Thanks everyone for waiting so long for this one, I hope it was worth it! it was definitely an experience making it and I think I need to go back to something short after this as a cleanser LOL. A massive thank you to everyone involved, and of course thanks to the sponsor Lost in Cult who are honestly really great to work with, you can find out more about their projects for Citizen Sleeper ( t.co/JE5EPVTrnB ) and Heterotopias ( t.co/fMZFYQwrXr ) using these links! Appreciate y'all as always and I hope you all have a great week :)
One of the funniest things to ever happen to me in a game happened in my first playthrough of Shattered Memories: I was playing it at my friends house and when we got to the coloring exercise, since it had already established that the therapy exercises would effect the game, I said "what if I colored the entire page pink?" During the next scene we were dying laughing as we came up to the pink house and then the pink shirted husband came to the door followed by the pink shirted wife-
Dude as I was reading this I was laughing not paying attention to the vid but when I looked back the video was perfectly at a part showing said coloring book
wtf, I was reading this comment exactly when the video hit 30:55 and I read the line at the same time as the dialogue was delivered, what a weird timing lol
I played the year my mom died as a kid. When that line came out i remember i started to cry a little. And finishing the game i was struggling for a week felt more than that. I remember not feeling good or bad, i hugged my cousin who was with me and she took me to eat mcDonalds Ice cream.
Same i was blown away with how great the story is. and the psychological aspect in this game is what make it stand out from the others. The only issues i have with this game is there no combat. i understand what they up to and the devs still at least give the us ability to push down the rawshock and utilize flare to repel them, but still the lack of combat make this game quite overlooked. but overall still a great game own it's right
@@grey_f98Perhaps too late for me to comment this, but I’m almost sure that this must be made on purpose by UA-cam. Same things has happened to me several times on different videos
Just dropped by again to say that "Until Dawn" had VERY similar sessions with a psychiatrist, that when I played it , I was like "no way Shattered Memories didn't inspire this!"
I had always thought that this game was just released at the wrong time. Such a masterpiece of an experience. It sucks that people weren't able to get themselves to like it.
It suffered for releasing right after the movie, Origins, and Homecoming, when fans had already lost all faith in both american studios and Konami. And by then, people were already completely fed up with awkward motion controls being shoved into every wii game for no reason. So their inclusion here made the game sound like just another cheap gimmicky cash-grab.
Kind of like how everyone hated Wind Waker for no reason other than art style when it first came out. Wind Waker is an amazing game. It's sad that so many people got on the hate train.
@octogonSmuggler Wind Waker was hated while Nintendo was rolling out teasers and the trailer because it was the opposite of what fans had been asking for. Everyone wanted a more gritty and adult Zelda game and after Nintendo showed a demo for Wii using Link in that exact style most people were expecting it. If you're a Zelda fan I'm sure you're familiar with the excitement and expectations leading up to every new game so when the adult fanbase was shown a Zelda game which looked like it was made for elementary school kids the disappointment was immense. After it released and people realized that it actually was a great game. The hate pretty much ended there. This game is actually a complete different story in my opinion. Most fans either didn't like the game or they thought it was ok when it first released. SH fans were getting disappointing game after disappointing game so at that point the bar was fairly low for a SH game that would get a positive reaction from the majority of fans. I think what the problem with the Western SH games is that they don't feel authentically SH. Most of the games are good games with good gameplay and decent stories they just didn't belong in the same universe as the first 4 games. If the Western games had been their own thing and not part of SH I think that they would've gotten a much better response from players. Most fans wouldn't say that these are horrible games they just weren't SH.
I think Shattered Memories comes the closest to the original trilogy in theming because it is about a new character's nightmares made manifest again - but this time they were the player's, through the psychology tests. Harder to pull off and therefore less elegant than SH2 or 3, but they're the only post-Team-Silent devs who understood the assignment.
Finally got round to finishing this, great stuff, this game holds a slightly strange position in the silent hill franchise but it’s super unique and well made!
Grisly behind the scenes fact: I’m from Mississippi. And the protagonist of the canceled Cold Heart was named Jessica Chambers. The game Shattered Memories came out in 2009. In 2014, a real girl named Jessica Chambers was murdered and set on fire not far up the road from my hometown… When I found out that name connection as a fan of the series, it genuinely messed with my head.
Shattered Memories is the best use of psychology I think I’ve seen in a game. The horror doesn’t come from cults or ghouls, it comes from broken relationships, trauma and grief.
When Shattered Memories came out I was in a friend group that were all Silent Hill fans. We all played it seperately. I was taken aback by the psychological profiling and impressed that I got the drunken dad ending. I lost my own father to alcohol and substance abuse. We all shared our endings and it sparked conversations we wouldn't have otherwise had with each other. One of the group wouldn't share the ending he got and refused to talk about it.
The revel at the end were we find out Harry was dead the entire time and we were just playing a "ideal" version of him Cheryl made in her head because she hadn't moved on from his death gets me everytime! 💔 (hope one day we get a switch port of this game)
YES! I balled my eyes out staring at the car scene to after he "walked" into the room, that game is my favorite silent hill ever and I 10000% agree that it needs a switch port. most of the dislike for the game came from the wii controls, I remember telling some friends it was my favorite out of the series and no matter how much I tried to defend myself it always ended with them saying the controls sucked... people don't give the story/game the time because of that so of course people wouldn't like it. a switch port would change everything ;v;
Shattered Memories will forever be one of my most treasured experiences in gaming, I'm so glad I got to play it back when it originally released and I got to avoid all the negative opinions about it. (also helped that I didn't have issues with the motion controls) I still vividly remember the confused horror I felt when my raw shocks became abstract, the shock of entering a room in the amusement park to find it's suddenly in the otherworld, how reality fell apart towards the end of the game, how the final report eerily matched me almost perfectly and most clearly remember myself feeling denial as I saw Harry walk into Kaufmann's office. I've played many games with great stories and emotional moments, but none have touched me like Shattered Memories had. All topped with the brilliant song Hell Frozen Rain and one of its lines that has resonated with ever since; "A toast to lonely souls, who could never take control of life."
It saddens me that not many people gave this game a chance, I just love it so much, specially because the cold atmosphere and music, the psychological side was so ahead of it's time, I remember the ending shocking me so much the first time, so good. I've bought all of the recent games by Sam Barlow but haven't made the time to play them.
