History VideoGame / SilentHillHomecoming

->''''The warm sunlight dancing on the water, the smell of cotton candy in the air, and the sound of wind blowing through the trees."\\

* [[DeadLittleSister Missing Little Brother]]: Joshua Shepherd.

''The warm sunlight dancing on the water, the smell of cotton candy in the air, and the sound of wind blowing through the trees."

''The warm sunlight dancing on the water, the smell of cotton candy in the air, and the sound of wind blowing through the trees."''

* BodyHorror: All of the monsters, in true SilentHill fashion. [[VaginaDentata Lurkers]], [[BiologicalMashup Siams]], and Asphyxia (think of ''TheHumanCentipede'') come to mind.

* CallBack: This game has some references to Silent Hill 2, not counting Pyramid Head. Killing a Siam you get a trophy called "Shade of James". Siam looks like two people having sex, and James had major issues with his supressed sexuality. Killing a feral, a dog like monster, you get a trophy called "Eddie's Legacy". Likely a reference to Eddie Dombrowski who killed a dog. Also the woman you meet in the hotel may be a reference to Mary, James' wife. If you ask who would leave her there, she says not to blame whoever left her. She continues to say its hard to watch someone die, Mary from Silent Hill 2 was dying and her husband suffered watching her die.

* FauxSymbolism:
** Several of the monsters have sexual elements to their design. However, none of the characters are said to have sexual issues. Whether they did it just because they thought it was cool or because they misunderstood the symbolism of previous games is up in the air.
*** There are logs written by Alex about how the hot nurses tending to him are the only things making his stay at the army hospital pleasant, but that none of them give him the time of day.
** There is a definite theme of "gashes" throughout the game, with several bisected or [[VaginaDentata conspicuously toothy]] creatures that assault you, in addition to Alex's tendency to rip open posters and tapestries often emblazoned with a man or a woman and always traveling downwards directly through the crotch. There's also the bizarre apparent metaphors of [[spoiler:Judge Holloway deciding to murder Alex with a decidedly Freudian drill, with Curtis taking a chainsaw to Elle]]. If you really wanted to stretch for it, you could infer that they represent [[spoiler:Alex's resentment towards his parents]].
** Joshua is derived from Yeshua, which "Jesus" is also from. [[spoiler:Joshua's death saved Alex from being condemned to sacrifice]], and his last name is ''Shepherd.''
*** Then there's his brother Alex (which means "Defending men.") and their father Adam (an allusion to the first human) and Lillian (derived from Lilith, who was Adam's first wife).
** Shine a light on the nurses, look at their stomachs. [[spoiler: They're pregnant, foreshadowing the final boss, which is pregnant with Josh's corpse.]]

----

* CallBack: This game has some references to Silent Hill 2, not counting Pyramid Head. Killing a Siam you get a trophy called "Shade of James". Siam looks like two people having sex, and James had major issues with his is supressed sexuality. Killing a feral, a dog like monster, you get a trophy called "Eddie's Legacy". Likely a reference to Eddie Dombrowski who killed a dog. Also the woman you meet in the hotel may be a reference to Mary, James' wife. If you ask who would leave her there, she says not to blame whoever left her. She continues to say its hard to watch someone die, Mary from Silent Hill 2 was dying and her husband suffered watching her die.

** Not to mention Adam's death.

* BuriedAlive: [[spoiler:Mayor Bartlett's son, amateur botanist Joey]].

** The puzzle also relates to [[spoiler: Alex]] and his actions. 'Heart of Darkness' for [[spoiler:allowing others to suffer because of his actions)]]. 'Vile Acts' is for [[spoiler:killing Joshua)]]. And the Fallen Star is for [[spoiler: not fulfilling his role as the sacrifice)]].

**

* AngstWhatAngst: Elle... Just... Elle... Sure, she's whiny enough over her mother's uncaring attitude and worried about the townspeople... But [[spoiler:her little sister is brutally killed and her mother, who tried to kill her, is also dead, murdered by her maybe-boyfriend]]. You can actually bring her into the room with [[spoiler:her mother's corpse]] and she will have no reaction, though that's probably a glitch. Perhaps she's still completely in the dark about her family's fate at the end of the game. This gives the ending where [[spoiler:she and Alex walk off together]] an interesting spin. An awkward conversation is about to come up.

* BodyHorror: All of the monsters, in true SilentHill fashion. [[VaginaDentata Lurkers]], [[BiologicalMashup Siams]], and [[Asphyxia]] (think of ''[[TheHumanCentipede]]'') come to mind.

