Silent Hill: Book of Memories

Silent Hill: Book of Memories is a Silent Hill role-playing spin-off game exclusively for the Sony PlayStation Vita, developed by American game developer WayForward Technologies and published by Konami.

The primary focus of the gameplay is on dungeon-crawling and cooperative multiplayer action, rather than the survival horror elements that the series is known for.

Plot

 * Note: Silent Hill: Book of Memories is set in the year 2010.



The protagonist receives a strange book on their birthday from an unknown sender from Silent Hill, Maine. Howard Blackwood, the local mailman, assures the player that the book was meant for them before he departs. The protagonist opens the book and finds that all of their memories are written in it, including all of their experiences and their entire life story. Curious, the protagonist decides to change some memories before falling asleep.



In their nightmare, they find themselves in an Otherworld-like dungeon. After traversing the dungeon they locate Howard Blackwood, who appears to be running a general store within the dungeon. Howard introduces the protagonist to a substance known as "Memory Residue" and explains that in order to change the protagonist's past, the substance must first be collected. After the protagonist finishes exploring the dungeon, they awaken the next morning back in reality. However, after falling asleep the following night, the protagonist finds themselves back in the dungeon. When they awaken on the third day, the protagonist realizes that what they wrote and altered in the book has become reality. With this new power, the protagonist continues to rewrite recent past events at their discretion while each night they encounter a new zone within a particular dungeon.

In-game clues and notes suggest that the Book of Memories was created by the Order with the purpose of bringing their God's will to Earth via its writings. An alchemical journal page details three elements considered to be the base of all things. "Light: borne by the Heavens; Blood: borne by this world; and Steel: borne by mankind, and the most powerful". The rest (Fire, Water, Earth and Wood) are considered lesser elements.

Depending on the protagonist's Karma Meter, the characters affected by the Book's powers will meet different fates when the protagonist changes the past.

The dungeons and their respective characters are as follows:


 * Fire Dungeon (Derek Copeland) - Derek is one of the protagonist's co-workers who has recently beat them out of a job promotion. After the player rewrites their past, they receive the promotion instead, while Derek is suspected of stealing money from the company and either hastily quits or is transferred to another store.


 * Wood Dungeon (Katie Collins/Matthew Collins) - The protagonist has a chance encounter with an old high school crush. The protagonist rewrites their past so that their crush, Katie or Matthew (depending on the protagonist's gender), breaks off their current relationship with Trent or Ashley respectively, and instead asks the player character to go out with them.


 * Light Dungeon (Graham Reynolds) - Graham Reynolds, a police officer and family friend of the protagonist, appears to have been sitting in his patrol car outside the player's parents' house while they've been house-sitting it with their sister. This makes the protagonist nervous, so in order to throw Reynolds off their trail, the protagonist rewrites the past. It is revealed via notes that Graham and his wife Lorelai Reynolds have had a shaky relationship recently, and he has been having an affair. The protagonist's intervention either results in Graham's wife filing for a divorce and taking their kids with her, or the two reconciling after Graham solves a major case. In both scenarios, the protagonist concludes that Reynolds won't have enough time to worry about them or their Book.


 * Water Dungeon (Trent Baker/Ashley Baker) - Trent/Ashley (the spurned lover) begins harassing the protagonist out of jealousy and desperation. The protagonist decides to take care of the problem by writing in their Book. At one point, it is revealed that Trent/Ashley was in possession of their own Book prior to the protagonist receiving their Book of Memories, but it was stolen in a mugging. After defeating the Water Guardian, Trent/Ashley stops calling the protagonist either because they suffer an accident that renders them amnesic, or because they find a new love interest.


 * Earth Dungeon (Jack Merrick) - The protagonist is attacked by a man who claims to have his own Book of Memories. The man, Merrick, threatens the protagonist, informing them that he knows where they live and work, and that he intends to take their Book. It appears that the man is a convicted felon who had been arrested by Officer Reynolds in the past for attempted murder, among other charges. It also appears that Merrick had used his Book to aid him in his various crimes and to evade the police. At the end of the dungeon, due to the player's intervention, Merrick is either severely beaten by law enforcement to the point of permanent brain-damage, or he is arrested and his Book is placed in an evidence locker.


