Remnant

Remnants are a monster in Silent Hill: Origins. They only appear in the Cedar Grove Sanitarium.

Appearance
In light, it takes on the form of a floating bloody harness which casts a shadow. In darkness, the Remnant resembles a shadow person.

Character
Upon seeing Travis Grady, it will make a screeching noise. It is capable of dealing heavy damage by swinging forward in quick overhead lunges, so the best way to deal with a Remnant is from afar with firearms. They can also be defeated with melee weapons using carefully timed attacks (striking, and then stepping back as it swings forward). Travis may encounter up to three Remnants at a time.

When the Remnants are in direct light, they can be seen as dark, transparent, humanoid shadows on the walls or floors behind them, so they may be difficult to notice. However, they will attack immediately when light is shined upon them. The player should watch for their rusty metal restraints suspended in air, or simply use auto-aim if it is suspected that one is nearby. When Travis is within range, they will relentlessly bash at him with their restraints, doing damage that adds up quickly.

Fortunately, avoiding them isn't difficult. Switching off the light allows Travis to sneak past the Remnant. Waiting until they pass by is wise, as they will often hear Travis's footsteps. Shooting it without being counter-attacked (six shots from the .22 pistol is more than enough) will also suffice. Also, hitting them with a heavier thrown object will usually result in a one-hit kill. A dying Remnant emits a heart-piercing cry, full of anguish.

Symbolism
Remnants could overall represent how Travis has begun to percieve himself; someone who is virtually invisible to others, with almost no connections or contact with other people whatsoever, Travis even retorting to himself at payphones that whether he had spare change or not, he'd have not a single person to call for help. The patient's restraint being the only thing directly visible could symbolize, in this regard, how Travis feels that his mental issues are all anyone can see in him now, with peers directly calling him a "messed-up sonofabitch" when running into him, and him making depracating jokes about himself at times, even claiming that the things running through his mind are worse than a horror story whilst passing through Andy's Books. The shadow that the invisible figures cast could symbolize how Travis cannot escape his past no matter what he does, as the nightmares always follow directly behind him wherever he goes. It is alluded to that Travis often obsesses over this by his trucker buddy in a garbled line of dialogue over the radio, as well as the fact that he chose a job that sees him constantly travelling from place to place, leaving everything he can behind. This is alluded to as well by a lyric from the Bad Ending song "Hole In The Sky". Travis also tells Alessa he wishes he could forget after acquiring the Truth Piece.

Contrastly, Remnants could possibly symbolize Travis's fear of the other patients of the sanitarium when he snuck in to see his mother. The restraints could possibly symbolize the patients' straightjackets or general lack of free will; the fact that the restraints resemble a pressure-activated hunting trap could also possibly stand for the sharp, spiteful reaction young Travis could have received from other patients upon seeing him.

They could also symbolize the fear of the unknown.

Trivia

 * Although the Remnant only appears as a shadow on far walls when light is shined on them, once they are defeated, the light will reveal that they have a physical shape, as they appear to be a crumpled black mass lying on the floor rather than a shadow. In fact, the shadow disappears altogether.
 * The Remnant's actual appearance can look much like the adult version of the Silent Hill enemy Larval Stalker.

Gallery
Remnant Remnant