* AngstWhatAngst: Elle... Just... Elle... Sure, she's whiny enough over her mother's uncaring attitude and worried about the townspeople... But [[her little sister is brutally killed and her mother, who tried to kill her, is also dead, murdered by her maybe-boyfriend]]. You can actually bring her into the room with [[her mother's corpse]] and she will have no reaction, though that's probably a glitch. Perhaps she's still completely in the dark about her family's fate at the end of the game. This gives the ending where [[she and Alex walk off together]] an interesting spin. An awkward conversation is about to come up.

** And, seriously, what happened to all the townspeople? [[The Order kidnapped them]], and then what? Are they dead? Locked up? Will Alex save them? Whoops, there's the credits.

* Angst?WhatAngst?: Elle... Just... Elle... Sure, she's whiny enough over her mother's uncaring attitude and worried about the townspeople... But [[her little sister is brutally killed and her mother, who tried to kill her, is also dead, murdered by her maybe-boyfriend]]. You can actually bring her into the room with [[her mother's corpse]] and she will have no reaction, though that's probably a glitch. Perhaps she's still completely in the dark about her family's fate at the end of the game. This gives the ending where [[she and Alex walk off together]] an interesting spin. An awkward conversation is about to come up.

This installment is tied in several ways to the series's roots: it does away with inventory limitations (except for a cap on ammunition), it has breakable weapons, and it also features other characteristics of the [[SilentHillOrigins more recent games]]. It has a similar atmosphere to ''Silent Hills'' [[SilentHill1 1]] and [[SilentHill3 3]] (straight up horror without the lingering melancholy of the [[SilentHill2 second game]]), and it continues the series tradition of multiple endings (at least one of which is as absurd as you would expect). Alex's military past makes the combat more complex, with melee combos and dodging attacks being a major element of the gameplay. Unlike previous series protagonists, Alex can also actually aim firearms, which comes in handy.

** Alchemilla Hospital, which in the time gap since ''SilentHillOrigins'' has evidently become more of an [[BedlamHouse asylum]] than a medical hospital.

Joining Alex on his quest is Elle (a childhood friend who is trying to survive) and Wheeler (the sheriff's deputy who just wants to get to the bottom of things). Along the way, Alex encounters several more characters -- including an Expy of everyone's favorite monster, Pyramid Head.

Joining Alex on his quest is Elle (a childhood friend who is trying to survive) and Wheeler (the sheriff's deputy who just wants to get to the bottom of things). Along the way, Alex encounters several more characters -- including everyone's favorite [[WolverinePublicity meaningless cameo]], Pyramid Head (although Pyramid Head's appearance in ''Homecoming'' turns out ''not'' to be meaningless).

* EasilyForgiven: This can happen in the church if Alex chooses to forgive [[spoiler:his father]] for all the things he has done. Silent Hill, on the other hand, isn't as forgiving.
* ElevatorActionSequence: In the Grand Hotel. There's a reason someone just happened to drop [[SuspiciousVideogameGenerosity a box of ammo]] in there.

** There are a few sections where Alex escorts Elle.
** Inverted with a few sections with Deputy Wheeler, where he blows away any monsters that get near you.

** Joshua is derived from Yeshua, which is the same name we get "Jesus" from. [[spoiler:Joshua's death saved Alex from being condemned to sacrifice]], and his last name is ''Shepherd.''

** The final boss is a horribly twisted version of this trope, [[spoiler:most likely symbolising Josh's love of spiders]].

** Right after Alex's gurney ride in the intro, you see through the windowed door the gurney-pusher being impaled and sliced in half by a gigantic blade. Even though you don't see the one using it, it's clearly the Bogeyman's blade, and later in the level, you see the halved man's body in two different locations. The Bogeyman also graphically cuts a more important character in half later in the game.
* HellHotel: The Grand Hotel.

''Silent Hill: Homecoming'' is the fifth main title in the SilentHill series, which swung back and forth between ''Silent Hill 5'' and ''Silent Hill: Homecoming'' before settling on the latter. It is the second ''SilentHill'' game to be produced by an American company.

** Alchemilla, which in the time gap since SilentHillOrigins has evidently become more of an [[BedlamHouse asylum]] than a medical hospital.
** Dr. Fitch's office is just a tiny medical clinic, and when you transition to the Dark World within it, you find yourself descending a series of rusty staircases that look nothing like a hospital even in general layout. However, you find many signs and instructions on the walls that you'd see in a hospital, including things like "You may be required to provide a urine sample" or visiting hours times.
* AbusiveParents: It's blatantly obvious that Alex's parents [[ParentalFavoritism loved Joshua more]] and constantly treat Alex like dirt. [[spoiler:This is because Alex was to be sacrificed and they didn't want to become attached to a doomed child.]] Many other parents could also qualify, although [[spoiler:they don't really have a choice about killing their kids]]. [[spoiler:Judge Holloway]], however, is perfectly happy to hurt her children.