 * Blood Dungeon (Shannon) - The protagonist's teenage sister, Shannon, has been distant to the protagonist as of late, which causes them to worry. Shannon has been suffering from depression for an extended period of time, and it is revealed that Shannon was the woman that Graham is/was having an affair with. In the Blood scenario, Shannon continues her relationship with Graham, gets drunk at a party, is seriously injured in a car crash (injuries in her ribs, left arm and cranium), and sends the protagonist a goodbye letter before attempting suicide. In the Light scenario, she sends the protagonist a letter thanking them for always being there for her, and letting them know that she is optimistic about her future.




 * Steel Dungeon (protagonist) - The protagonist realizes that each specific action in the nightmare-worlds have had a direct effect on the past. They also realize that the Guardians they have been fighting represent the other characters' wills and desires, and that by defeating them, they have been asserting their own will over the others. From this it is concluded that when one individual benefits from the Book's powers, another must be adversely affected in order to restore karmic balance. Regretting their interference in the others' lives, the protagonist decides they must find their own Guardian before someone else does, and in doing so, find a way to undo the damage they've caused. In their trek through the dungeon, the protagonist finds the rewrites they've made to their Book: "I wish I'd gotten that promotion," "I wish Katie/Matthew and I were dating," "Officer Reynolds needs a distraction to keep him off my trail," "Trent/Ashley should just forget about Katie/Matthew," "Whoever that guy is, he can't EVER use his Book." The protagonist eventually confronts their Guardian at the end of the dungeon and expresses their intent to destroy it. The Steel Guardian informs the protagonist that they are the same being and that the Book simply gave the monster its physical form, therefore, it can never be destroyed. The two engage in battle and the protagonist subdues the monster, then awakens back in reality.

Endings
In each zone you collect multiple notes - each set of zones (Fire, Wood, etc.) has ten of them: one introductory note, three challenge notes, five karma notes (Blood/Light) and one final note, which you get after defeating the zone's guardian. Karma notes are affected by whether you complete the challenges for the zone or not. If you fulfill the requirements of a certain challenge certain karma notes will become Light, if not - they will be of Blood alignment. After you collected all the notes in the zones, there is no need to recollect them again to change their alignment. Simply finish that zones and do or do not complete the challenges for that set of zones.

The alignment of the final note of the zone depends on which karma notes you have more prior to the battle with the zone's guardian. For example, in the zone you have collected five karma notes, three of which are Blood and two are Light, meaning that you'll get a Blood final note after the battle with the zone's guardian.

You complete the storyline and get your ending after the battle with the Steel Guardian in Zone 21. There are six zones with six final notes prior to that: Fire, Wood, Light, Water, Earth and Blood. The ending you get depends on the ratio of the final notes (Blood/Light) you have before entering the final battle and thus how you get 5 normal endings of the game.


 * Pure Light ending (5 or 6 Light final notes before the final battle): "I use the Book to help others." The protagonist decides to stop using their Book for selfish reasons and instead use it to help others, thus controlling the Book's impact by assimilating others' misfortune in order to restore karmic balance. This decision ultimately leaves the protagonist weakened and very ill, lying in a hospital bed. At some point during their stay in the hospital, they overhear a woman speaking with a doctor about about how her daughter's life-threatening condition is quickly worsening. The doctor regretfully informs her that there is not much else they can do for her daughter. The protagonist then makes changes to the Book in order to save the girl's life, but at the same time, this causes the protagonist to wheeze, indicating that their own condition is simultaneously worsening. The heart monitor gives a long beep, implying the protagonist dies.


 * Light ending (4 Light final notes before the final battle): "I'll make sure the Book never falls into the wrong hands." After the protagonist decides that they are done trying to change things, they lock the Book away so that no one else can be affected by its powers. They then turn on the television, and flip through the channels, each station broadcasting a different disaster or tragedy occurring somewhere in the world or in a movie. The protagonist then walks over to the drawer where they placed the Book in and unlocks it. They hesitantly repeat to themselves, "I don't need to change anything...," while staring at the Book.