As far as the trend of horror where you're being "hunted" with little to no way to fight back, I suspect it probably was probably more of a concurrent trend than Shattered Memories directly influencing it. Amnesia did come after Shattered Memories, but the Penumbra series predates both and was the precursor to Amnesia. So it was probably just one of those moments where multiple creators had similar ideas of how and where to innovate the genre. This was a very good analysis by the way! Plenty I never even considered, like the integration of the VHS interface into the menu as a subtle form of foreshadowing and storytelling. I think, just like with your Silent Hill 3 review, you've given a lot of attention to some of the titles that are overlooked by the fans and given new reasons for people, old and new, to visit them!
Just yesterday I was in a group conversation about horror games and of course Silent Hill come up. When I said that I had a special place in my heart for Shattered Memories, people looked at me like "wut?" Until I reminds them it was "the one for the Wii". It's so nice to be seeing a recent video about appreciating Shattered Memories because for how low on the radar it went by at its time. Maybe the newest Silent Hill system of visual novel, assuming it'll change the narrative based of the player's choices, was inspired by SM.
This game was a total masterpiece that was hindered by it's timing... the story and the big reveal at the end just reminds me of how amazing (and tragic) this story is! The only gripe I ever had was that, there was a missed opportunity in the exploration segments.... once you knew that you coule only get hurt and/or die in the chase sequences, it took away that sense of dread and the need to proceed with caution... but outside of that, the game threw so many neat ideas at you (a lot that the player wasn't even inherently aware of, initially)
Most hyped right now for the NoCode game that's coming. Seeing as they're all the core people behind Alien: Isolation (still the reigning king of adaptive monster chases), and given their other titles as an indie studio (tactile details, psychological and fourth wall horror), I'm very much expecting their SH game to be most like this one. The Shattered Memories direction for this franchise deserves another go. Love this game, and thanks for the video!
NoCode's game is definitely my most hyped one as well! Absolutely loved Observation and Stories Untold, I think they're gonna really understand the assignment for Townfall!
I am glad theres a large section of fans coming back to Shattered Memories and giving it a second shake It really breaks my heart when SH fans say the first 4 games are great and anything not made by team silent is automatically bad But glad to see there are people who can see how ahead of its time this game is and how great it is Honestly speaking I think I like Shattered Memories more than SH4
This was a fascinating watch! So glad Shattered Memories is getting recognition and so cool to learn more about its development. Fantastic video, great job!
I loved this game so much. It was incredibly immersive, not only ahead of its time in terms of walking simulators but actually introducing a lot of techniques that would later become part of the DNA of VR titles. Fantastic twist at the end of the story, too.
I download and watch all your videos on long flights or just when i'm feeling anxiety and they all calm me down so much - thanks for all the amazing content 💙
Absolutely loved your coverage of Shattered Memories, really gave it the proper love it deserves. Especially since, for years folks kinda outright dismissed it 'cause of its spin-off / re-imagining status when it's legit one of my fave of the bunch, mainline series included. :0
I went in expecting to have a new found appreciation for this game by the end of the video, as it has been the case with every Silent Hill video you've made so far. Once again you do not disappoint! Fantastic work, as always!
This was my first Silent Hill. At that time I hated horror games, but one day a friend lent me the game for Playstation 2 and the few minutes I was able to play (because the disc was more scratched than a zebra) simply captivated me enough to want to know more, both the franchise and the genre. Now I am a die-hard fan of Survival Horror and Silent Hill in particular. This game, despite not being the best of the franchise nor my favorite (SH3 is💜) , will always have a very special space in my heart.
Such an excellent video! Shattered Memories is one of those games that has lived rent free in my head since I first gave it a try, I'm glad it's got such a comprehensive video on it now
This brings me back. I got to play this on the PSP so it’s nice to see the Wii version of the game. I remember having second thoughts of playing this game when the “This game plays you as much as you play it” warning popped up. What a way to start the game.
sh:sm was my introduction to the series so i always viewed sh games through the lens of this. ty for shining a light on this game, also im so excited that you got to interview the creators!!
played this on the PSP a couple years ago, definitely one of the greats in the series! its interesting to see how i missed out on the motion controls, but tbh still a stellar game :) also really cool that you interviewed the creators, love it when folks do their research
Finally finished this vid today! Another banger as always. It's so refreshing to listen to someone who actually has positive things to say about this game, since I always feel Shattered Memories gets unnecessary heat (especially compared to the likes of Downpour and Homecoming lmaooo). SM's narrative had a psychological focus - which has always been SH's bread and butter - and did a totally fresh story that didn't just lean on SH2's guilt plot twist like so many other post-Team Silent games did. And wow, I LOVED the point you made about the pause menus having the VHS aesthetic and what it foreshadows. That completely went over my head when I played and I always wrote it off as just artistic flair. I still believe SM is the best post-Team Silent game that also manages to strongly respect its source material, and this video perfectly sums up why!!
Amazing video analysis ❤️ I lost my father when I was really young and oh boy, when I reached that ending.... This is my favourite Western Silent Hill game!I play it religiously every year, during Winter 🩵
Its awesome you got to interview them, really interesting stuff about how influential this game was in the development of horror games to becoming what they are today.
WOW! Thank you so so much for this video! I love this series so much... but I think Shattered Memories is one of the most underrated games of all time. There is nothing else like it, and as much as I love the other SH games... I have played and cleared SM many many many more times in comparison. No other game has hit me so hard (like SH2) as this game did. What Climax did with game is amazing.... and the passion they put into every bit of this games shows. Your video did an amazing job showcasing how unique this game is. It was great that Sam and Tom answered your questions! thank you again for doing this! Job well done.
Awesome video, more than worth the wait. I always love when you dig into the background and production details. I read the full interviews, very cool stuff, it's great that you got it. I admit that I ignored the Western SH titles, but this made me want to check SM and perhaps reconsider my stance. Extra shoutout for the video script, this was written very smoothly with a clear through line; it didn't at all feel like the video had sections, it flowed beautifully.
