It might seem strange to jump straight onto a game's story but survival horror – with its contrived game mechanics – has always been a genre where narrative counts. Despite its best efforts though, Homecoming can't deliver, and what starts off well ultimately descends into confusion and predictability –eventually, the only real reason left to follow the story is the nagging hope that it can't possibly be as stupid as it thinks you are. It's disappointing for a series that set the precedent for narrative delivery across the medium, albeit one that's failed to live up to its own standards over the years. Charged, presumably, with the impossible task of juggling the franchise's persistently impenetrable cult mythology alongside the more intimate psychological horrors of series darling Silent Hill 2, it's hard not to feel sorry for developer Double Helix.
Unfortunately, Homecoming misses the mark on other occasions too and, while Double Helix has does a respectable job of bringing the aging franchise roughly in line with modern day expectations, the end result is a competent, if hollow, facsimile of its predecessors that fails to capture the series' melancholy soul. Homecoming's successes lie in the careful aping of Silent Hill's conventions and, in terms of sheer iconography, there's little to match the series with its fog-shrouded streets, industrial Otherworld and the constant oppressive drone of Akira Yamaoka's unmistakable score. Certainly, Homecoming ticks its checklist with gusto but it's nostalgia rather than innovation that is likely to keep long-time fans engaged.
Admittedly, tweaks to combat, control and camera make for a far less torturous affair compared to previous Silent Hill offerings – and there's no arguing that a kick up the arse for the series was long-overdue. Combat-wise, Homecoming eschews Silent Hill: Origins' fussy obsession with melee combat, focussing on a limited number of – upgradable - melee weapons and firearms, all with unique attributes that come into play when certain obstacles or particular enemies appear. In truth, Homecoming's implementation of hand-to-hand combat, first-person shooting and dodging is still awkward and unrefined though, made all the more apparent by the game's incredibly aggressive enemy AI. Too often Shepherd's abilities simply can't contend with the feral attacks of your opponents and the best course of action is to leg it away. Six franchise entries where a well-timed pout is as good as any amount of prescribed ineffectual flailing and you start to wonder if combat is really necessary at all…
Indeed, for all its tweaks and attempted improvements, Homecoming is a little too faithful to the classic Silent Hill template at times. Particularly hellish is its thoroughly skewed resource allocation which is utterly miserly for fifty-percent of the game before delivering a near-persistent hail of health packs and ammunition toward the end. It's all too easy to back yourself into a very awkward corner around Homecoming's saggy midpoint and it's likely to result in a huge number of players tossing the disc away rather than diligently loading old saves and replaying earlier portions with an eye on ammo frugality. Next there are Silent Hill's traditionally cumbersome inventory and interface quirks, replicated with remarkable dedication despite the overhauled menu system. Let's not even mention checkpoints placed at precisely the wrong side of uninterruptable cut-scenes.
It's this lack of conviction that really blights Homecoming. In some respects, it's a creaky throwback that just doesn't have the polish and refinement likely to appeal to modern gamers. On the other hand, Homecoming's formula refreshers only serve to undermine the cloying, insidious horror of the series at its most fundamental level. The further the game progresses, the more it strays away from its core - you'll overlook the questionable escort missions and quick-time events initially but, by the time you're shot-gunning human adversaries in the face in first-person mode, it's hard not to question who the game is really for. It's an odd little curio in its own little purgatory – but at least this is entirely the right franchise for that sort of thing.
It's not all doom and gloom though, at least not the unintended kind. Double Helix has managed to raise the bar in a number of areas. Puzzles, for instance, are particularly well-integrated into the game – they're logical, reasonable (Silent Hill 3's hard setting says hello here) and carefully delivered in ways that either progress or embellish Homecoming's core themes. This is best illustrated in what's probably the game's highlight – a meticulously-paced sequence of visits to the Shepherd family home, gradually revealing the terrible truth behind Alex's predicament as it opens up for exploration. It culminates in an elaborate brain-mash of interconnected puzzles that really shows what Double Helix is capable of when its steps out of its comfort zone.
Then, of course, there's the overall presentation. For the most part, Homecoming delivers a majestic audio-visual performance. Environments, in particular, demonstrate excellent creative direction and Silent Hill's first current-gen outing is strong, from rich detail in the series' iconic fog-shrouded filth and industrialised Otherworld to superb use of light and shadow. Inexpressive character models and regurgitated monster design that favours the repugnant over the meaningful let the side down, but it's still an impressive looking game. Unsurprisingly, with long-term series composer Akira Yamaoka back on board, Silent Hill's haunting score and thoroughly oppressive soundscapes are as powerful as ever, making a significant contribution to the game's unique atmosphere. What's more, while voice work for secondary characters is generally unconvincing, Alex trumps most of his series' predecessor with likable conviction, rather than catatonic inflection.