 25, 2002, for Japanese arcades, on October 9, 2003, for the Japanese PlayStation 2, and on Septembe ...
'', and is also included in the ''Silent Hill Experience'' UMD media pack. The game's soundtrack is the first using vocals prominently. Most of the vocalized tracks are performed by
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (born October 16, 1966)Birthday references: * * is an American voice actress, ADR director, and singer, best known for her role as Motoko Kusanagi in the Ghost in the Shell series. She is also known for her involvement ...
(credited as Melissa Williamson); with
Joe Romersa Joe Romersa is an American musician, composer, voice actor, and music producer. Romersa started his career as a drummer, but early on he branched out into sound engineering. As Romersa tells it, "After a tragic early tour I did at age 19 which ...
providing the chant on the track "Prayer" as well as the vocals on the ending theme, "Hometown".


Reception

''Silent Hill 3'' received positive reviews, garnering an 85/100 rating at
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
for the PlayStation 2 version, and a 72/100 rating for the PC version. The PC version fared less well, with some reviewers drawing unfavourable comparisons to other combat-based games found on the PC platform, while others highlighted some technical issues, such as poor
gamepad A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles. Features Some common additions to the standar ...
controller support. Positive reactions were given to the general horror and atmosphere of the game, including "truly horrifying sections", it "packs some genuine scares" and "the feeling of eeriness and doom is almost overwhelming". The story told as part of the atmosphere was also received positively, making for a "satisfying, coherent sequel", although its status as such meant that "it may be a little tough to follow for people who haven't played the first game", despite "a laudable effort to help people catch up". In addition, the graphics, audio and production values were all credited with adding positively to the atmosphere. Negative criticism largely stemmed from the lack of any innovations in gameplay; the game "doesn't do anything major that the series hasn't done before", "does little in term of innovation" and "doesn't offer much beyond the other titles in the series". Also criticised was the game's camera and control system which, despite having been improved from previous games, was described as "awkward, disorienting, and motion sickness-inducing". Some criticism stemmed from the length of the game, as it "can be easily beaten in a handful of hours". ''
AllGame RhythmOne , a subsidiary of Nexxen, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went public on the Alternative Investment Market, ...
'' found the story less compelling compared to the first two entries. ''Silent Hill 3'' sold over 300,000 copies by November 2003. The game also topped sales charts in Japan upon its release, with 58,000 copies sold in the first three days.


Film adaptation

A film adaptation of ''Silent Hill 3'', titled ''Silent Hill: Revelation 3D'', was released on October 26, 2012, by
Open Road Films Open Road Films, LLC (formerly known briefly as Global Road Entertainment) is an American independent film production and distribution company based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded by Tom Ortenberg on March 26, 2011, as a joint ven ...
. The film is a sequel to the film adaptation of the first installment in the ''Silent Hill'' series. Directed by M. J. Bassett, it starred
Adelaide Clemens Adelaide Clemens is an Australian actress. On television, she has played Harper on the W series ''Love My Way'' (2007), Valentine on the BBC/HBO series ''Parade's End'' (2012), Tawney on the Sundance TV series '' Rectify'' (2013–2016), a ...
as Heather,
Kit Harington Christopher Catesby Harington (born 26 December 1986), known professionally as Kit Harington, is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Jon Snow (character), Jon Snow in the HBO fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011 ...
as Vincent Cooper,
Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean; 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his professional debut in a production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983 at The Watermill Theatre. Retaining his ...
as Harry Mason,
Carrie-Anne Moss Carrie-Anne Moss (born August 21, 1967) is a Canadian actress. After early roles on television, she rose to international prominence for her role of Trinity in ''The Matrix'' series (1999–present). She has starred in '' Memento'' (2000), for ...
as Claudia Wolf, and
Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor. He first became known for portraying Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's ''if....'' (1968), a role he later reprised in ''O Lucky Man!'' (1973) and ''Britannia Hospital ...
as Leonard Wolf.


Notes


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2000s horror video games 2003 video games Konami games PlayStation 2 games Psychological horror games Silent Hill games Single-player video games Survival horror video games Video game sequels Video games about cults Video games about demons Video games about ghosts Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games scored by Akira Yamaoka Video games set in amusement parks Video games set in Maine Video games set in psychiatric hospitals Windows games