And I mean that in the nicest way possible. This, at times, feels like a Silent Hill game, and at other times feels like games like The Suffering or F.E.A.R or Alone in the Dark, for better or worse. Gameplay wise and exploration wise this game is super solid. Combat feels fine, a little tedious and clunky but that's Silent Hill in general. You can expect a lot of backtracking, something you didn't really have in SH3, which I appreciate, it makes the game feel a little less linear. Puzzles are VERY light, and riddles are more or less non-existent which is a huge letdown for me. But, given Henry's role in the story... I guess it makes sense. Sound design is... I mean, come on, it's Akira Yamaoka, he wasn't gonna let the game have bad music. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn lends her voice to a great many tracks in this game, similar to SH3 and they're all amazing. The ambient noises are creepy, maybe a little heavy handed at times, but overall very solid. The story is the game's strongest point. This isn't Henry's story... it's Walter's story. The game makes much more sense and is far more cohesive once you accept that. The story revolves entirely around Walter, Henry is simply the vehicle through which you experience it. And boy howdy... is he ever a vehicle. Which is to say, he has the personality of a 1992 Ford Taurus. Henry is the most boring, unenthusiastic, unexpressive piece of bland tasteless marzipan I have ever encountered. Not helped at all by the game's extremely hit or miss voice-acting (Henry's is particularly horrific, thanks to poor voice direction), Henry reacts to his horrific situation with all the shock and terror of a lobotomized sloth. A fun drinking game is to take a drink every time Henry says "what the hell?!" or "what the hell's going on here?!"... Actually don't do that, you'll probably die. But again... it's not Henry's story, it's Walter's, and it's 100% worth playing. Give it a shot... $10 is better than $185!
