Review: Silent Hill 4 – The Room

Happy Halloween! In keeping with my tradition of playing a horror game during the month of October, I come to you today with a real doozy of a game. Today, I’m going to talk about Silent Hill 4: The Room. If you’re a long time reader of this blog, then you’ll know that I’ve been a pretty big fan of the first three Silent Hill games. To me, these games absolutely master the concept of psychological horror. Each of the first three titles in the series managed to both chill and impress me in different ways. With this in mind, I was excited to see just what this fourth entry in the series had in store for me.

However, before jumping in, I had to decide how I wanted to experience the game. In the eyes of many, Silent Hill 4 is the black sheep of the series. It was originally released on the Playstation 2, Xbox, and PC in 2004. Initially, there were no digital releases of the game in the US – not even on PSN. This changed earlier this year when Silent Hill 4 was added to GOG’s Game Preservation Program (something I will be making a whole post about in the near future). Naturally, most gamers today are not going to have access to original PS2 hardware. So with this in mind, the PC version is probably the most accessible. But, considering the nature of this blog, I ultimately decided to go with the original PS2 version for my review.

Unlike the first three Silent Hill games, which mostly takes place in the town of Silent Hill, this game starts a little differently. Instead of a foggy, lakeside town, this game focuses on the apartment of a man named Henry. One day, Henry wakes up and finds he has become trapped inside his own apartment. The door is chained shut from the inside and a number of things are out of place. As he continues to look around, he discovers a mysterious tunnel in his bathroom wall. The tunnel leads to the nearby subway system, which seems to have been transformed into some sort of nightmare. After exploring a little while, he returns to his apartment only to find it has undergone more strangeness in his absence. The cycle repeats throughout the game; Crawl through the tunnel which leads to various locations, then return home to rest and seek out additional clues.

If you’re familiar with the first three games in the series, you’ll immediately notice how different this concept is. For starters, when inside your apartment, the game is presented in a first-person perspective. You can poke around and interact with various things. For example, you can use the telephone, turn on the radio, look out the window, or even spy on your neighbor through a mysterious hole in the wall. This may sound trivial, but I found these interactions to be quite a clever addition to the story. As the game progresses, what you see through the window or even through the peephole in your door often reflects the latest development in the game’s plot in some way or another.

Of course, the entire game doesn’t take place inside of the apartment. The meat of the game occurs when Henry travels through the strange tunnel in his bathroom. This portal will take him to various points of interest. When in these locations, the game shifts back to the more familiar third-person view. From here, things start to feel a little more like the Silent Hill we know and love. In fact, the tunnel often links up to actual locations in the town of Silent Hill. Fans of the series are likely to notice a number of throwbacks to the original games.

When in the third-person mode, the game plays very much like any other Silent Hill title. You explore creepy (often disturbing) environments, collect items, solve puzzles, and do combat with all manner of horrible nightmares. The big changes this time around include a slightly different control scheme. Previously, the Silent Hill games utilized a “tank style” form of playcontrol. This time around, the character controls are looser and the character can move freely. However, it’s not quite the modern third-person movement found in most modern games. The camera is still mostly fixed and cannot be manipulated. Still, it’s a vast improvement over the previous games in the series.

Aside from changes to movement, the combat system is also a little different this time around. Now, players are able to hold down the attack button to “charge up” their attack before hitting enemies with a melee weapon. Also, some of the items that can be used for weapons can break with repeated use, altering their effectiveness.

Outside of these obvious changes, Silent Hill 4 is still very much a “Silent Hill” game. All of the strange imagery and psychological torment is present. As always, the plot is as clear as mud – just cohesive enough to follow but still obscure enough that you feel like you’re never able to piece together the full picture. Fans of these series will likely appreciate some of the deep lore references found in this game. These bits are just plentiful enough to remind players that, despite looking and working a little differently, there’s no mistaking what series they are playing.