 * Neutral ending (3 Blood and 3 Light final notes before the final battle): "I have to make everything perfect." The protagonist muses about how, though difficult at first, they eventually began to notice a pattern in how the Book's powers work, and have since slowly taken advantage of it to positively affect the outside world. It seems that the protagonist has become obsessed with making everything "perfect." They achieve this through making small adjustments to the world, while balancing the Book's karma in order to create a perfect world. The protagonist spouts, "I'm so close. Just a few more lines [and] the whole world will be perfect, ordered, and happy." It is then revealed that the protagonist has actually suffered a mental breakdown and has been hallucinating the whole scenario, while being held within a psychiatric facility.


 * Blood ending (4 Blood final notes before the final battle): "I'm going to destroy this thing." The protagonist decides that after all the harm the Book has caused, it must be destroyed, as simply throwing it away could allow for it to be discovered. The protagonist attempts to rip out the pages without success. They then try destroying the binding with an axe, but the book endures the bludgeoning. Finally, the protagonist attempts to burn the Book, which successfully destroys it. As they watch the Book smolder, the protagonist states their relief in finally being freed from the Book's influence, unaware that the Book has actually re-materialized behind them.


 * Pure Blood ending (5 or 6 Blood final notes before the final battle): "I have the only Book." The protagonist decides to keep and continue using the Book to fulfill their own selfish desires, such as using it to win the lottery, become a rock star, and travel the world: rock climbing in Australia, base jumping in New Zealand, cliff diving in Mexico. The protagonist cheats on Katie/Matthew and are found out and dumped, however, the protagonist rewrites the past so they get married with Katie/Matthew. Eventually, the protagonist finds their wife or husband writing in the Book, claiming that they need a change; a simpler life. This leads the protagonist to conclude that that they can no longer trust anyone, and in response, "writes" their spouse out of the Book. Paranoid, the protagonist hires a private army to defend their home against any potential intruders who might want to steal the Book. The protagonist lives in isolation for some time, until the writing on the pages mysteriously begins to vanish, which infuriates and confuses the protagonist.




 * Joke ending (Before defeating the Steel Guardian, equip 3 artifacts with no actual effects: Dog Tag [Valtiel's reward in Zone 19], White Feather [can be bought in the shop], and Channeling Stone [can be bought in the shop in the Zones after 21]): The joke ending is illustrated in a comic book-style format. A group of tourists, Matt (rocker male), Derek (bookworm male), Trevor (jock male), Kayce (rocker female), Katie (preppy female), and Becca (bookworm female) decide to meet up and spend their spring break vacation in Silent Hill. In the meantime, they bump into characters from previous installments, such as Harry Mason, who asks them if they have seen a girl (his daughter). Heather Mason appears to be working as the front desk clerk at Jacks Inn where the characters stay, and sarcastically mutters "Tourists" under her breath as they leave. She is then told that the guest in Room 302 accidentally locked himself in his room again, causing her to slump her head down on the desk in frustration. While in the motel, the creepy bellhop, Walter Sullivan, asks the tourists if they are interested in room service, but they refuse. The women decide to head to Toluca Lake, on the way running into James Sunderland and Mary Shepherd-Sunderland, who accidentally get sneezed on by Becca, causing James to become concerned for his wife's health. At the lake, Mira can be seen playing in the sand, and Alex Shepherd appears to be supervising his brother, Joshua, while he swims. There, Katie asks Kayce about her recent nightmares. The boys decide to explore the town, when they spot Lisa Garland passing by, and Matt, who is dating Katie, comments on her cardigan. Cybil Bennett appears and arrests Trevor for "resisting decency and intent to seduce", and he meets Murphy Pendleton in the back of the squad car. Travis Grady appears on the side of the street with a sign, asking for gas money.

Character customization


At the start of the game, the player must select a charm, which conveys a permanent gameplay advantage.

