Session start: 1:16 a.m.
Session end: 5:42 a.m.
Holy shit! Now, this ain't a genuine gripe at all, but I hate the enemies that can kill you instantly by bumping into them. It's just so damn stressful! Hahaha.
Currently, I'm at like, the 5th chase sequence with that ol' Sakura-Stalker, and jeez, what a trip it's been... I found myself screaming like 2014 Pewdiepie Markiplier on the FNaF with my toes curled up tight like millipedes!
So where I'm at, I gotta get all these things to unlock a chained-up door; I had to pause for breathers with every lock unshackled.
I finally found everything I needed, meaning that now, I just needed to get to the door. But before I could do that... the GODDAMNED MONSTER GOT ME!!! What a total kick in the metaphorical nuts.
I gave it one more shot before I called it quits for the night (morning), but Cherry-Chaser got me pretty much right off the bat.
It's no big surprise that veterans of the series, Masahiro Ito and Akira Yamaoka, teamed up once again for this title.
With past Silent Hill games (mainly 1–3), I can more easily just pop them in to play and chill out. That's not the case for Silent Hill: The short Message though. Of course I'm way more familiar with the earlier Silent Hills—making me more able to calmly play them—but there's something that really fucks with me in knowing I can't face this new nightmare from Ito's design, with Yamaoka's sound.
Overall, it's been a bit on-the-nose in places so far, but not to a large degree.
While the insult-addled Post-its are obvious, seeing them coating furniture and interiors from head to toe makes for solid visual metaphor for how a mundane living space can be tainted with abuse and harmful memories.
One thing I don't gel so well with is the whole speaking-aloud thing. I find the subtitle method of communicating a character's thoughts (present in SH1–4) way more intuitive; when I read something, I'm practically thinking it in my own head anyway—so that aligns me closer with the character thinking—you get me?
It's very nice the actors are getting fatter cheques for using those trusty traps of theirs, but does it make for a more immersive experience?
Another inclusion I don't dig so far is the whole "Silent Hill Phenomenon" thing. I'm cool with the supernatural powers branching out from the town like shown in SH3 and SH4, but this is just a bit too contrived for my liking. It rubs me as trying to take away and appropriate things from the town—and I can't say I get behind that.
Side note: it's also weird to see COVID-19 and totally unambiguous timeframes just dropped like that in a Silent Hill game—not necessarily bad, just different!
I still remember when I first saw the leaks—that concept art of the Cherry Blossom by Ito. It makes me so happy that that monster is as bitchin' in the game as it looked in concept.
Overoverall, I'm enjoying it so far and look forward to getting to the controller again! >:3 (Even if it makes my nerves fire up...)
15.52 HOURS LATER...
Session start: 9:13 p.m.
Session end: 10:24 p.m.
As I'm writing this, the date is 2/5/24. I'm back here because I realized I completely forgot about logging my second session with this game! Session... Haha I make it sound like I'm its shrink or something. Anyways, I'm here now to report that I bumbled, fumbled, and stumbled my way into conquering that intense final chase sequence!
I'll prob write a some of my gripes in an actual review—especially since hindsight's got me with a more stable stance on the game as a whole.
I don't know when I'll write said review (if ever). Could be soon, could be later... I just know things have been feeling shifty lately. Like something's changed in my habitat, but everything is identical... Whatever though, I'm getting sidetracked, haha.
Thank you for reading! I love you oh so parasocially for this!
