Review: Silent Hill 3
I’ve been a gamer for four decades. During that time I’ve played video games of all types. This means that I’m certainly no stranger to games in the survival horror genre. But I don’t think I’ve ever played a game as unsettling and anxiety inducing as the game I’m going to talk about today. That game is Silent Hill 3.
I enjoyed the first two games in the Silent Hill series quite a bit. So, I was excited to finally sit down and play the third installment. But as I was getting ready to play, I found myself facing the same predicament that I had when I played Silent Hill 2; which version should I choose? On the surface, it seems like a simple question. Silent Hill 3 was originally released for the PS2 in the summer of 2003, with a PC port following a few months later. However, in 2012, an updated version was included as part of the Silent Hill HD Collection (available on PS3 and Xbox 360). Common sense says to go with the HD version, right? Well, it’s not that simple… If you’ve read my review for Silent Hill 2, you already know that the HD Collection is quite controversial. Yes, this newer collection does feature high res textures. However, it suffers from a number of technical issues, sound glitches, and completely (poorly) re-recorded voice acting. For Silent Hill 3 in particular, the technical problems in this collection can be pretty game breaking at times. Combine this with the various rendering issues present in the HD collection and you have enough problems that I decided to just stick with the original PS2 version of the game.
Unlike Silent Hill 2, this game is actually a direct sequel to the first Silent Hill. In this game, you play as Heather, the adopted daughter of Harry Mason. The game begins in a very odd fashion. You find yourself controlling Heather as she explores a nightmarish amusement park. There’s no intro movie or explanation provided to explain the horrific world in which you find yourself. However, after a few minutes, Heather awakens at her table in the food court of the local mall and you learn that the events in the tutorial were merely a dream. As she gets ready to leave the mall and head home, she is confronted by a mysterious man. He claims to be a detective and he wants to question her about her past. (This is the first hint that there’s more the Heather than meets the eye). In attempt to elude him, Heather ducks into the ladies room and exits the mall through the restroom window. From here, things start to get really weird. The malls suddenly seems to be abandoned and strange creatures appear and attack Heather. As she continues to explore the mall and the surrounding area, the world around her continues to become more twisted and nightmarish. As the game progresses Heather must try to navigate her way through this hellish version of reality and unravel exactly what is going on.
As you might expect, being a Silent Hill game, the story summary I’ve provided above is a very simple representation of what’s really going on. The actual plot is considerably more convoluted and disturbing than it first seems. I don’t want to say much more and risk spoiling anything. Because a very big part of this game is the psychological effects that the story and environment has on the player. As you navigate your way through the eerie streets and passageways that make up the levels of Silent Hill 3, you’re never quite exactly sure what’s going on. This uncertainty makes playing the game a very nerve-wracking experience.
A large portion of the game takes place in dark rooms and corridors and you’ll find that your vision is often very limited. More often than not, you can hear the horrors lurking in the dark, just off camera, but you’re unable to determine where they might be hiding. It’s this tension of not knowing what’s around the next corner that makes playing the game so anxiety-inducing. Combine this with the gruesome imagery and various occult references and you have the perfect recipe for a truly memorable survival horror experience.
From a gameplay standpoint, this game is identical to the first two entries in the series. The character is handled with a tank-style playcontrol scheme that is matched with semi-fixed camera angles. As you explore the various environments in the game, you will find weapons and items to aid you along the way. As always, monsters lurk throughout the game. But ammo and restoratives are extremely limited. This means players are not able to simply blast their way through the game. To succeed in Silent Hill 3, you will need to know when to fight and when to run. Even though tank controls were starting to fall out of favor in 3D games by this point, I think the control scheme actually fits this game quite nicely. The limited movement somehow seems to help elevate the peril that the player feels when playing this game.
Having played this title from start to finish, I truly feel that playing the original PS2 version was the way to go. Even though the HD Collection is presented in a higher res, the remaster just isn’t able to replicate some of the PS2 textures correctly and this does take away from the vibe. Plus, there a number of exclusive scenes in this game that are only viewable if you have a Silent Hill 2 save file on your PS2 memory card. With this in mind, unless a future remake is released that addresses this sort of thing, the PS2 version will remain the definitive Silent Hill 3 experience.
A part of me was surprised at how similar the gameplay was to the previous entries in the series. I think I did expect there to be a little more variety in this new chapter. But, in the end, I found the tension from the gameplay and the storyline to be quite satisfying. As is always the case with games in this series, the more you explore and the deeper you dive into the various bits of lore scattered throughout the game, the more you will get out of it. For me, this game did an excellent job of finally tying all of the loose ends of the Silent Hill story together. I can’t imagine what direction the next game in the series might go. But I’m eager to find out.