Absolutely fantastic work as always. I love that I always finish your videos with a far greater appreciation for the video's subject matter than when I started. I've never played SM myself (Wii remote physical accessibility), but was always curious about the player psychological component. I never realized Sam Barlow was involved as a lead designer and writer, and suddenly Shattered Memories and the games he worked on afterwards clicked into place. It was fascinating to see the origins of so many game mechanics in SM, too, and how amazing that you were able to interview Barlow and Hulett! It was wonderful to hear both of their perspectives, and I'm looking forward to reading the full interview. It's always a delight to return and delve into games that were ahead of their time, and it must be vindicating for all the developers who worked on the project. Thank you for such an incredible in-depth dive into Shattered Memories. (I've also got When You're Gone now stuck in my head, which is never a bad thing!)
I can't believe I've finished this game at least 10 times since I met it in 2013 and never used the map in the chase parts to guide me, That made me have helped a lot, I'm glad to discover new things after so long time. Amazing video. Definitively one of my fave horror games.
This video should have five times the views it does, at least. Such a comprehensive and concise retrospect of a criminally underrated game. The precision of the flashlight with the Wii Remote and the lighting system made the whole opening moments immediately immersive. I knew this game was special the first time I played it even as a 15 year old lol
I'm so thankful this appeared on my recommended on YT today. I've been searching desperately for a channel that covers SH games in an interesting way. Not a fan of most other channels that do. Your voice is very pleasant, and I appreciate your pace/narration. Also, I actually learned a lot I didn't know about this entry! Thank you for putting such effort into this wonderful video. I have liked and subbed, I look forward to checking out your other content! 😊
Shattered Memories is extremely underrated and ambitious. I really think if the effects from the therapist sections were even more enhanced it could be a revolutionary horror game. Think if the buildings, time of day, scenery, creatures, and much more all reflected the differences from the choices you made. I really think this game only scratched the surface of what it’s concept could be. Lastly, because it reimagines SH 1 and SH3 more psychologically (akin to SH2) it’s more of a prequel/ sequel to SH2. Because SH1/3 have very little to do with SH2.
On my first playthrough I got the "Drunk Dad" ending, which was so eerily fitting as my Dad is a severe alcohol who's been to rehab but didn't get better and has lost everything partly due to that. My 2nd playthrough 7 years later I got the "Love Lost" ending, my parents finally stopped living together that year. So the warning "This video game psychologically profiles you as your play" REALLY is true for me!
I am so glad there are some people out there that share my feeling that this is the most outstanding Silent Hill title; especially the ending left me breathless: A true gem!
Awesome video, loved learning more about this one. Previously I've only seen surface level negativity about why this game fails as a Silent Hill game, so I didn't know about any of this stuff! Now I think it fits in great with the rest of the series, amazed at everything they accomplished with it. Thanks for covering this so well, lovely work as always!
What a beautifully stated & well executed video. I think Shattered Memories is one of those projects that was perfectly of it’s time & place. Because of that, it might not be discussed a lot, but it will be discussed favorably & pop back up every so often.
I love Shattered Memories! We played it as a group of friends and it was really fun and conversation sparking throughout. I love that it’s also a heart felt and sad story, and the amazing soundtrack. Great video!
Thank you for making this video I'm happy you gave this game the love it deserves and revealed the important information people leave out about the game and its development
This game is the whole reason I bought a Wii in the first place and I can't say I regret it. I love this game, it was the shot in the arm creatively the series needed at the time even if I feel like I'm in the minority in that opinion. The first Silent Hill is my favorite and seeing it reinterpreted so dramatically and getting to connect the points of reference and character arcs was really satisfying.
Great essay! I played this game on my Wii and remember really loving it! I really agree with this idea that Silent Hill as a franchise was always about using innovative mechanics to tell a story. This should be remade into a VR game! I think the mechanic could be ported in an interesting way. too bad konami would never go for that.
Been watching your videos since your silent hill 3 video and just wanted to say that I always liked how in-depth you get with your essays whether personally saying your experiences (SH 3 and the whole vulnerability of being a woman aspect of the story) or just the themes and inspirations (like the Italian horror influences in Haunting ground). So really loved how you got the thoughts of the creators to further flesh out just how this game came to be while just having good presentation. Glad to see your doing well as a content creator and look forward to what comes next! (Also Loved how Tom mentioned Signalis, so cool to see that game get the acknowledgement it deserves)
Really interesting and insightful analysis of an underrated entry in the series! I can remember being fascinated with the idea of the game as a kid, but I never got to play it before my Wii broke forever. Glad to have this video for learning about it in more detail than any playthrough would have given me.
This was such an amazing analysis on Shattered Memories, never played the game but the music was what peaked my interest in it, the way you described the atmosphere and how the game made you feel with the main character was just perfection. I recently just watched some other videos of yours, and your videos are probably the best videos I have seen on this Website, I haven't been on UA-cam in months. But coming across your channel has made me come back to UA-cam and I'm so happy to have found you. Congrats on the 80k, I hope you get to 100k soon, you deserve everything good that comes your way with the videos you have made so far 🎉
Im a fan of this kind of essay video and a fan of horror games, silent hill games and quirky gem games... i hardly saw other essay videos like this one, the work behind all the information is awesome and the job done is easily one of the best about this specific game
This game was something else man. I just loved the way it turned the perspective at the end of the session. Im a huge resident evil fan, but Silent Hill just always had that emotional impact and rollercoaster ride from start to finish. Resident Evil will always be that top tier survival horror game, but Silent Hill was a different kind of survival and i never appreciated or understood it as a kid just popping in the discs in my ps2. Survival in the sense where the characters you play as, survive their mental trauma and thats something I realized playing almost every entry I could get my hands on. Each game had such a unique takeaway that holds a different kind of message and grief to someone else. Like for me personally, despite not alot of fans not liking it, Silent Hill Homecoming is my favorite Silent Hill game just because I connected so well with it because of Alex and his brother Josh. With the success of Resident Evil and how well it capitalized on going back to its survival horror roots, I can only hope that the new Silent Hill games coming out can still retain that very core part of the dna that makes it so special and that is the emotional pain of the characters we play and learn about through gameplay.
I love when developers take a console and craft a game that pushes its limits. These are always some of the most memorable experiences. Great work as always! I look forward to the next one!
