Parents' Guide to

Silent Hill: Downpour

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Survival horror game filled with blood, gore, and fright.

Game PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2012
Silent Hill: Downpour Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

age 18+

Good Game for Older Players

For those of you unfamiliar with Silent Hill, let me tell you that the series is not your average survive-the-zombie-apocalypse horror game. It is a gaming experience that prides itself on scaring and disturbing its players with its rich and frightening environments. Not only is it violent, but everything is designed to psychologically terrify the player. The environments are beyond creepy, and the monsters are grotesque. Gameplay is aggrivating since the number of weapons you can carry is limited. In addition, weapon quality will deteriorate over time, causing them to break. This can be especially frustrating for players who prefer taking out all enemies they encounter. Less linear than previous installments, Downpour gives the player moral choices that impact the game's numerous endings. This gives the player more control of the world, which makes certain events more intense and entertaining. With better graphics comes more violent content. Silent Hill delivers a very violent and psychologically disturbing game that may negatively impact young or sensitive gamers. Because maturity level differs between teenagers, it is important for any parent to really investigate the nature of the game by looking up screenshots, trailers, or gameplay videos. No words can adequately describe some of the game's haunting imagery. While I disagree with Konami's shift in gameplay mechanics over the past few titles, the environment and storyline are worthy of praise. I would recommend this game to anyone over 16 who enjoys the horror genre.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (4):

While not as good as some previous Silent Hill games, this new adventure -- from first-time developer Vatra Games -- has a few things going for it. This includes bigger set pieces with more freedom to explore, side-missions that add to the gameplay, and solid voice acting that helps with the chilling narrative. But shortcomings can hamper the experience, such as some stiff combat that takes away from the immersion and a choppy frame rate when there's a lot of action onscreen at the same time. Overall, however, Silent Hill: Downpour is a decent and more action-heavy Silent Hill offering with some memorable moments. Note: The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game are the same.

Game Details

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