Silent Hill: Homecoming

About

"Silent Hill: Homecoming" is the sixth entry in the Silent Hill survival horror series, offering a single-player experience with a good plot, good graphics, and stunning music. The game features combat mechanics, puzzle-solving, and dialogue choices that affect the plot. Despite some optimization issues and bugs, the game provides a unique atmosphere and a wholesome story.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

43%

Audience ScoreBased on 757 reviews

story91 positive mentions

stability91 negative mentions

The game has a creepy atmosphere and unique monster designs that contribute to the Silent Hill experience.
The soundtrack composed by Akira Yamaoka is haunting and adds to the overall mood of the game.
The story, while flawed, has some interesting twists and character development that can engage players.

The PC port is riddled with technical issues, including frequent crashes, long loading times, and poor audio quality.
The combat mechanics are clunky and frustrating, making encounters with enemies feel tedious rather than thrilling.
The game lacks the depth and psychological horror elements that defined earlier entries in the Silent Hill series.

story
220 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
45%
14%
The story of "Silent Hill: Homecoming" receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and atmospheric, while others criticize it as flawed, predictable, and lacking the depth of earlier entries in the franchise. Many appreciate the character development and plot twists, but technical issues and gameplay mechanics detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration. Overall, while the story has its merits, it often feels overshadowed by the game's performance problems and inconsistencies with the series' lore.
- “The story is good, the environments are creepy, and the monsters look really cool.”
- “A lot of the classic Silent Hill charm shines through the swamp of buggy code--the soundtrack is amazing, as ever, and the story itself is captivating.”
- “The story is great.”
- “20 or so minutes in, and it had no story to follow.”
- “Unfortunately, it is the only Silent Hill game available on Steam right now, and this game did not come out under the roof of Team Silent, so the story is rubbish; the horror is rubbish to the bottom, it consists only of jump scares.”
- “The story is terrible; it makes no sense.”
gameplay
108 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
68%
16%
The gameplay of this title has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its clunky mechanics, frustrating combat, and frequent crashes. While some appreciate the fluidity of certain fighting mechanics and the atmosphere, others find the dodging system ineffective and the save points poorly placed, leading to a punishing experience. Overall, the game struggles with technical issues and inconsistent gameplay quality, detracting from its potential enjoyment.
- “The story is a little weak, but the actual fighting mechanics (especially melee) are pretty fluid, the voice acting is great, and the creature and boss designs are pretty darn cool.”
- “The gameplay is mostly fun and the story is better than it gets credit for, would recommend it for all of that.”
- “I enjoyed the game despite its many flaws in gameplay.”
- “I died way too many times to one boss because the combat mechanics were so bad and you had to perfectly dodge, punish combo, and block in order to beat it.”
- “The gameplay is clunky, the audio is stuttering, has uneven volume and randomly cutting out, sometimes only playing on one side of the headphones/speakers.”
- “The dodge mechanic is useless, and does nothing to save you from being struck by an enemy about 75-80% of the time.”
stability
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
2%
96%
The game is plagued by severe stability issues, including frequent crashes, long loading times, and persistent freezes, particularly during saving and transitioning between areas. Many players report that these bugs significantly detract from the overall experience, making it frustratingly difficult to progress. While some enjoy the game's story and atmosphere, the overwhelming consensus is that its technical problems render it nearly unplayable for most users.
- “No glitches at all.”
- “Well, it is hard to get it set up on Windows 7 x64, but once you get the bugs worked out and do a few tweaks in your graphic profiles, the game runs great.”
- “This is easily the most buggy game I have on Steam.”
- “Unfortunately, constant stuttering, freezes, and crashes render it extremely difficult to play.”
- “Worst of all, the game has a tendency to crash and at a minimum freezes for sometimes 30 seconds at a time, making it one of the least stable games in my collection.”
graphics
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
51%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the unique filmic quality and decent visuals for its time, while others criticize the poor character models, muddy textures, and numerous graphical bugs. Many players note that the game suffers from optimization issues, leading to crashes and low frame rates, particularly on more powerful hardware. Overall, while the atmosphere and monster designs are appreciated, the technical execution leaves much to be desired, making it feel like a subpar port of an older title.
- “They also upgraded the franchise's graphics to another level, bringing a unique filmic quality to Homecoming that some previous entries may lack.”
- “The graphics are pretty good for 2008.”
- “The best part of this game is unlike other Silent Hill games, the graphics are nice.”
- “The graphics of the game are terrible, particularly the facial models. Silent Hill 3 had much better facial models, and that game was released 5 years before this one and on the PS2.”
- “The port job is terrible; it takes fan patches to even approach running decently. The graphics aren't impressive even for the time; textures are muddy, character animations are stiff, and the combat is lacking.”
- “Unplayable... for a game from 2008, the graphics are pretty terrible anyway, but they lag and jerk at about 5-10 fps on a 980ti. Don't waste your money!”
music
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
44%
5%
The music in the game, primarily composed by Akira Yamaoka, is widely praised for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, effectively capturing the essence of the Silent Hill series. While many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, they also note issues with audio balance and occasional glitches that detract from the overall experience. Despite these technical shortcomings, the music remains a nostalgic and integral part of the game's appeal, contributing significantly to its emotional depth and ambiance.
- “The soundtrack is amazing, as ever, and the story itself is captivating.”
- “The game has a fantastic soundtrack, composed by the legend himself Akira Yamaoka, that really helps to create a distinctly Silent Hill-esque feel and the environments look great.”
- “Traditional Silent Hill feel mixed with next-generation progression, this title is beautifully detailed, the story is heart-wrenching and perfect, the voice acting is excellent, and the soundtrack is haunting and shakes you to your core.”
- “Music weirdly stopping sometimes or playing from one speaker only.”
- “Even the soundtrack feels bland and phoned in.”