I saw your death stranding video awhile back and didnt realize this was the same channel! Awesome stuff, will definitely watch more and sub so I don't forget haha!
that quote from about the 17:00 mark was the best way to put my thoughts on difficulty barriers in games. difficulty is fine, but it can keep a person from experiencing something and that can be a little bit of a bummer. we need more games like this lol
I've never played this game, but I was transfixed by the music and the plot when watching it on youtube. Well over a decade later, it has still stuck with me. I'm glad there are channels that give this remarkable game the time and consideration it deserves.
Even as a longtime Silent Hill fan, I adored Shattered Memories. It immediately impressed me when I played a demo for it at E3, and only got better as I played it after release. After finishing it, I wrote a letter to Climax studios expressing my thanks, and they even responded and were super kind. I still stand by that Climax studios was the only western developer that managed to successfully capture the narrative essence of the best Silent Hill entries. I’m glad to see it vindicated by revised public opinion now.
completely forgot to comment sorry but excellent video as always friendo you continue to top yourself with each uploaded it is such a joy seeing you fly to such great heights :D
this video got recommended to me by the algo just now. watched it and loved your indepth take and even interviewing the devs of the game. I always thought this game innovated the psych profile horror game that even inspired the Black Mirror episode Playtest and the pseudo parody psych eval portion of the Until Dawn game. I personally never got thru SH, being to afraid to finish the first SH growing up. lol. But SM was really serendipity as I played it a few years after a close relative had passed. Needless to say, the big reveal hit home. The real turmoil of the game is not some grand conspiracy or cult, it's personal trauma. Which I'd argue is closer in theme to SH2 than what the newer games have become. I agree that the Wii was the best way to experience the game, despite the slight chance of lag when transitioning areas by opening doors. The way the flashlight reacts to your movement and how the phone works thru the wiimote speaker really helps put the player inside the game, and not just play the game.
as an autistic it annoys me that not making eye contact is equated with being unfriendly. Just because we're not looking at you doesn't mean we're not listening! Anyway, really great video as always, I love your silent hill series!
something else i like about SM that was the reason i played it as a kid (i had a jailbroken wii my uncle gave me ok) was that the game gives you a full physch profile in the form of the phsychologist sending an email. i played the game cause i saw it in a spanish top for 4th wall breaking games ranked as #1. never could finish it back then. i got stuck at the school. now i revisited and got the love lost ending.
My god, THANK YOU so much. I'm sick of seeing this game, my favourite Silent Hill (and one of my favourite games period) being so ignored and underrated on the internet. As someone who hates motion controls, this game made me enjoy them, and most importantly, the atmosphere and the story were absolutely outstanding for me. I can't believe that people who love Silent Hill II because of its emotional ending ignore and underestimate this game, just complainig beacause ''it is not MY Silent Hill''. I'm so glad that I found your video and now I know that there is at least one more person besides me that understood this marvel. Once more, Thank you.
This game was really ahead of its time. I remember being very impressed by the emotion of the character model's faces as well, given how limited the hardware was compared to the PS3 and Xbox One. Climax really did an amazing job with this one.
Brilliant video. Insightful, exhaustive and open minded. With this game it’s really best to focus on what it brought to the table and not how it deviated from the safe Silent Hill formula.
I remember watching the Game Grumps playthrough of this so many years ago, and I've always wished something this unique and interactive could be made for a horror series again. I hope Silent Hill brings these techniques back someday, this would've been so amazing to play, I never got to play this but, I wish I could
This is my fav SH title after SH2 (which was actually the one I played first in the series). It was mind blowing, it felt so fresh and new, but at the same time very familiar and close to SH1, like SH1 from some parallel timeline. It has all the stuff we love SH for... but it in a very different and creative way. And that's a very rare game that actually made me cry. Some media just resonates with your personal experiences in life in a way only games could. SH2 took me years to understand it, I didn't have the required baggage to understand it when I played it, but it hit way way harder now after lots of terrible things happened to me. But Shattered Memories clicked instantly, since I was already had my share of loss, grief and desperation. It's a masterpiece of game, not made for gamers, but for adults. And it was a great fit for Wii.
I felt that this game got unfairly judged as a bad game or one that tried to undo the mystery of silent hill's cult esthetics. This was a very fun game to play through with moments of levity contrasting the dark storyline. Instead of trying to mush the games together into the movie that we got, I would love to see this remade as a miniseries or interactive netflix show using a similar profiling system.
Thanks everyone for waiting so long for this one, I hope it was worth it! it was definitely an experience making it and I think I need to go back to something short after this as a cleanser LOL. A massive thank you to everyone involved, and of course thanks to the sponsor Lost in Cult who are honestly really great to work with, you can find out more about their projects for Citizen Sleeper ( t.co/JE5EPVTrnB ) and Heterotopias ( t.co/fMZFYQwrXr ) using these links! Appreciate y'all as always and I hope you all have a great week :)
Thanks for your masterpiece ! 😄
One of the funniest things to ever happen to me in a game happened in my first playthrough of Shattered Memories: I was playing it at my friends house and when we got to the coloring exercise, since it had already established that the therapy exercises would effect the game, I said "what if I colored the entire page pink?" During the next scene we were dying laughing as we came up to the pink house and then the pink shirted husband came to the door followed by the pink shirted wife-
I did the same thing 😂
Dude as I was reading this I was laughing not paying attention to the vid but when I looked back the video was perfectly at a part showing said coloring book
You’re not the only one !!
I did this exact thing to test how accurate it was if my choices that affected it.
Didn't they also do that in the game grumps playthrough? Its been forever, so I'm not sure, but like.... I feel like everyone did it lol
Love this game so much. It strikes such a deep feeling of grief within me, especially with the "you never knew him and you never will" line.
wtf, I was reading this comment exactly when the video hit 30:55 and I read the line at the same time as the dialogue was delivered, what a weird timing lol
I played the year my mom died as a kid. When that line came out i remember i started to cry a little. And finishing the game i was struggling for a week felt more than that. I remember not feeling good or bad, i hugged my cousin who was with me and she took me to eat mcDonalds Ice cream.
