The Totally Unauthorized Silent Hill Strategy Guide is an unofficial guidebook published by Brady Publishing in March 1999. The book is 127 pages long and retailed for $11.99 USD. The book was published before they had obtained official licensing rights from Konami or Sony. They would later publish official guides for following Silent Hill games.
Due to its unofficial nature, the guide is based mainly on speculation, meaning that several elements are misunderstood.
Contents
The contents of the book.
Introduction (pg.4)
Introduction
Silent Hill is a truly revolutionary game, not in terms of gameplay but in the way that it uses the video game medium to tell a completely involving and terrifying story.
Right from the beginning you are drawn in, playing the role of a typical man suddenly thrust into a waking nightmare. The setting is a modern small town, incredibly rendered, but ordinary in all other respects. Both of these elements seem strange for the usually fantastic world of video games. Add to this unique setting the ability to explore the entire town, plus a story line worthy of a high caliber suspense novel, and you get a gaming experience that is rare indeed.
The game initially leads you along, but you will quickly find yourself virtually alone in an area covering several blocks, without a clue as to where to go next. That is the reason you are holding this guide. Gameplay consists mostly of exploration, discovering clues, and putting together pieces to solve puzzles. Yet throughout the game, impending danger looms over you. Some clues are obvious, others can be a bit cryptic, and some are downright stupefying. Just about every part of the town contains something that wants to eat you, fantastic creatures the likes of which you might find only in a children's fairytale, but more about that later. This guide is designed to lead you by the hand through the entire ordeal, seeing you through to the best ending in the game. At the end of the walkthrough, you can read about how to achieve the other three endings, as well as what secret bonuses there are. Before getting really deep into the game, it's suggested that you go over the General Tips. The baddies in the game can take you out pretty quickly if you are unprepared, and the character you play isn't exactly Rambo—the guy trips off of porches, for goodness sake.
Characters (pg.5-9)
A biographical section for the characters in the game. Some names are misspelled or incomplete, given this guide's lack of official reference materials.
Harry Mason (pg.6)
Your name is...
Harry Mason
Your daughter is missing...
You're not a hero... yet.
Harry is a 32-year-old writer who is on his way to Silent Hill for a vacation with his only daughter, Cheryl. His wife recently died after a long bout with a serious illness, and his connection with his daughter is the only thing he has left. On the outskirts of town, he runs his jeep off the road to miss hitting a mysterious girl in a blue dress. When Harry awakes from the impact in a ditch, his car is a complete wreck, and he will notice that Cheryl is gone.
Harry is the only character you control throughout the entire game, but he's someone that just about anybody can identify with. His reason for continuing on regardless of the danger is something that any parent can relate to. He has no special powers or training to help him through the unavoidable nightmare ahead, just his wits to see him through in order to find his daughter. Little does he know that she has everything to do with the insanity in Silent Hill.
Cheryl Mason (pg.7)
seven-year-old
Cheryl Mason
missing daughter
Cheryl is Harry's seven-year-old daughter. She's a very sweet natured girl who insisted on making this sleepy resort community the vacation destination for both her and her father. She enjoys coloring, and on her trip to Silent Hill she has brought the coloring book she received from her father on her recent birthday. What destiny lies ahead for this innocent, little girl? Can her father save her in time?
Cybil Bennet (pg.7)
attractive
Cybil Bennet(sic)
police officer
Cybil is an attractive 28-year-old police officer from Brahms, the next town over. She's a smart cop who has come to Silent Hill to investigate the cease of all communications coming from the town. Once in Silent Hill, she realizes there is something much more serious going on than downed telephone wires. She finds all the power out and not a soul in town until she runs into Harry. After giving him a gun, she becomes his only ally within this surreal world. But after their initial encounter she will head off on her own to try to find some help. She comes back much later, but does she come back to save Harry, or will he have to save her? You will have to play to find out.
Dahlia Gilespi (pg.8)
complete confusion
Dahlia Gilespi(sic)
Dahlia is the town loony, an old woman who appears to be some sort of psychic or spiritualist. She will appear for Harry throughout the game, giving him clues as to where he should go next. She will always speak in symbolic gibberish. Most conversations will leave Harry scratching his head in complete confusion. She does seem to know what is going on, however, and may even be the key to finding Cheryl.
Dr. Kaufmann (pg.8)
not to be trusted
Dr. Kaufmann
Dr(sic) Kaufmann will first meet Harry in the Hospital, and they hardly start off on the right foot, since he mistakes Harry for a monster and takes a shot at him. In the conversation that follows and in every encounter thereafter, he is shifty-eyed and evasive, not to mention downright rude. Dr. Kaufmann is definitely not to be trusted, even though he acts as clueless as Harry does about their strange predicament. All he seems to want to do is leave town, and you can't blame him under the circumstances, but there may be something else going on; a possible connection with a mysterious local drug ring.
Lisa Garland (pg.9)
She doesn't remember much
Lisa Garland
Lisa is a nurse, about Harry's age, who runs into Harry in the nightmare version of the hospital. She is justifiably terrified. She is very attractive but appears somewhat haggard, obviously due to her recent experiences. She feels strangely connected to the hospital and refuses to leave, even when Harry offers to protect her if she comes with him. What is her connection in all of this? She doesn't remember much about why she is there, but things will slowly come back to her.
Alessa (pg.9)
Who is Alessa?
Alessa
Who is Alessa? She will mysteriously show herself to Harry throughout the game, mostly as a ghostly apparition. She is, unbeknownst to Harry, the one who drives him off the road at the beginning of the game. She seems to be the key, if not the entire cause, of the state of Silent Hill. But what exactly is her role, and what does she have to do with Cheryl?
Items (pg.10-24)
Picture
Summary
Pg.
Item: Handgun
Where Found: Café; given to Harry by Cybil
Intended Use: Shoot anything that moves
pg.12
Item: Flashlight
Where Found: Café
Intended Use: To aid vision in the dark
Item: Health Drink
Where Found: All over town, off and on the path through the game
Intended Use: Replenishes a portion of your health
Item: Kitchen Knife
Where Found: Café
Intended Use: A fairly ineffective weapon, but it's better than nothing
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