- “The audio is sometimes broken, and you can only hear it in mono instead of stereo; on top of that the soundtrack just feels very awkward and out of place during many of the dialog scenes.”
atmosphere
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The atmosphere in the game is generally praised for its immersive and creepy qualities, reminiscent of classic Silent Hill titles, with effective sound design and monster aesthetics contributing to a chilling experience. However, many players note that technical issues, frustrating combat mechanics, and a lack of darkness detract from the overall atmosphere, preventing it from reaching the heights of earlier entries in the series. Despite these criticisms, the game still manages to evoke a sense of suspense and nostalgia for fans of the genre.
- “The atmosphere is nice, I really liked it.”
- “It has a great story and atmosphere even though it is quite dated.”
- “This is a very underrated game, it is everything a Silent Hill game should be, it has an atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat, utterly horrifying monster designs, well-placed jump scares, and an amazing story.”
- “The game simply isn't dark enough, which robs it of the atmosphere and the sense of revealing the unknown with your light.”
- “What little spooky, creepy atmosphere there is is completely ruined by how punishing and frustrating the combat is.”
- “Despite the atmosphere being somewhat present, the oppressive, terrifying feeling from the original games is mostly lacking.”
optimization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
18%
71%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with frequent crashes, stuttering, and poor performance across various platforms, including significant frame drops and audio issues. Many players report that the game is nearly unplayable without downloading patches to address these technical problems. Overall, the optimization is deemed horrific, overshadowing any positive aspects of the gameplay or story.
- “The game's performance for being a game that was made when I was 8 is actually really good and still fun to play.”
- “While the overall story and characters are pretty boring and uninteresting, I'd say the biggest issue with the game is just the performance.”
- “Performance-wise, it is also a nightmare - there are some places where the FPS drops to ~20, and I'm playing this on an i3-2100, GeForce 660 GTX at 720p resolution.”
- “It is poorly optimized, and the game will crash at every loading screen.”
- “Unfortunately, constant stuttering, freezes, and crashes render it extremely difficult to play.”
- “This is a horrific, poorly optimized port.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent and often unintentional, with players finding amusement in its glitches, awkward story elements, and certain character interactions, like Wheeler. While some endings, particularly the UFO ending, are noted for their comedic value, many players feel that the overall experience is marred by technical issues and a lackluster narrative, leading to a mix of frustration and laughter.
- “I honestly didn't mind that this game was more combat oriented and found it really funny considering the story.”
- “A bad port, but if you take the time to install the fan patches, it's a game with decent gameplay and a hilariously bad story.”
- “I went from it's good to it's bad to mehhh... and I got the UFO ending first playthrough which was funny but made the experience even more useless.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, characterized by repetitive combat, frustrating puzzles, and a lack of meaningful progression. The need to backtrack and engage in scavenger hunts detracts from the overall experience, making encounters feel drawn out and monotonous. Many reviewers express disappointment, noting that the game's mechanics and pacing hinder enjoyment, especially for those focused on the story rather than gameplay challenges.
- “But no amount of glitz and atmosphere can make up for the endless tedious combat and random crashes, and certainly not at a nearly twenty pounds purchase price.”
- “What also does not help is the fact that most enemies take way too many hits, making the encounters feel even more tedious and more of a pacebreaker.”
- “Right after the first level of the game, you get into a really tedious part of the game, which pretty much consists of running around way too much in different parts of the town.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight a mixed emotional impact in the game, with some praising the haunting soundtrack and detailed atmosphere that evoke strong feelings, while others feel indifferent to the characters and story. The emotional depth is seen as lacking compared to earlier titles, with some characters failing to resonate deeply due to limited development. Overall, while the music and atmosphere can be powerful, the narrative and character engagement leave some players wanting more.
- “The point being, at this beginning part in the hospital, the atmosphere, the creatures, the music, it all made me feel like I had stepped into that movie.”
- “Traditional Silent Hill feel mixed with next-generation progression, this title is beautifully detailed, the story is heart-wrenching and perfect, the voice acting is excellent, and the soundtrack is haunting and shakes you to your core.”
- “The music is heartfelt and amazing, but the controls are iffy, and some things are still buggy.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Overall, "Silent Hill: Homecoming" offers moderate replayability, primarily due to its multiple endings and unlockable content. While some players appreciate the variety of endings, they feel that the differences do not significantly enhance the experience upon repeated playthroughs. The game is considered enjoyable, but its replay value is rated around 6.5/10.
- “There is some replay value as the game has multiple endings.”
- “Replay value is good if you want to collect all the unlockables.”
- “There are 5 different endings in total, but I wouldn't count them as adding any replayability for what they offer.”
- “In terms of replay value, Silent Hill Homecoming features 4 different endings based on three critical decision events distributed evenly throughout the campaign.”
- “Replay value: 6.5/10”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is criticized as a blatant cash grab, lacking effort and quality, aimed at exploiting fans' nostalgia for beloved characters while capitalizing on the hype of a poorly received movie.
- “It's quite clear, especially looking back, that this was a cash grab with very little effort put into making it a good game.”
- “I thought that decision was both lazy and just an easy cash grab to fans who wanted to see their favorite old characters reimagined.”
- “It's sad when a great franchise is shifted to hang on a poor movie's hype to try and bump up the advertisements.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviews indicate that character development is lacking, with players expressing a lack of attachment to the characters. Some users feel that there has been minimal growth in character arcs, though they acknowledge the need for further gameplay to fully assess this aspect.
- “I don't feel any attachment to the characters; there's very little character development so far, but I still need to play it more.”
- “The characters lack depth and their development feels rushed and superficial.”
- “I was hoping for a more engaging character arc, but the development is disappointingly shallow.”