Same i was blown away with how great the story is. and the psychological aspect in this game is what make it stand out from the others. The only issues i have with this game is there no combat. i understand what they up to and the devs still at least give the us ability to push down the rawshock and utilize flare to repel them, but still the lack of combat make this game quite overlooked. but overall still a great game own it's right
@@grey_f98Perhaps too late for me to comment this, but I’m almost sure that this must be made on purpose by UA-cam. Same things has happened to me several times on different videos
Just dropped by again to say that "Until Dawn" had VERY similar sessions with a psychiatrist, that when I played it , I was like "no way Shattered Memories didn't inspire this!"
I had always thought that this game was just released at the wrong time. Such a masterpiece of an experience. It sucks that people weren't able to get themselves to like it.
I stumble across the CD in those gaming store for 100, and I should have got it. I hope it still there even though my wii is done for
It suffered for releasing right after the movie, Origins, and Homecoming, when fans had already lost all faith in both american studios and Konami.
And by then, people were already completely fed up with awkward motion controls being shoved into every wii game for no reason. So their inclusion here made the game sound like just another cheap gimmicky cash-grab.
Kind of like how everyone hated Wind Waker for no reason other than art style when it first came out. Wind Waker is an amazing game. It's sad that so many people got on the hate train.
@octogonSmuggler Wind Waker was hated while Nintendo was rolling out teasers and the trailer because it was the opposite of what fans had been asking for. Everyone wanted a more gritty and adult Zelda game and after Nintendo showed a demo for Wii using Link in that exact style most people were expecting it. If you're a Zelda fan I'm sure you're familiar with the excitement and expectations leading up to every new game so when the adult fanbase was shown a Zelda game which looked like it was made for elementary school kids the disappointment was immense. After it released and people realized that it actually was a great game. The hate pretty much ended there. This game is actually a complete different story in my opinion. Most fans either didn't like the game or they thought it was ok when it first released. SH fans were getting disappointing game after disappointing game so at that point the bar was fairly low for a SH game that would get a positive reaction from the majority of fans. I think what the problem with the Western SH games is that they don't feel authentically SH. Most of the games are good games with good gameplay and decent stories they just didn't belong in the same universe as the first 4 games. If the Western games had been their own thing and not part of SH I think that they would've gotten a much better response from players. Most fans wouldn't say that these are horrible games they just weren't SH.
I think Shattered Memories comes the closest to the original trilogy in theming because it is about a new character's nightmares made manifest again - but this time they were the player's, through the psychology tests. Harder to pull off and therefore less elegant than SH2 or 3, but they're the only post-Team-Silent devs who understood the assignment.
Finally got round to finishing this, great stuff, this game holds a slightly strange position in the silent hill franchise but it’s super unique and well made!
thanks!!! and I hope to see even more SH coverage from you in the future 👀 your vids are super good
Hey I love both of y’all and the videos done help me expand my understand as an official non gamer lol keep it up!!
Grisly behind the scenes fact: I’m from Mississippi. And the protagonist of the canceled Cold Heart was named Jessica Chambers. The game Shattered Memories came out in 2009. In 2014, a real girl named Jessica Chambers was murdered and set on fire not far up the road from my hometown…
When I found out that name connection as a fan of the series, it genuinely messed with my head.
That must've been soo freaky
Shattered Memories is the best use of psychology I think I’ve seen in a game. The horror doesn’t come from cults or ghouls, it comes from broken relationships, trauma and grief.
Ayooo, thanks for having me :)
Even customer support said "you're beyond our help, good luck"🤣
When Shattered Memories came out I was in a friend group that were all Silent Hill fans. We all played it seperately. I was taken aback by the psychological profiling and impressed that I got the drunken dad ending. I lost my own father to alcohol and substance abuse. We all shared our endings and it sparked conversations we wouldn't have otherwise had with each other. One of the group wouldn't share the ending he got and refused to talk about it.
The revel at the end were we find out Harry was dead the entire time and we were just playing a "ideal" version of him Cheryl made in her head because she hadn't moved on from his death gets me everytime! 💔 (hope one day we get a switch port of this game)
YES! I balled my eyes out staring at the car scene to after he "walked" into the room, that game is my favorite silent hill ever and I 10000% agree that it needs a switch port. most of the dislike for the game came from the wii controls, I remember telling some friends it was my favorite out of the series and no matter how much I tried to defend myself it always ended with them saying the controls sucked... people don't give the story/game the time because of that so of course people wouldn't like it. a switch port would change everything ;v;
Yup this game has a great plot.
@@PocketKanin they can always just play the Ps2 game if they don't like the controls
The best one out of the "modern" Silent Hill games. It totally still holds up and has the soul of the original games.
Shattered Memories will forever be one of my most treasured experiences in gaming, I'm so glad I got to play it back when it originally released and I got to avoid all the negative opinions about it. (also helped that I didn't have issues with the motion controls)
I still vividly remember the confused horror I felt when my raw shocks became abstract, the shock of entering a room in the amusement park to find it's suddenly in the otherworld, how reality fell apart towards the end of the game, how the final report eerily matched me almost perfectly and most clearly remember myself feeling denial as I saw Harry walk into Kaufmann's office.
I've played many games with great stories and emotional moments, but none have touched me like Shattered Memories had. All topped with the brilliant song Hell Frozen Rain and one of its lines that has resonated with ever since; "A toast to lonely souls, who could never take control of life."
It saddens me that not many people gave this game a chance, I just love it so much, specially because the cold atmosphere and music, the psychological side was so ahead of it's time, I remember the ending shocking me so much the first time, so good. I've bought all of the recent games by Sam Barlow but haven't made the time to play them.
As far as the trend of horror where you're being "hunted" with little to no way to fight back, I suspect it probably was probably more of a concurrent trend than Shattered Memories directly influencing it. Amnesia did come after Shattered Memories, but the Penumbra series predates both and was the precursor to Amnesia. So it was probably just one of those moments where multiple creators had similar ideas of how and where to innovate the genre.
This was a very good analysis by the way! Plenty I never even considered, like the integration of the VHS interface into the menu as a subtle form of foreshadowing and storytelling. I think, just like with your Silent Hill 3 review, you've given a lot of attention to some of the titles that are overlooked by the fans and given new reasons for people, old and new, to visit them!
I'm still sad Penumbra is unofficially cancelled
Just yesterday I was in a group conversation about horror games and of course Silent Hill come up. When I said that I had a special place in my heart for Shattered Memories, people looked at me like "wut?" Until I reminds them it was "the one for the Wii".