The game renders to players a template for their own character which they can customize to a limited degree. The first aspect of character creation is the class system of which there are five to choose from: jock, bookworm, rocker, goth and preppy. Each class provides a slight bonus to certain artifact slot stats. For example, the Jock has +10 to Strength and Dexterity, while the Goth has +10 in Vitality and Intelligence.

The player can choose their character's gender, face, hairstyle, hair color, outfit, skin tone and accessories. Accessories are purchased from Howard's Shop and range from traditional fare such as glasses to fan-service items such as Robbie masks, Princess Heart earmuffs and a Pyramid Head helmet.

If the player is unsatisfied with their character, they can re-customize using an Identity Stone.



Players can also equip "artifacts", which are trinkets/talismans that boost RPG-esque stats, such as strength or endurance. There are 64 artifacts in total. These items are modeled around objects that have appeared in previous titles, such as the Channeling Stone from Silent Hill. It is important the player places artifacts in their correct slot; for example, the Jeweled Coronet of Conquest gives +5 INT, but when put in the INT slot, it gives an augmented +6 INT.

Stats include:


 * STR (affects attack damage and Power Move accumulation)
 * DEX (affects likelihood of breaking a creature's shield with a melee weapon, likelihood of a critical melee strike, and top running speed. It also decreases damage taken while blocking and the likelihood of missing when using a melee weapon)
 * VIT (greater resistance to melee creature attacks, greater refill from health packs, and the likelihood of a creature missing the player when using melee attacks
 * AGI (increases the likelihood of breaking a creature's shield with a projectile weapon, the likelihood of a critical projectile strike, dodge distance, and decreases the likelihood of taking damage while dodging and the likelihood of missing when using a projectile weapon)
 * MND (increases resistance to non-melee creature attacks, the duration of Karma Abilities and the likelihood of a creature missing the player when non-melee attacks)
 * INT (increases the likelihood of breaking a creature's shield with a wildcard weapon, the likelihood of a critical wildcard strike, awareness of traps, and decreases the likelihood of missing when using a wildcard weapon)

The player can level up using EXP obtained from defeating monsters. In the base game, the level cap is 50, and in the Expansion Pack, the level cap is 70. When the player levels up, they can increase any two stats of their choice.

Zones


The game is puzzle-based, taking place in isometric auto-generated zones, where the player(s) must complete challenges (essentially single-room enemy gauntlets) in order to collect puzzle pieces which are used in conjunction with clues to solve a puzzle located at the end of each zone. Many doors in zones are locked and require keys found throughout the zone to unlock them. Once the player has navigated through three zones, they are then faced with a Guardian boss battle. After Zone 21, the zones become randomized and there are approximately 500 zones in total.



There are also various sidequests made available to the player, such as completing zone-wide missions, locating notes and TV broadcasts, hunting down particular creatures, and collecting Memory Residue. Valtiel serves the role of quest-giver and rewards the player upon the completion of a quest with a rare weapon or artifact. All of the quests, puzzles, and dungeons are randomised.

Each zone has a library with a save point, as well as Howard's Shop to purchase items.

Every player also has a backpack in the bottom-right corner which has upgradable slots. The backpack stores health kits, tool kits to restore weapon durability, weapons, and ammo.

Weapons, combat and Karma Meter
While progressing through zones, the player can find and equip a maximum of any two weapons. All weapons have a durability level (listed by an icon which changes from green to red) and/or ammo count depending on whether the weapon is ranged or melee. Durability can be restored using tool kits. Some of the weapons available to the player are from previous titles, including the Hyper Spray, Great Knife and the Sword of Obedience.

There is a large focus on combat in Book of Memories. If the player attacks again at the exact moment their previous strike lands, they can combo. After 5 combos, the player can press the X button to perform an execution and a receive large Karma.

The player can harness special powers called Karma Abilities which can assist the player in combat. Karma Abilities require usage of the Vita's rear touch pad.

Monsters are separated into three categories: "Blood", "Light" and "Steel". Killing enemies that belong to either the Blood or Light affinity will spill pools of their opposing element. The messier the kill, the more that is spilled. These pools are then collected and measured in conjunction with a new gameplay element known as the "Karma Meter" in the top right.