Even so, there’s just something about this game that feels “off”. Like the room that is the centerpoint of the game itself, playing this game was reminiscent of exploring some weird limbo-like reality. And now, having finished it. The whole experience feels very much like a fever dream. In some ways, it feels more like an art piece than a video game. I’m not sure how I feel about that, honestly. I certainly didn’t have a bad experience with this game, but it wasn’t what I was expected. I’m not really sure that’s a bad thing though. The experience of playing Silent Hill 4 is one that I don’t think I’ll soon forget.

Still, I’m not sure this is the type of game that pairs with Halloween. Without a doubt, it’s a horror title. But it’s more of a manic, morbid, mental torture than a creepy, spooky experience. The bottom line is, if you like Silent Hill, you’re going to love this unappreciated gem of a game. But if you’re looking for a more traditional “ghost and skeletons” vibe, this probably isn’t what you’re looking for.

Version Reviewed: PS2

Difficulty: Variable –  When starting a new game, there are three difficulty options to pick from. Unlike some of the previous games, you can’t fine tune the difficulty between combat and puzzles. The difficulty settings here are one-size fits all. If you want any challenge at all, I recommend playing the game on Normal. In my opinion, Normal in this game is just a little bit tougher than it is in previous entries, but it’s still quite manageable. Easy mode makes the game a complete snooze fest in terms of challenge. But, it might be the perfect setting for someone who just wants to experience the story.

Multiplayer: No.

Story: The story for this game may seem centered on Henry and his apartment, but in reality it explores the lore behind the character of Walter Sullivan – a serial killer mentioned in the previous games. It intertwines his backstory with the events of Silent Hill 1-3 and frames it nicely with the new scenario about Henry. One thing that I enjoy about the Silent Hill games is that each one feature a different lead character, but the actual star of the show isn’t a person, it’s the mysterious city of Silent Hill itself. This game illustrates that fact masterfully.

Originality: There’s certainly a lot about this game that stands out from other similar tiles. For starters, the mixture of first and third person is a nice touch. The way it’s done almost makes the apartment interludes seem more claustrophobic and personal. Combine this with the various mini-tweaks and psych-out horror and you end up with something that feels unique.

Soundtrack: Most of the audio attention is focused on ambient sounds and dialogue. The voice acting is the standard Silent Hill fare. Not terribly produced, but it always seems a little offbeat. Most of the atmospheric sounds are unsettling – which is perfect. They accomplish their goal. The game does feature music at various points, usually during cutscenes or during major plot developments. The few actual songs included in the game have a funky J-rock vibe that is now a staple of the series.

Fun: If you like psychological horror games, Silent Hill has you covered. This game is no exception. It takes all of the weirdness that the series is known for and ramps it up a notch by somehow being even more unusual. The pacing is considerably different in this game, however. Some players might look at this as a negative. But for those who can appreciate it, the pay off is worth it.

Graphics: The graphics are on par with other PS2 games of the same era. The art direction for this game has a unique vibe to it, however. The game has a “faded” and “industrial” quality to it that’s hard to explain. But it really fits in with the atmosphere the game is trying to portray. 

Playcontrol: We finally have a slightly revamped playcontrol in this entry. Up to this point, most survival horror titles have relied on tank-controls for character movement and this game took the first step to break that mold. Still, some aspects of the playcontrol remain annoying. Combat is especially hit-or-miss. But, at least we’re getting somewhere.

Downloadable Content: N/A

Mature Content: Violent and grotesque imagery. Mild language. Occult references and an overall horrific atmosphere.

Value:  These days, Silent Hill 4 is only available digitally for the PC on GOG. Here it sells for $10, which is a more than fair price. Used copies can range anywhere from $50-$150. So, unless you’re a collector, the PC version is without a doubt the most affordable.

Overall score (1-100): 80 – Silent Hill 4: The Room is a solid survival horror game. Its focus on the cerebral may be a little off-putting to some, however. It’s not quite as iconic or approachable as some of the other games in the series, but it shouldn’t be ignored.

Original System: PS2, Xbox, PC

Available today on:  PC  – (Updated as of Fall 2025)

Best Experience: PS2  – (Updated as of Fall 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)