It's so nice to be seeing a recent video about appreciating Shattered Memories because for how low on the radar it went by at its time. Maybe the newest Silent Hill system of visual novel, assuming it'll change the narrative based of the player's choices, was inspired by SM.
This game was a total masterpiece that was hindered by it's timing... the story and the big reveal at the end just reminds me of how amazing (and tragic) this story is! The only gripe I ever had was that, there was a missed opportunity in the exploration segments.... once you knew that you coule only get hurt and/or die in the chase sequences, it took away that sense of dread and the need to proceed with caution... but outside of that, the game threw so many neat ideas at you (a lot that the player wasn't even inherently aware of, initially)
Should've been released for PC and PS3
I'm so glad to see someone else reveling in everything that made SM so enthralling. You've done a fantastic job exploring this game and its themes.
Most hyped right now for the NoCode game that's coming. Seeing as they're all the core people behind Alien: Isolation (still the reigning king of adaptive monster chases), and given their other titles as an indie studio (tactile details, psychological and fourth wall horror), I'm very much expecting their SH game to be most like this one. The Shattered Memories direction for this franchise deserves another go.
Love this game, and thanks for the video!
NoCode's game is definitely my most hyped one as well! Absolutely loved Observation and Stories Untold, I think they're gonna really understand the assignment for Townfall!
I am glad theres a large section of fans coming back to Shattered Memories and giving it a second shake
It really breaks my heart when SH fans say the first 4 games are great and anything not made by team silent is automatically bad
But glad to see there are people who can see how ahead of its time this game is and how great it is
Honestly speaking I think I like Shattered Memories more than SH4
This was a fascinating watch! So glad Shattered Memories is getting recognition and so cool to learn more about its development. Fantastic video, great job!
I loved this game so much. It was incredibly immersive, not only ahead of its time in terms of walking simulators but actually introducing a lot of techniques that would later become part of the DNA of VR titles. Fantastic twist at the end of the story, too.
😢
What some of those techniques?
I download and watch all your videos on long flights or just when i'm feeling anxiety and they all calm me down so much - thanks for all the amazing content 💙
WHAT!! THAT'S SO SWEET THANK YOU :')
That's a great idea, I've got a 15ish hour flight ahead of me soon, gotta prepare for it :D
this may be the first time someone has watched Silent Hill videos to become *less* anxious.
13:54 "Our Caller ID shows that you are calling from Silent Hill. I regret to inform you that you are beyond even our help." 😂😂😂
Absolutely loved your coverage of Shattered Memories, really gave it the proper love it deserves. Especially since, for years folks kinda outright dismissed it 'cause of its spin-off / re-imagining status when it's legit one of my fave of the bunch, mainline series included. :0
I went in expecting to have a new found appreciation for this game by the end of the video, as it has been the case with every Silent Hill video you've made so far. Once again you do not disappoint! Fantastic work, as always!
This was my first Silent Hill. At that time I hated horror games, but one day a friend lent me the game for Playstation 2 and the few minutes I was able to play (because the disc was more scratched than a zebra) simply captivated me enough to want to know more, both the franchise and the genre. Now I am a die-hard fan of Survival Horror and Silent Hill in particular. This game, despite not being the best of the franchise nor my favorite (SH3 is💜) , will always have a very special space in my heart.
this is a huge comfort game of mine, came across your channel via this video and i thank you for covering it so wonderfully!
Stellar work! SM is by far the most underappreciated SH game, the more discussion and insight about it the better.
Such an excellent video! Shattered Memories is one of those games that has lived rent free in my head since I first gave it a try, I'm glad it's got such a comprehensive video on it now
This brings me back. I got to play this on the PSP so it’s nice to see the Wii version of the game. I remember having second thoughts of playing this game when the “This game plays you as much as you play it” warning popped up. What a way to start the game.
sh:sm was my introduction to the series so i always viewed sh games through the lens of this.
ty for shining a light on this game, also im so excited that you got to interview the creators!!
played this on the PSP a couple years ago, definitely one of the greats in the series! its interesting to see how i missed out on the motion controls, but tbh still a stellar game :) also really cool that you interviewed the creators, love it when folks do their research
Finally finished this vid today! Another banger as always. It's so refreshing to listen to someone who actually has positive things to say about this game, since I always feel Shattered Memories gets unnecessary heat (especially compared to the likes of Downpour and Homecoming lmaooo). SM's narrative had a psychological focus - which has always been SH's bread and butter - and did a totally fresh story that didn't just lean on SH2's guilt plot twist like so many other post-Team Silent games did.
And wow, I LOVED the point you made about the pause menus having the VHS aesthetic and what it foreshadows. That completely went over my head when I played and I always wrote it off as just artistic flair. I still believe SM is the best post-Team Silent game that also manages to strongly respect its source material, and this video perfectly sums up why!!
Shattered Memories is INDEED overlooked.
How I've missed your content, Eurothug. Thanks for the insight on a classic horror series.
Amazing video analysis ❤️ I lost my father when I was really young and oh boy, when I reached that ending.... This is my favourite Western Silent Hill game!I play it religiously every year, during Winter 🩵
Its awesome you got to interview them, really interesting stuff about how influential this game was in the development of horror games to becoming what they are today.
Love finding great new channels that add proper captions! Thank you ❤
WOW! Thank you so so much for this video! I love this series so much... but I think Shattered Memories is one of the most underrated games of all time. There is nothing else like it, and as much as I love the other SH games... I have played and cleared SM many many many more times in comparison. No other game has hit me so hard (like SH2) as this game did. What Climax did with game is amazing.... and the passion they put into every bit of this games shows. Your video did an amazing job showcasing how unique this game is. It was great that Sam and Tom answered your questions! thank you again for doing this! Job well done.
Awesome video, more than worth the wait. I always love when you dig into the background and production details. I read the full interviews, very cool stuff, it's great that you got it. I admit that I ignored the Western SH titles, but this made me want to check SM and perhaps reconsider my stance. Extra shoutout for the video script, this was written very smoothly with a clear through line; it didn't at all feel like the video had sections, it flowed beautifully.
Absolutely fantastic work as always. I love that I always finish your videos with a far greater appreciation for the video's subject matter than when I started.