Version Reviewed: PS2
Difficulty: Variable – When starting a new game, there are three difficulty options for both the game itself and the various puzzles found within the game. This allows players to fine-tune their experience. For my playthrough I left both of these settings on Normal. I found the action difficulty to be about what I expected. But the puzzles were admittedly a tad tricker than I was anticipating. The puzzle difficulty only ramps up even further on Hard Mode to the point where you have to be quite an educated individual to solve them without a guide of some sort. Normal is the setting that I recommend for first-time players. There are additional modes that are unlocked by either beating the game on Hard Mode or by dying multiple times. I did not try out these additional difficulty options.
Multiplayer: No.
Story: The story for this game will be very confusing for someone with no experience in the Silent Hill universe. Heck, even for someone who has the played the other two games, it may take a while for all of the pieces to fall into place. But by the end of the game, everything slowly starts to become clear. What we end up with is a chilling story that helps flesh out the mythology behind the series.
Originality: Aside from the unique storyline, there’s not really anything in this game that’s all that new and original. I do give praise to the developers for their use of ambient sounds and strange imagery. They really took this to the next level in this game, and by doing so, helped to create a very one-of-a-kind experience. But, when it comes to gameplay mechanics, Silent Hill 3 doesn’t really break any new ground.
Soundtrack: Most of the audio attention is focused on ambient sounds and dialogue. The voice acting is a little unusual. The pacing of the characters’ speech is strange and comes across as a little wooden. At first, I counted this as a negative. But the more I think about it, I’m beginning to believe it may have been intentional. Everything about this game is presented just a little off-center. This is done for psychological effect. It wouldn’t be that far fetched to argue the voice acting was done the same way. The HD remake features an entirely different voice cast. The performance in the HD version isn’t bad. In fact, some might argue that it’s better. But, even with the oddities, I think I prefer the original voice actors. The game does feature music at various points, but it’s very sparse. These tunes are catchy but not all that memorable. In the grand scheme of things, the music is not a big part of the game.
Fun: If you like psychological horror games, this is the game for you. Everything from the graphics to the sound is perfect for this type of game. As is always the case with Silent Hill, you’ll be on the edge of your seat the entire time.
Graphics: The graphics in Silent Hill 3 are a step up from the previous entry in the series. The lighting and effects really showcase what the PS2 was capable of from a technological standpoint. The HD remaster is presented in a higher resolution and has better overall visuals than the original version. But, these improved textures come at the cost of other visual elements.
Playcontrol: Tank controls are notorious for being a bit stiff and cumbersome. But out of all the tank-style games I’ve played, this one seems to be the most responsive. The fixed camera approach is better here than I’ve seen it in other games. And this time, the player even has a little bit of control over it. Combat is a little frustrating. Enemies often drift just out of range and the tank controls make it difficult to move closer without letting the enemy get an attack on you. However, the auto-aim when using firearms seems much improved over the previous games in the series.
Downloadable Content: N/A
Mature Content: Violent and grotesque imagery. Mild language. Occult references and an overall horrific atmosphere.
Value: The Silent Hill: HD Collection features both this game and Silent Hill 2 and is available on the Xbox marketplace for around $30.00. While not the version of the game I recommend, if this is your only option, the price is affordable. Used copies of the PS2 or PC versions often go for $150 or more. Even though I feel the PS2 original is the vastly superior version, it’s difficult to recommend paying that much when the HD Collection is available digitally.
Overall score (1-100): 90 – I can’t say I enjoyed this game as much as I enjoyed Silent Hill 2. But, it’s pretty close. I liked the story for Silent Hill 2 a little better, but I have to say, this game absolutely nails the atmosphere. I said at the beginning of this interview that this game induced a feeling of real anxiety in me. I’m not exaggerating that. Perhaps it is because Heather seems so vulnerable compared to the male characters of the previous two games. Or maybe it is the fantastic use of strange and disturbing sounds that echo throughout the whole game. I’m not sure. But whatever it is, it works.
Original System: PS2
Available today on: Xbox One/X/S – (Updated as of Spring 2025)
Best Experience: PS2 – (Updated as of Spring 2025)
Other Reviews In This Series:
Silent Hill – Silent Hill 2 – Silent Hill 3 – Silent Hill 4 – Silent Hill: Origins – Silent Hill: Homecoming – Silent Hill: Downpour – Silent Hill f
Silent Hill: Book of Memories
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories – Silent Hill 2 (2024 Remake) – Silent Hill 1 (Remake)
