Interview by: Brian Rowe

Nearly all Silent Hill fans agree that the series peaked with the second installment. Later entries expanded upon the mythos of the town and tampered with new concepts (e.g. the tunnels of The Room and mirrors of Origins), but the tinge of mimicry was always there to remind us that the best days were behind us. Shattered Memories will be a reimagining of the original Silent Hill, starring Harry Mason, but Climax Group is setting aside the fog, the rust, and the labored combat to create a new experience that is already shaping up to be the most unnerving entry to date.

The Psych Profile is at the root of this new approach. It begins with a questionnaire with Harry’s therapist. Do you make friends easily? Do you role-play during sex? From there, it watches every movement, deciphering your intentions behind every action. Unlike the good/evil dichotomies of games like Mass Effect or Fable, the Psych Profile isn’t meant to reward you for pursuing one path of morality. It lurks unseen in the background, maliciously tailoring the people, places, and creatures of Silent Hill to prod at your insecurities.

We recently had the opportunity to probe the mind of Producer, Tomm Hulett, to uncover the secrets behind the Psych Profile and examine the features that will make Shattered Memories unlike any Silent Hill you’ve visited before.

Hi, Tomm. You've been very vocal against the "remake" moniker. As I understand it, Shattered Memories technically takes place after Silent Hill, with players existing in Harry's memories. What drew you back to the original Silent Hill?

Heh, I think you’re making a leap of logic there that isn’t necessarily true. Shattered Memories is a new game with new events, based on the premise of the original Silent Hill. It’s what we call a re-imagining. We did this mainly because it made sense. Moving Silent Hill to the Wii meant a new audience that hadn’t necessarily played any of the SH games before. So it wouldn’t be fair to expect they know six game’s worth of history just to play this one. So going back to the start seemed like a good idea – but longtime fans have already played SH1, SH3, and seen the movie, so that story doesn’t necessarily have legs for them.

By re-imagining the game, we have something new for newcomers – but also something new that is specifically aimed at returning fans. Silent Hill is all about twisting reality, and those returning fans have a certain reality they expect. So we twist it.

The Psych Profile is a focal point of fan/media interest, but a mystery in equal parts. Are the changes it enacts mainly aesthetic, or do the changes affect the flow and experiences of the game?

The psych profile is woven into all aspects of the game. It determines everything.