I've never played SM myself (Wii remote physical accessibility), but was always curious about the player psychological component. I never realized Sam Barlow was involved as a lead designer and writer, and suddenly Shattered Memories and the games he worked on afterwards clicked into place. It was fascinating to see the origins of so many game mechanics in SM, too, and how amazing that you were able to interview Barlow and Hulett! It was wonderful to hear both of their perspectives, and I'm looking forward to reading the full interview.
It's always a delight to return and delve into games that were ahead of their time, and it must be vindicating for all the developers who worked on the project. Thank you for such an incredible in-depth dive into Shattered Memories. (I've also got When You're Gone now stuck in my head, which is never a bad thing!)
I can't believe I've finished this game at least 10 times since I met it in 2013 and never used the map in the chase parts to guide me, That made me have helped a lot, I'm glad to discover new things after so long time. Amazing video. Definitively one of my fave horror games.
This video should have five times the views it does, at least. Such a comprehensive and concise retrospect of a criminally underrated game. The precision of the flashlight with the Wii Remote and the lighting system made the whole opening moments immediately immersive. I knew this game was special the first time I played it even as a 15 year old lol
Love your script here, as always! Great video!
You have one of the best video essay about games.
That Silent Hill Coldheart box art is sooooo good
Another lovely video! This is by far the best non-Team Silent entry in the franchise and you beautifully illustrated why this is the case.
I'm so thankful this appeared on my recommended on YT today. I've been searching desperately for a channel that covers SH games in an interesting way. Not a fan of most other channels that do. Your voice is very pleasant, and I appreciate your pace/narration. Also, I actually learned a lot I didn't know about this entry! Thank you for putting such effort into this wonderful video. I have liked and subbed, I look forward to checking out your other content! 😊
Shattered Memories is extremely underrated and ambitious. I really think if the effects from the therapist sections were even more enhanced it could be a revolutionary horror game. Think if the buildings, time of day, scenery, creatures, and much more all reflected the differences from the choices you made.
I really think this game only scratched the surface of what it’s concept could be.
Lastly, because it reimagines SH 1 and SH3 more psychologically (akin to SH2) it’s more of a prequel/ sequel to SH2. Because SH1/3 have very little to do with SH2.
I remembered that the UFO ending of Shattered Memories has a special appearance of James, where he is also a patient of Kaufmann.
Awesome you got such a in-depth interview with the Devs! I love it these kind of insights. Brilliant video! ❤
I look forward to your future stuff ☺️
On my first playthrough I got the "Drunk Dad" ending, which was so eerily fitting as my Dad is a severe alcohol who's been to rehab but didn't get better and has lost everything partly due to that.
My 2nd playthrough 7 years later I got the "Love Lost" ending, my parents finally stopped living together that year.
So the warning "This video game psychologically profiles you as your play" REALLY is true for me!
awe holy crap. thank you for sharinh
I am so glad there are some people out there that share my feeling that this is the most outstanding Silent Hill title; especially the ending left me breathless: A true gem!
Awesome video, loved learning more about this one. Previously I've only seen surface level negativity about why this game fails as a Silent Hill game, so I didn't know about any of this stuff! Now I think it fits in great with the rest of the series, amazed at everything they accomplished with it.
Thanks for covering this so well, lovely work as always!
What a beautifully stated & well executed video. I think Shattered Memories is one of those projects that was perfectly of it’s time & place. Because of that, it might not be discussed a lot, but it will be discussed favorably & pop back up every so often.
I love Shattered Memories! We played it as a group of friends and it was really fun and conversation sparking throughout. I love that it’s also a heart felt and sad story, and the amazing soundtrack.
Great video!
Thank you for making this video I'm happy you gave this game the love it deserves and revealed the important information people leave out about the game and its development
Love the long format, don't be afraid to extend the runtime. I think this content is well worth it!
I've played this game so many times and it's the only Wii game I actually miss playing. Thanks for the great retrospective!
This game is the whole reason I bought a Wii in the first place and I can't say I regret it. I love this game, it was the shot in the arm creatively the series needed at the time even if I feel like I'm in the minority in that opinion.
The first Silent Hill is my favorite and seeing it reinterpreted so dramatically and getting to connect the points of reference and character arcs was really satisfying.
Great essay! I played this game on my Wii and remember really loving it! I really agree with this idea that Silent Hill as a franchise was always about using innovative mechanics to tell a story.
This should be remade into a VR game! I think the mechanic could be ported in an interesting way. too bad konami would never go for that.
Been watching your videos since your silent hill 3 video and just wanted to say that I always liked how in-depth you get with your essays whether personally saying your experiences (SH 3 and the whole vulnerability of being a woman aspect of the story) or just the themes and inspirations (like the Italian horror influences in Haunting ground). So really loved how you got the thoughts of the creators to further flesh out just how this game came to be while just having good presentation. Glad to see your doing well as a content creator and look forward to what comes next!
(Also Loved how Tom mentioned Signalis, so cool to see that game get the acknowledgement it deserves)
I'm so glad I've discovered this channel! Really thorough essay and I love that you also interview the creators. Keep up the awesome work! Cheers
ANOTHER MARIA VIDEO YAHOOOOOOO!!!!
woke up from an accidental lunchbreak nap to a new eurothug video? Hell yeah!
Really interesting and insightful analysis of an underrated entry in the series! I can remember being fascinated with the idea of the game as a kid, but I never got to play it before my Wii broke forever. Glad to have this video for learning about it in more detail than any playthrough would have given me.
This was such an amazing analysis on Shattered Memories, never played the game but the music was what peaked my interest in it, the way you described the atmosphere and how the game made you feel with the main character was just perfection.
I recently just watched some other videos of yours, and your videos are probably the best videos I have seen on this Website, I haven't been on UA-cam in months.
But coming across your channel has made me come back to UA-cam and I'm so happy to have found you.
