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It’s a familiar setup, but the story that then unfolds is anything but.
Shattered Memories stands out among the Western games as the title that most clearly breaks with tradition.
Though it features characters from Silent Hill, there’s nary a cult to be found.
Instead, the story the game tells is a much more intimate affair.
Hell freezes over
Meanwhile on PS3 and Xbox 360, there was a different Silent Hill.
“At the time survival horror was changing.
‘How action-oriented do we get?
“The big bugbear of survival horror games was always combat,” says Barlow.
But then you look at Silent Hill and say, ‘This is a psychological thing.
So we tried to create something that evoked the primal fear of being chased.”
Despite its many innovations, Shattered Memories didn’t see impressive financial returns.
“I think ultimately, for me, the success was the fan letters,” says Barlow.
Silent Hill would go on ice after the release of Shattered Memories.
This feature originally appeared in PLAY Magazine which printed its final issue in 2024.
