Silent Hill 4: The Room

Buy it this is a must play for all horror game fans!

BRUH! WE NEED SILENT HILL 2 AND 3! GET ON IT! CHOP CHOP! TEN HUT! GET TO IT! WE'VE WAITED YEAAAAAAAARRRRRS FOR THIS!!!!!!! IT WILL BE YEAAAAAAAARS BEFORE YOU CAN FIGHT ME PYRIMID HEAD! FRICK U RIDDLER!

I've played Silent Hill 1-3 multiple times over the years, so being able to enjoy Silent Hill 4 for the first time was a treat. Playing a "fresh," Silent Hill game in 2023 gave me the reminder that I needed that no one else can put together a horror experience quite like Team Silent. This game invoked feelings of dread in me that I thought video games weren't able to instill in me anymore. These games and their psychological horror will always be second to none in terms of fear; with that being said, the gameplay itself can be frustrating at times. This one is the most challenging in the series, as there are many rooms with invincible enemies, and the second half of the game is the most demanding Silent Hill has ever been. I recommend Silent Hill 4 to hardcore survival horror fans, it's not for the faint of heart.

Upon release, Silent Hill 4 wasn't received too positively, as it did deviate from its predecessors in many key areas. 20 years later, these idiosyncrasies are what make SH 4 all the more worth playing. SH 4 is unique in that fighting enemies is both encouraged and discouraged. In the first half, Henry can always return to the titular "Room" to restore his health, and due to the emphasis on melee combat, running out of ammo is not a concern, so hacking away is favored. On the other hand, as the game progresses, Henry increasingly meets several foes either not susceptible to weapons at all or only very specific (and limited) ones. Even his "Room" will no longer be safe, creating a constant sense of danger and dread. Eventually, you'll also have to manage a second character, and how well you do that will heavily impact the possible endings, further upping one's agency. Visually, SH 4 is just as imaginative as its predecessors, and the greater range of locales only adds to the variety. Some criticized that you essentially visit every level twice, which is true, but due to the way the story unfolds, doing so makes a lot of sense narratively. Roaming around either in one's apartment or the otherworlds never gets old in any case, since the environments are filled with neat details and bits of lore throughout. The plot itself is of a similarly psychological nature as SH 2's, but more focused, somewhat akin to SH 3. Of course, the atmosphere is further enhanced by Akira Yamaoka's soundtrack, whose quality stands out even in a series so rich with excellent scores. The original PC port wasn't particularly good, but the GOG version already does a lot to remedy this. Widescreen resolutions are natively supported, controllers work out of the box and with sensible mappings, and the game looks and plays great. The only flaw remaining are the missing hauntings compared to the PS2 version, though these aren't too meaningful, and can be added through mods if desired.

it's the best way to play sh4 at the moment and despite the mixed feelings about the game from the community it is a banger. make sure to play with a controler if you can. runs really well for anyone thinking about playing it on a laptop, very easy to run