Congrats on the 80k, I hope you get to 100k soon, you deserve everything good that comes your way with the videos you have made so far 🎉
Im a fan of this kind of essay video and a fan of horror games, silent hill games and quirky gem games... i hardly saw other essay videos like this one, the work behind all the information is awesome and the job done is easily one of the best about this specific game
This game was something else man. I just loved the way it turned the perspective at the end of the session. Im a huge resident evil fan, but Silent Hill just always had that emotional impact and rollercoaster ride from start to finish. Resident Evil will always be that top tier survival horror game, but Silent Hill was a different kind of survival and i never appreciated or understood it as a kid just popping in the discs in my ps2. Survival in the sense where the characters you play as, survive their mental trauma and thats something I realized playing almost every entry I could get my hands on. Each game had such a unique takeaway that holds a different kind of message and grief to someone else. Like for me personally, despite not alot of fans not liking it, Silent Hill Homecoming is my favorite Silent Hill game just because I connected so well with it because of Alex and his brother Josh. With the success of Resident Evil and how well it capitalized on going back to its survival horror roots, I can only hope that the new Silent Hill games coming out can still retain that very core part of the dna that makes it so special and that is the emotional pain of the characters we play and learn about through gameplay.
great review! this game looks so fun!
I love when developers take a console and craft a game that pushes its limits. These are always some of the most memorable experiences. Great work as always! I look forward to the next one!
I saw your death stranding video awhile back and didnt realize this was the same channel! Awesome stuff, will definitely watch more and sub so I don't forget haha!
im always happy to see both a new silent hill video *and* a new eurothug video
that quote from about the 17:00 mark was the best way to put my thoughts on difficulty barriers in games. difficulty is fine, but it can keep a person from experiencing something and that can be a little bit of a bummer. we need more games like this lol
This game on PSP was my Jam back then. Trying to get Harry to wear pink shirt was pretty fun.
I've never played this game, but I was transfixed by the music and the plot when watching it on youtube. Well over a decade later, it has still stuck with me. I'm glad there are channels that give this remarkable game the time and consideration it deserves.
Amazing video! Great production :) all your hard work paid off!
i love youtube for recommending me this banger of a youtube video!
Wow this was absolutely incredible
Thank you so much 😭😭😭
Silent Hill video? Hell yeah, I'm all in.
Even as a longtime Silent Hill fan, I adored Shattered Memories. It immediately impressed me when I played a demo for it at E3, and only got better as I played it after release.
After finishing it, I wrote a letter to Climax studios expressing my thanks, and they even responded and were super kind.
I still stand by that Climax studios was the only western developer that managed to successfully capture the narrative essence of the best Silent Hill entries. I’m glad to see it vindicated by revised public opinion now.
completely forgot to comment sorry but excellent video as always friendo you continue to top yourself with each uploaded it is such a joy seeing you fly to such great heights :D
Looooved this video, fantastic seeing more appreciation for the game that blew me away when I first discovered it.
I really, REALLY need another game like this.
Finally a new @eurothug4000 video!
this video got recommended to me by the algo just now. watched it and loved your indepth take and even interviewing the devs of the game. I always thought this game innovated the psych profile horror game that even inspired the Black Mirror episode Playtest and the pseudo parody psych eval portion of the Until Dawn game.
I personally never got thru SH, being to afraid to finish the first SH growing up. lol. But SM was really serendipity as I played it a few years after a close relative had passed. Needless to say, the big reveal hit home. The real turmoil of the game is not some grand conspiracy or cult, it's personal trauma. Which I'd argue is closer in theme to SH2 than what the newer games have become.
I agree that the Wii was the best way to experience the game, despite the slight chance of lag when transitioning areas by opening doors. The way the flashlight reacts to your movement and how the phone works thru the wiimote speaker really helps put the player inside the game, and not just play the game.
as an autistic it annoys me that not making eye contact is equated with being unfriendly. Just because we're not looking at you doesn't mean we're not listening!
Anyway, really great video as always, I love your silent hill series!
something else i like about SM that was the reason i played it as a kid (i had a jailbroken wii my uncle gave me ok) was that the game gives you a full physch profile in the form of the phsychologist sending an email. i played the game cause i saw it in a spanish top for 4th wall breaking games ranked as #1. never could finish it back then. i got stuck at the school. now i revisited and got the love lost ending.
My god, THANK YOU so much. I'm sick of seeing this game, my favourite Silent Hill (and one of my favourite games period) being so ignored and underrated on the internet. As someone who hates motion controls, this game made me enjoy them, and most importantly, the atmosphere and the story were absolutely outstanding for me. I can't believe that people who love Silent Hill II because of its emotional ending ignore and underestimate this game, just complainig beacause ''it is not MY Silent Hill''. I'm so glad that I found your video and now I know that there is at least one more person besides me that understood this marvel.
Once more, Thank you.
Wow that final Koffman monologue hits different 😢
Again awesome video! appreciate showing this game from this light! ❤
Love Shattered Memories. Probably my second favorite game in the series.
This game was really ahead of its time. I remember being very impressed by the emotion of the character model's faces as well, given how limited the hardware was compared to the PS3 and Xbox One. Climax really did an amazing job with this one.
Brilliant video. Insightful, exhaustive and open minded. With this game it’s really best to focus on what it brought to the table and not how it deviated from the safe Silent Hill formula.
I remember watching the Game Grumps playthrough of this so many years ago, and I've always wished something this unique and interactive could be made for a horror series again. I hope Silent Hill brings these techniques back someday, this would've been so amazing to play, I never got to play this but, I wish I could
Great vid as always. Makes me hope that they release Shattered Memories on Switch with motion controls :).
This is my fav SH title after SH2 (which was actually the one I played first in the series). It was mind blowing, it felt so fresh and new, but at the same time very familiar and close to SH1, like SH1 from some parallel timeline. It has all the stuff we love SH for... but it in a very different and creative way. And that's a very rare game that actually made me cry. Some media just resonates with your personal experiences in life in a way only games could. SH2 took me years to understand it, I didn't have the required baggage to understand it when I played it, but it hit way way harder now after lots of terrible things happened to me. But Shattered Memories clicked instantly, since I was already had my share of loss, grief and desperation. It's a masterpiece of game, not made for gamers, but for adults. And it was a great fit for Wii.
I felt that this game got unfairly judged as a bad game or one that tried to undo the mystery of silent hill's cult esthetics. This was a very fun game to play through with moments of levity contrasting the dark storyline. Instead of trying to mush the games together into the movie that we got, I would love to see this remade as a miniseries or interactive netflix show using a similar profiling system.