* AdaptationDistillation: More accurately, a distillation of what worked in a previous adaptation. The "flaking off" effect used in the Silent Hill movie to depict the transition to the DarkWorld was lifted to be used in this game, as were a few GasMaskMooks. Pyramid Head also gets a redesign to look like his movie version.
* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: The Shepherd's Glen police station being invaded by Schisms, and [[spoiler:the Order attacking and abducting the citizens their monsters had missed]].

* BodyHorror: All of the monsters (with the possible exception of the Nurses), in true SilentHill fashion. [[VaginaDentata Lurkers]], [[BiologicalMashup Siams]], and the Penitentiary boss come to mind.

* CassandraTruth: Thankfully averted. Wheeler believes Alex when he tells him that a monster [[spoiler:killed Mayor Bartlett]], as Wheeler has run into the monsters himself.
-->'''Wheeler:''' ...So, you've seen the creatures too?
* ChekhovsGun: The ceremonial dagger. Alex uses it to [[spoiler:open Adam's hunting room and other places, as well as to cut Amnion open to get Josh's body.]]

* ConspiracyTheorist: Deputy Wheeler seems to be one of these.
* ControllableHelplessness: The initial hospital sequence, getting arrested, and the struggle against [[spoiler:Judge Holloway.]]
* CreepyBasement: Averted with the Shepherds' basement, which is inhabited by a nasty creature or two but positively well-lit compared to other areas of the game.
* CreepyChild: Josh, Alex's missing brother who's always running away whenever he sees him and acts rather hostile to him during the few times he speaks. Of course, this being a Silent Hill game, we can't always trust what we see to be real; by most accounts, every time we see Josh in a flashback or some such, he's a pretty nice kid.

** [[spoiler:Adam]] is slowly [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe sliced in half]] by Pyramid Head

** Right after Alex's gurney ride in the intro, you see through the windowed door the gurney-pusher being impaled and sliced in half by a gigantic blade. Even though you don't see the one using it, it's clearly Pyramid Head's blade, and later in the level, you see the halved man's body in two different locations. Pyramid Head also graphically cuts a more important character in half later in the game.

** Narrowly avoided. It soon becomes apparent that the bosses are [[spoiler:the vengeful spirits of the children murdered by their parents]]; each appears in the Dark World, and each appears moments after the [[spoiler:parent in question touches an object that was precious to their child]].

** You need three of them to solve a puzzle, each one a dark spin on normal American military honors: the Heart of Darkness (Purple Heart) is for [[ArmchairMilitary "permitting others to suffer"]], the Vile Acts (Good Conduct) award is for [[WhatTheHellHero "atrocities committed"]], and the Fallen Star (Silver Star) is for [[GeneralFailure "dereliction in the line of duty"]]. One wonders to [[TheNeidermeyer what kind of person]] they would be awarded]]...
** The "good" versions of these medals are the three that [[spoiler:Adam]] was listed as receiving during his military service. It seems to have been done for the sole purpose of contrasting [[spoiler:Adam]]'s excellent military service record with [[spoiler:the lousy way he treated his family (particularly Alex)]].
** The puzzle itself actually relates to [[spoiler: Alex]] and his actions. 'Heart of Darkness' for [[spoiler:making others suffer because the pact ended)]]. 'Vile Acts' is for [[spoiler: killing Josh)]]. And the Fallen Star is for [[spoiler: Not fulfilling his role as the sacrifice)]].
* [[DeadLittleSister Missing Little Brother]]: Josh.
* MythologyGag: Just as you get into the Shepards' backyard, you see a little abandoned doghouse, and Alex will wonder where the dog is. Guess what the next enemy type is.

* NothingIsScarier: As always with the Silent Hill franchise, some of the most unnerving moments are where you're just exploring the desolate areas rather than fighting monsters. In fact, many of the Dark World areas in Homecoming are surprisingly monster-free.
* OminousFog: Another Silent Hill staple, as well as the ominously static-filled screen in darker areas and The Dark World.

* RetCanon: New outfits for the Order and Pyramid Head, as seen in TheMovie.

* ShellShockedVeteran: It's implied that Alex is one. [[spoiler:No, he's just crazy for a different reason. Or is he?]]
* StepfordSuburbia[=/=]SubvertedInnocence: Turned UpToEleven and made a ''lot'' BloodierAndGorier; Shepard's Glen is a town where family comes first... and then, as you begin learning more about the lives of the families of Shepard's Glen... you make discoveries which can be considered unpleasant.

->''So difficult to remember.''\\
''The warm sunlight dancing on the water, the smell of cotton candy in the air, and the sound of wind blowing through the trees.''

* [[{{ptitlegf1u3pozudh8}} This! Is! SPARTA!]]: "WHERE?! IS?! MY?! BROTHER?!"