There's not a lot of games I feel are a big mood, but this is definitely one of them.

Some of the best atmospheric storytelling in any game, and I think the janky voice acting at times really adds to the experience of all of these Silent Hill games, but especially this one. Like with the other Silent Hill games; I feel like I'm really good at making observations, and even still with these games; I find myself still finding out things I never knew about certain details much later on.

As for what makes this ones story so good; it's the fact it uses a lot of aspects of femininity to really display the sheer terror and unease some women face when undergoing puberty, and becoming a woman. Some things it uses as horror devices are things I relate to personally as well. Having been a victim of some of the things Heather faces throughout her journey.

This is absolutely one of those games that is worth going into completely unaware of what you're getting yourself into. You'll get to experience the horror genre at its finest. Thank me later.

Terra meter: 80%

Story/narrative - 4/5
Gameplay - - 4/5
Sound/music - 4/5
General presentation - 4/5
Overall enjoyment - 4/5

I was fortunate enough to have a friend who lent me his copy, and I'm very grateful for that (those prices... ughhh). I want to get that out of the way first, because despite considering this my least favorite of the first three Silent Hills, I did enjoy my time with it. It's certainly the most polished of the three, with the best controls, visuals, and character animations, and the extras you can obtain after beating the game are insane. I can definitely understand if someone considers SH3 to be the best in the series. For me, though, my preference of SH1 and especially SH2 come down to taste. SH3's style of horror is very intense and persistent, far less subtle than the tense quietness of SH1 and the eat-at-your-soul melancholy of SH2. Because of this, I wasn't actually that scared while playing SH3. It wasn't that I never felt on edge, but the consistency of the loud sound design and super-grotesque enemies made me feel numb to its horror after a while. My opinions on this could easily change with a second playthrough, however. Unfortunately, I was not able to finish the game (the disc wouldn't load the last level), but I felt satisfied from the journey all the same. I'm especially appreciative that all three of the first Silent Hill games are unique from each other and go for distinct styles of horror. I'm shocked to say it, but these games have made me want to play MORE horror games. What has this series done to me?

This one was a little disappointing for me. I'd heard a lot of fanfare surrounding this game and how it was supposedly "even better than SH2" and I couldn't disagree more. Yes, I did enjoy it, but I felt like if you hadn't played the previous 2 (yes, I'm aware you have to play the first game to fully understand the story) you'd just feel completely lost on how to approach the game. I played SH2 first, then SH1 and now SH3 and can confidently say it's my least favourite in the series. I couldn't really relate to Heather much as a protag, the music wasn't as good as SH2 and I feel as if comparing this game to SH2 is unfair since SH2 is what it is. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time with SH3, but I don't think I'll be going back to it anytime soon.