Silent Hill 4 is the fourth installment in the Silent Hill series. It was released in North America and Europe in September 2004, with its Japan release being three months prior. It was created for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC.
The game is set primarily in the fictional town of South Ashfield as opposed to the town of Silent Hill itself. The protagonist, Henry Townshend, wakes up one morning to find himself heavily locked in his apartment with no escape other than a large hole in the bathroom wall that seemingly appeared overnight. Once entering the hole he finds himself in various different “worlds”, each with its host of disturbing creatures and vengeful spirits. As time progresses, through both notes in front of the front door and his experience in the worlds, he comes to realize that he is a target for the deranged serial killer Walter Sullivan.
Silent Hill 4 is the first of the series to incorporate first-person navigation (this occurs while inside Henry’s apartment.) This, along with the fact that the player never enters the town itself, and the fact that the carrying inventory had a space limit, caused mixed reactions from fans and critics.
The game also featured the series’ first “breakable weapons” as well as a “charge meter”, which could impact the melee’s power. Another difference is invincible monsters (i.e. the ghosts) who are not only unkillable, but cause damage to Henry simply by being near him.
Japan
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 Released: 17/06/2004 Platform: Playstation 2 Category: Horror Adventure Rating: Mature 15+ Publisher: Konami of Japan (KCET) Developer: KCET |
UK / Europe
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 Released: 17/09/2004 Platform: Playstation 2 Category: Survival Horror Rating: Ages 15 onwards (ELSPA) Publisher: Konami of Europe Developer: KCET |
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Released: 17/09/2004 Platform: XBox Category: Survival Horror Rating: Ages 15 onwards (ELSPA) Publisher: Konami of Europe Developer: KCET |
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Released: 24/09/2004 Platform: PC Category: Survival Horror Rating: Ages 15 onwards (ELSPA) Publisher: Konami of Europe Developer: KCET |
USA
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 Released: 07/09/2004 Platform: Playstation 2 Category: Horror Adventure Rating: Mature 15+ Publisher: Konami of America Developer: KCET |
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Released: 07/09/2004 Platform: Playstation 2 Category: Horror Adventure Rating: Mature 15+ Publisher: Konami of America Developer: KCET |