It's the Super Mario Bros. of the ARPG genre. This game was made back when Blizzard was still employed by awesome people that were just passionate about making good games. Diablo and Warcraft put Blizzard on the map for a reason. 100% worth adding to the collection.
This game was the product of socialism with the predictable level of quality that comes with that ideology.
I haven't played all of the Silent Hill games, but this one has by far been the least enjoyable of the bunch. I'm giving it a 4 because it's the only Silent Hill game I can find that works fine on PC, but from a gameplay and mechanics perspective, I can't say I've found it the most enjoyable SH title I've played. The storyline is good, though. I like the characters and the writing. That's all great, but if you get this, just know that there's a bit of a slog that starts about halfway through the game. It starts off a little unnerving and tense, then dives full headfirst into obnoxious. You'll see. No spoilers. On a technical level, I haven't had any problems with this one, at all. Just keep in mind that it's from the original Xbox and PS2 era of consoles. It might look a bit dated, but I'd actually describe the graphics as "great for the time".
I played through this on Gamepass and I absolutely loved it. Bought it again on discount here on GOG just to support the developers when it went on sale. The combat isn't anything to write home about, but the storytelling is really good. They did an excellent job and the acting is top tier for a video game, in my opinion. The main character is so well portrayed and is so easy to empathize with that it is very easy to ignore the more monotonous aspects of the game, like the combat or the "puzzles". The puzzles are probably the worst part of the game, but they're not that bad. It just results in a lot of loading screens. Stick with it for the storytelling, atmosphere, and character development. That is where this game really shines.
I bought this on sale. It's ok. I would not recommend paying full price for it though. It is very, very rough around the edges. First, there is no character creator. That would be fine if the main character wasn't so flat and generic, but he is, so this game could have really used that personalization aspect to counterbalance the lack of uniqueness, charisma, and personality. The movement controls are so, so awfully clunky. Either you don't move at all or you bound 6 feet in any direction, which is obnoxious when standing next to a ledge. There is also a "context sensitve" climbing feature that is so spotty it becomes frustrating. Looking at a ledge should prompt you to press a button to climb that ledge, but half the time it doesn't appear or is so overly specific on where you have to point the camera that it becomes a hinderance. Combat is ok. A strange blend of Witcher 3 and Dark Souls with the stamina management. Not terrible. Decently tactical. No real complaints there. Voice acting is... well, it isn't going to win any awards any time soon. What this game does well, though, is it is very reminiscent of old school single player RPGs. It does not "hold your hand" at all. This is not a game that is simplified for the masses. It is meant to be nuanced and give players impactful choices.
