JohnnyWayne_

Most of us are aware that Silent Hill: Downpour failed to deliver on its original release time when last November came and went without even a mention of its release.

However, as the new release date enters our radar (scheduled March 13th launch) the game’s producer, Devin Shatsky (it’s okay; you can laugh- he probably won’t read this) has revealed some interesting new directions the series will be taking in this next big release.

First off, Downpour looks to be going back to the game-design of Silent Hill 2 – placing a focus on the world and enemies and their connection to Murphy’s (the protagonist) background. This obviously has diehard Silent Hill fans rejoicing as it means an end to random demonic nurses attacking every time the flashlight is utilized.

In fact, Shatsky admits these monsters were one of the mistakes of Homecoming (the 6th installment of the series, 2007): “introducing monsters from previous games...didn’t really make sense. The core fans called us out on that, and rightfully so.”*

According to the developers, the goal seems to be an aim for realism – they’ll be limits placed on how much you can carry; weak weapons will break; weather will change and, presumably, influence the monsters that are encountered... Overall, it seems like Downpour will be going in a direction which encourages gamers to explore; a wonderful facet of the survival horror genre.

Furthermore, in relation to this newfound strive fro realism, Shatsky points out that the protagonist’s dynamics will be much more important in the game, especially when it comes to the “survival” aspects. He notes that, “The health system has also seen quite a few changes. There’s no HUD; all that information is tied directly to the character, so he’ll limp, bleed, his clothing will develop holes…we tried to focus as much on realism as possible.” *

For those like myself who are huge fans of the survival horror genre, Silent Hill: Downpour is set to be available on March 13th for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. However, if you’re new to the series, you can catch up on everything that is Silent Hill with the HD Collection which was made available this past February.

As always, thanks for reading! Join in the conversation by leaving your opinion and following on Twitter!

Cheers!

JohnnyWayne_
Twitter: @JohnnyWayne_



*http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2012/...circle-on-ps3/