Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The Silent Hill: Complete Set brings together four landmark entries in the survival-horror genre, each offering its own distinct approach to exploration, puzzle-solving, and enemy encounters. From the original PS One Books release of Silent Hill to the more refined combat and narrative-driven mechanics of Silent Hill 4: The Room, players get a comprehensive look at how the series evolved. The core gameplay loop—wandering fog-shrouded environments, piecing together cryptic clues, and evading or confronting grotesque creatures—remains as tense and captivating as ever.

Silent Hill’s inaugural installment lays the groundwork with tight but sometimes cumbersome tank controls, fixed camera angles, and a heavy emphasis on environmental puzzles. By contrast, Silent Hill 2: Saigo No Uta refines combat fluidity, introduces a more personal weapon upgrade system, and enhances enemy AI, making every encounter with zombies or the iconic Pyramid Head feel dangerous and unpredictable. Silent Hill 3 ups the ante further by blending fast-paced melee sequences with stealth elements, forcing players to think on their feet while maintaining the series’ trademark atmosphere.

Silent Hill 4: The Room breaks from tradition by confining the protagonist, Henry Townshend, to a single apartment that becomes a twisting nexus of terror. Here, the focus shifts toward resource management and claustrophobic puzzle design, as players alternate between brief forays into nightmarish otherworlds and the false safety of Henry’s locked room. The Complete Set’s sequential presentation of these titles highlights how each entry experiments with pacing and interactivity, offering a layered gameplay experience that remains engaging even after multiple playthroughs.

Graphics

Despite their origins spanning from the original PlayStation to early PlayStation 2 hardware, the visuals in the Complete Set maintain an eerie charm that modern horror games sometimes lack. The grainy textures and low-polygon models of Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2 evoke a powerful sense of unease, where every flickering light and shifting shadow heightens the player’s anxiety. These graphical limitations, rather than detracting, actually contribute to the unsettling mood that defined early survival-horror.

Silent Hill 3 and 4 showcase the capabilities of the PlayStation 2 more fully, delivering sharper textures, more dynamic lighting, and denser environmental detail. In SH3, the nightmarish carnival and shopping mall levels are rendered with vibrant colors twisted into grotesque forms, while the hauntingly empty streets of Silent Hill feel pregnant with unseen threats. The Room’s use of flicker and looping visuals around Henry’s apartment adds a surreal, almost claustrophobic layer that perfectly complements the game’s narrative focus on entrapment.

The Complete Set’s physical package also includes six beautifully produced postcards: four original cover artworks that capture each game’s distinct horror aesthetic, and two reproductions of the Silent Hill film posters that emphasize the series’ broader cultural impact. These glossy prints offer a tactile reminder of why the Silent Hill universe remains a benchmark in horror design, making the boxed set as visually appealing on a shelf as it is in the console.

Story

At its core, the Silent Hill series weaves psychological horror with personal tragedy, and the Complete Set allows players to experience these narratives in chronological order. The first game introduces Harry Mason’s desperate search for his missing daughter in a town that seems to shift between reality and nightmare. Its straightforward plot is bolstered by hauntingly ambiguous lore, setting the stage for deeper explorations in subsequent titles.

Silent Hill 2: Saigo No Uta is often lauded for its mature, character-driven narrative, focusing on James Sunderland’s guilt-ridden journey to uncover the truth behind his wife’s letter. The Japanese-exclusive subtitle hints at darker thematic elements, and this edition’s Konami Palace Selection branding underscores its status as a collector’s treasure. The game’s branching endings, influenced by player choices and psychological state, add tremendous replay value and discussion fodder among fans.

Silent Hill 3 and 4 dive further into the series’ mythos, each presenting fresh protagonists—Heather Mason grappling with her lineage and Henry Townshend confronting supernatural imprisonment. Both narratives interlock with the broader lore of the cult of Silent Hill, offering twists and revelations that reward close attention to environmental storytelling and journal entries. Collectively, the four games in this set tell a sprawling saga of grief, redemption, and the darker corners of the human psyche.

Overall Experience

Owning the Silent Hill: Complete Set is as much about the collector’s joy as it is about the games themselves. Housed in a sleek slipcover box available only through Konami’s online store for a limited window, this Japanese-exclusive package feels like a shrine to survival-horror. The inclusion of the six postcards and the bonus keychain light—projecting an image of Alessa/Sharon from the film—elevates the unboxing into an event, weaving nostalgia with tangible memorabilia.

For newcomers, this set offers an invaluable opportunity to play four genre-defining titles in one coherent sequence, appreciating the evolution of mechanics, graphics, and storytelling. Series veterans will relish the chance to revisit these classics in their original Japanese releases, complete with localized title treatments and the unique “PS One Books,” “Konami Palace Selection,” and “Konami The Best” branding. The physical extras—especially the stunning postcards—serve as conversation pieces and art prints that highlight the franchise’s enduring design legacy.

Silent Hill: Complete Set stands out not just as a compilation but as a lovingly curated homage to one of horror gaming’s most influential sagas. Whether you’re drawn to atmospheric exploration, rich psychological narratives, or collectible presentation, this package delivers on every front. Given its limited availability and the unlikelihood of a reissue, this set is a must-have for serious collectors and horror aficionados alike, ensuring that the foggy streets of Silent Hill remain as hauntingly unforgettable as ever.

Retro Replay Score

null/10