This meter controls what powers are unlocked and usable at a given time. If the player is more inclined towards Blood (killing Light creatures), they will unlock destructive abilities (Typical DPS) while Light (killing Blood creatures) unlocks recovery powers focused on healing and protection. The Steel category is composed of creatures with more power than the other two categories and that do not affect the Karma Meter when killed.

There are also six Power Moves, when can be purchased in Howard's Shop. Power Move Gems are blue stones under the health bar, allowing the player to perform a super move. Hold R and:


 * Weapon Breaker - △ button - This move performs a final, dramatic blow with the currently-held weapons, impaling the creature standing in front of the character.
 * Charge Tackle - ◯ button - This move causes the character to charge forward, barreling through any creatures in the way.
 * Karma Flip - X button - This move converts all Blood creatures to Light and Light creatures to Blood.
 * Push Force - UP button - This move knocks away any creatures immediately adjacent to the character.
 * Health Siphon - LEFT button - This move transfers HP from your character to another character. This move can also be used on dying characters to revive them.
 * Flash Burst - DOWN button - This move creates a blast of light from the character's flashlight, temporarily blinding and freezing all creatures in the room.
 * 360 Attack - rotate left stick - This move swings the current weapon in a circular arc around the character.

Multiplayer
The game features multiplayer for up to 4 players. Co-op is not drop in/out, but hosted sessions only. If these sessions end, players are free to continue their experience in single player mode from where they left off.

Players can communicate with each other using pre-recorded classic specific shout-outs (hold L and up on the d-pad) or by using the built-in voice chat.

Expansion Pack
On March 18th, 2013, a 339mb downloadable content patch was released that contained multiple new content. To install it, the player must tap the yellow circle icon on the game's menu screen.


 * The player receives 5 Identity Stones.
 * Maximum level cap increased from 50 to 70.
 * Removes death penalty for dying in a zone (maintains character progress).
 * Poison traps no longer able to one-hit kill a player and inflicts damage for a shorter period of time.
 * General enemy stat balancing.

2 Forsaken Rooms
 * Hospice
 * Family Portraits

4 Trophies
 * Optimist: Turn all 40 Change Notes to Light at the same time
 * Pessimist: Turn all 40 Change Notes to Blood at the same time
 * Deity: Level up to LVL 70
 * Annotator: Complete the DLC (red) portions of all checklists

15 Notes
 * Notes 100-115 are about the Order and the main canon incarnation of Michelle Valdez

5 Character classes
 * Type F: Cosplay
 * Type G: Hip-Hop
 * Type H: Raver
 * Type I: Vintage
 * Classic: James Sunderland (male) and Heather Mason (female)

2 Monsters
 * Raw Shock
 * Grey Child

15 Accessories

Head:


 * Blue Robbie Mask
 * Box Head Mask
 * Creature Head (Bubble Head Nurse mask)
 * Jack-o-Lantern Mask
 * Mira Head
 * Newsboy Cap

Face:


 * 3D Shades
 * Bloody Knife
 * Cyber Mask
 * Heart Sunglasses
 * Joke Sunglasses
 * Cool Shades
 * Square Glasses
 * Thick Glasses
 * Headphones

11 Weapons
 * Beam Saber
 * Chainsaw
 * Crossbow
 * Grenade
 * Great Spear
 * A. Y. Guitar
 * Pillow
 * Princess Heart
 * Torch
 * Television
 * TV Remote

5 Missions (Zones 22+)
 * Light and darkness: Kill all the enemies in each of the three Mission Rooms.
 * Recovery (Resilient): Kill the enemy leader in each of the three Mission Rooms.
 * Destroyed weapons: Look for the three relics that are hidden in the drawer.
 * Hidden crisis: Defeat all the enemies.
 * Fire and flame: Defeat all the enemies in three Mission Rooms.

14 Artifacts

Music


The Silent Hill: Book of Memories Original Soundtrack was composed by Daniel Licht, and is the original music score of Silent Hill: Book of Memories. The soundtrack was released on April 17th, 2012, by Milan Records.

