Origins of Fear: Silent Hill Interview

We go straight to the source to get the scoop on this spooky PSP game.

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"We're doing out best to put things in the game that fans will recognize but also put in our unique touches that we think fans will appreciate."

Part of that process is the over-the-shoulder camera system. It helps the game feel more action-oriented without turning it into a shooter. And besides, the look of the game is only the start.

"We have this essence of what we want to achieve with this game, and then we have this character and the story that's enveloped around that, and then the design and art style and combat and gameplay all have to support that," says Oertel. "They have to be consistent."

The story, set a few years before the events in the first game, deals with Travis Grady, a troubled trucker with problems of his own that are entangled with the twisted history of the town. Stranded in the foggy burg, he explores the town trying to find a way out while simultaneously delving into his own damaged psyche.

Though veterans know how things turn out later for Silent Hill, Oertel is adamant that the team is not out to spell out exactly what's happening in Origins. "We want to take advantage of that opportunity to explain some things - not everything," he says.

"You're going to a town that has multiple shifts in reality with people that have their own kind of dementia. How do you put a realistic spin on that? By it's nature it needs to be somewhat vague." Multiple endings will only help to keep players suitably in the dark.

Something that won't have escaped well-versed players is the increasing shift in the series towards a more Western-friendly feel. This isn't accidental.

"You saw some of that shift already with Silent Hill 4: The Room with the change in the perspective and some of the elements to make it a bit more action oriented," says Oertel, who freely admits that while Konami is ostensibly aiming globally, the game is very much aimed at European and American audiences.

Getting it right is important, because Konami is thinking long. Oertel says this is "just the first step in many other things". If it falls flat, the team will dissect the game to ask themselves what went wrong and make sure it doesn't happen again.

"Every new game is a challenge, because you want to keep fans happy and they at least stay interested. At least in my mind that's what I'm thinking all the time," he says.

"I want to keep people interested in Silent Hill. I want them talking about it. I want them wondering. And then when they play it, I want them to feel scared.

"I think we all have moments where we're engrossed in something so deeply that we forget what's going on around us. If we can do that, where somebody is playing this game and they're absolutely lost in it, then we've done the job successfully."

And if that means you miss your stop on the train?

"Job accomplished," Oertel says with a laugh.

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