![]() In the finished game, players take on the role of a customizable protagonist who receives the titular book on their birthday. ![]() Having established the basic mechanics of the title, producer Tomm Hulett and director Adam Tierney then began working on the story, which was meant to justify the more action-oriented approach to the franchise. Over the next couple of years, the studio would slowly increment on their original ideas, eventually adding procedurally generated elements to the game in order to keep it fresh on repeated playthroughs. WayForward Technologies ultimately came up with a pitch, suggesting an action-oriented experience with dynamic puzzles that allowed for quick bursts of spooky thrills. Konami originally commissioned Book of Memories back in 2010, wanting a fast-paced handheld experience that would make use of the then-upcoming PS Vita’s multiplayer functionality. And with Book of Memories celebrating its 10 th anniversary this year, I thought that it might be interesting to dive into what makes this strange little game tick. After pouring a surprising amount of time into the title and learning to accept some of its conceptual issues, I realized that my initial theory about the franchise as a whole was still correct. After all, it was the last main entry in the series if you disregard the P.T./ Silent Hills debacle, and it’s not like there are that many high-profile horror games on Sony’s ill-fated successor to the PSP. Many years later, I got my hands on a used Vita and found myself with a bit of free time, so I finally decided to give this much maligned experiment a try. That’s why I originally gave the game a pass back in late 2012. Not only did I find the idea of a portable dungeon crawler offensive to the very spirit of the franchise, but, like most people I know, I didn’t own a PlayStation Vita. However, despite being such a die-hard fan of the series, I had long avoided the infamous Silent Hill: Book of Memories. Hell, I even like to revisit the cinematic oddity that is Silent Hill: Revelation from time to time. From the impressive production value of Homecoming to the moody ambience of Downpour, I think there’s something to love about every single game in the Silent Hill franchise.
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