ROGER MATTHEWS
cinematic technical artist
Silent Hill: Pentimento (WIP)
Overview
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories inspired reimagining of the Silent Hill Historical Society.
Player Objective
Discover the hidden past of the Historical Society, and escape.
Mechanics
1. Manipulate artwork to solve puzzles.
2. Run/hide from 'Curator' boss.
Theme
Pentimento: "The presence or emergence of earlier images, forms, or strokes that have been changed and painted over.”
Made in Unreal Engine.
Research
Inspired by announcement of "Project Doors", a spiritual successor to Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
Shattered Memories reimagined Silent Hill 1 locations in new/unfamiliar settings, so I thought it would be interesting to see a modern day reimagining of a location from Silent Hill 2.
I chose Silent Hill 2 since it shares Shattered Memories' focus on psychological horror - a strong emphasis on narrative and atmosphere, with minimal (to nonexistant) combat.
In order to introduce new, but connected ideas, I also revisited David Lynch's film Lost Highway, and drew connections between the film's psychological horror elements and the Silent Hill 2 series at large.
Connecting ideas between games
I noticed Shattered Memories and Silent Hill 2 both used vertical "doors" (long vertical tunnels/passageways that leads player to surreal new areas).
Seemed inspired by Alice in Wonderland's concept of "Down the rabbit hole".
Revisiting Silent Hill 2 Historical Society
The Silent Hill Historical Society section in Silent Hill 2 made the most use of vertical doors, so I decided to reimagine that section.
I studied how it starts off with a small unassuming building with art on display, but the discovery of one mysterious hole leads the player down a mentioned "rabbit hole" that takes them to unexpected new locations.
Challenge: Scoping the Level
The full Historical Society section is very long. Getting from the entrance to the destination, the "Boat launch", takes multiple hours, so I replayed the full section to pick a smaller element to focus on.
Focusing the Level
I focused on a puzzle that involved rotating a cube.
Rotating the cube would change the level's structure and allow you to progress forward. This seemed like a good open ended framework to start with.
Interactable Art Puzzles
I imagined a modern day version of the cube puzzle by referencing the "Alamo" cube sculpture in New York.
This sculpture led to a general idea of art that could be manipulated through puzzles, which served as the jumping off point for designing my level.
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Level Plan
Overall Concept
The Silent Hill Historical Society, decades after it is seen in Silent Hill 2, is remade into a much larger structure by a new owner, The Curator, as an attempt to hide its past and draw in unsuspecting newcomers to the town of Silent Hill.
Pentimento (Hidden paintings)
Players can discover paintings from the original Historical Society level by shining a special light on certain paintings.
Glass Floors (Vertical Doors)
I found walkable glass floor references that could be shattered in order for the player to progress - similar to how the ice shatters under Harry's feet in Shattered Memories.
The Curator
For The Curator's design, I referenced the Mystery Man from Lost Highway.
In the film, the Mystery Man uses a video camera to reveal traumatic memories the protagonist is repressing.
His role is very similar to Pyramid Head in Silent Hill 2, where Pyramid Head forces James to confront his repressed memories.
Basic 2D Layout + Level Flow
1st Floor (Entrance):
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1. Start outside in a forest. Your character's car just crashed and you're disoriented.
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2. Find a path in the forest that leads inside the main Historical Society entrance.
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3. Explore the art in the galleries.
Shift to "Otherworld" and Discovery of the Past
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1. Interact with a cube sculpture to trigger the level to shift to its "Otherworld" (darker/more sinister) version.
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- A second cube sculpture rises from the floor.
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- A new light source appears.
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2. Reveal original versions of Historical Society paintings by shining the new light source on paintings.
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3. Once all paintings are discovered, a hidden entrance is revealed that takes the player inside the original Historical Society rooms seen in Silent Hill 2. This triggers The Curator to appear.
Chase with The Curator
1. Run and hide from The Curator.
2. Escape by shattering the glass floor beneath you, which takes you to the basement level below, which provides an exit out of the Historical Society.
Scripting/Implementation
Part 1: The Curator Encounter
Started with a simplified blockout focusing on scripting the ending Curator encounter. This included creating:
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A third person character with a follow camera that matched the basic feel of Harry in Shattered Memories.
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The Curator's AI behavior, including a red light that shines from the camera and hurts the player.
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TV screens that display the POV of The Curator's video camera held in his hand.
Part 2: Cube and Light Puzzles
Next focused on blocking out the Historical Society main entrance area, and focusing on the mechanics of the puzzles, which included creating:
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A rotating cube sculpture that would impact the level.
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A controllable light that can be controlled by the cube puzzle to reveal older versions of paintings.
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A short cutscene displaying the level changing and shifting into its "Otherworld" version.
Going Forward
I gathered feedback on the two segments created above.
Most common feedback was interest in expanding on the idea of using light to solve puzzles.
I am taking that feedback to experiment with additional mechanics including:
Shining light on The Curator in order to stun him.
Setting up barriers to block lights.
Once the mechanics are refined, I will create a full blockout combining all segments for playtesting.