The menu song "Now We're Free" and the credits song "Love Psalm" are sung by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, with "Love Psalm" featuring Akira Yamaoka on guitar and Troy Baker as backup vocals.

Reception
The game has received mixed reviews on Metacritic. The game currently holds 58 out of 100 based on critic reviews. 

Hardcore Gamer Mag gave it an 80/100, saying: "While survival horror purists may balk at the concept, anyone a fan of top-down action/RPGs, deep gameplay and a interesting story will find not only the most addicting multiplayer Vita game to date, but the best Silent Hill in recent memory." Greg Miller of IGN gave the game a score of 6.0 and said: "Flawed, but fun", he added: "Silent Hill: Book of Memories isn't a good game, but it's one I keep coming back and playing. While we were tantalized with the Diablo-like gameplay of Warrior's Lair (a crossplay dungeon crawler) before the PlayStation Vita launched, the game formerly known as Ruin hasn't been seen or heard from in months. Development hell, they call it. Now, Silent Hill is here to fill that void, but it does so without any style or polish". He concluded with: "If you just want dungeons to crawl through and couldn't care less about polished menus and engaging stories, great."

The game was also criticized for some long loading times and lacking any semblance of horror atmosphere. The game isn't considered scary.

Karma abilities
When creatures are defeated, they leave behind pools of karma. Collect karma to push your Karma Meter toward the Blood or Light extreme. Karma is used to trigger Karma Abilities.

When the needle on the Karma Meter passes one of the notches, a new Karma Ability has become available. To use a Karma Ability, touch the Karma Meter, then touch the ability you wish to trigger. Using these abilities drains your Karma Meter. Each Karma Ability is controlled using the rear touch pad. Additional Karma Abilities become unlocked as your character levels up.
 * Blood 1: Barrage
 * Navigate a cursor around using the rear touch pad, continuously damaging any creatures underneath.
 * Blood 2: Beam
 * Navigate two cursors around using the rear touch pad, channeling a blood beam between them that damages any creatures caught inside.
 * Blood 3: Burn
 * Stretch a red field over the ground using the rear touch pad, which damages any creatures that wander into it. The smaller the field, the more damage it causes.
 * Light 1: Heal Me
 * Navigate a cursor around using the rear touch pad, siphoning HP from any creature it passes over back to your character.
 * Light 2: Heal You
 * Navigate two cursors around using the rear touch pad, channeling a light beam between them that siphons HP from any creatures caught inside. This HP is transferred to your character or to another character standing within the beam.
 * Light 3: Heal Us
 * Stretch a white field over the ground using the rear touch pad, which partially refills the HP of any Players inside of it. The smaller the field, the more HP is refilled. Creatures caught inside the field become stunned.

Boost abilities
Boost Room provides you with a special ability, usable only once per Zone. Stand in the circle, then press the X button to select a boost. To trigger that boost, touch the icon at the top center of the screen.
 * Guard Boost: Invicible for 60 seconds
 * Karma Boost: Increases karma earned for 60 seconds
 * Fists Boosts: Bare-handed attacks 10x as powerful for 60 seconds.
 * Speed Boost: Character runs and dodges faster for 60 seconds.
 * Unseen Boost: Character invisible to standard enemies for 60 seconds

Trivia

 * Book of Memories marks the second Silent Hill game in the series in which protagonists are able to manipulate magical/supernatural powers, the original being Silent Hill 3 protagonist Heather Mason. Her powers, however, were not as avidly used as that of the characters in Book of Memories.


 * The Raver class speak Japanese and the Vintage class speak French. The Raver class also has unique flashlights.


 * The game can easily be the longest game in the series, especially due to its replayability.


 * The game parodies another fictional game called "Violent Hell", featuring "Box Head".


 * The storyline is reminiscent of Dying Inside, in which a teenage punk girl receives a magical book in the mail (albeit through eBay).


 * The Konami code can be used during the menu screen in the bedroom to unlock a Robbie the Rabbit weapon.


 * Dolls were planned on being DLC monsters, but only one DLC pack was released.

Pre-production demo
es:Silent Hill: Book of Memories it:Silent Hill: Book of Memories