History VideoGame / SilentHillHomecoming

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

** UFO: [[spoiler:Alex defeats Amnion, is reunited with Elle, and they are abducted by aliens.]]

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 unbreakable weapons, and it also features other characteristics of the [[VideoGame/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.

* {{Bowdlerise}}: The Australian release of the game (after initially being [[BannedInChina banned]]) had several scenes altered in an attempt to make them seem less violent. During the torture scene, a hospital bed is placed in front of the camera, obscuring [[spoiler:the drill penetrating Alex's leg]]. Shortly after, when [[spoiler:Alex shoves the drill through Judge Holloway's jaw]], the screen is changed to black with only the sound left intact. In addition, when [[spoiler:Holloway]] falls to the floor, the drill is missing entirely. Also, when [[spoiler:Adam]] is killed by the Bogeyman, the gory remains vanish altogether.

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKjgP0U5Fx4&t=1609s The entire Hell House segment]] is glitched to all hell.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA30AIHIKqk&t=3618s It's possible to go out of bounds at any time.]]
** During the fight against [[spoiler:Scarlet Fitch]], it's possible that [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZQVYjNsOic#t=228s the second phase of the battle simply won't begin.]]
** And then we just have fun ones like [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJaN56_jRgw&t=592 this,]] where [[spoiler:shoddy pathing and collision detection results in two hell-hounds stacking on top of one another and rocking out]].

** Also, [[spoiler:Mayor Bartlett and Doctor Fitch were forced to sacrifice their own children as part of the pact. Judge Holloway did the same; however, unlike the former two, she didn't seem to feel any guilt about killing Nora.]]

* 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 Otherworld areas in Homecoming are surprisingly monster-free.

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F9bKM-5qA8 Lurker]] - Monster with scythe-like claws, fused torso, and a VaginaDentata mouth. [[ParanoiaFuel Emerges from water only for an agile strike.]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhN_nJnKqIY Needler]] - Fleshy, insectile creature with legs and arms replaced with sharp blades to walk around. A shark-mawed head rears between its double-jointed limbs.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHgf79wwKVs Siam]] - A hulking beast that appears as a man and woman fused back-to-back with bondage gear. Her bound arms jut over his head like a fleshy horn. [[CaptainObvious Symbolic?]]

* SuspiciousVideogameGenerosity: Shortly before the final boss fight, the game provides Alex with three health drinks in the same room. [[SarcasmMode Nope, not suspicious at all]].
* ThirdPersonFlashback: Averted. All flashbacks is in the first person.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:Alex, overlaps with SpannerInTheWorks. When the founders left Silent Hill to found Shepherd's Glenn, The Order made them swear to perform a human sacrifice every 50 years to appease their God. In the case of the Shepherd Family, Alex. However, when Alex accidentally kills his brother Josh, his parents cannot bear to lose him too, and refuse to sacrifice him. This breaks the pact, and causes Silent Hill to invade Shepherd's Glenn; triggering the events of the game.]]

* [[spoiler: BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible: Everyone but Wheeler and Alex knows something about whats going on in Silent Hill, but refuse to give any helpful advise to Alex. Justified with Judge Holloway, as she has already defected to The Order. Partly justified with Bartlett, since he's drunk by the time you finally get to speak with him.]]

** AndYouWereThere: [[spoiler:The nurses and electroshock specialist have the faces of Bartlett, Fitch, and Wheeler, respectively.]]

* [[spoiler: BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible: Everyone but Wheeler and Alex knows something about whats going on in Silent Hill, but refuse to give any helpful advise to Alex. Justified with Judge Holloway, as she has already defected to The Order.]]

* ActionizedSequel: Has elements of one, especially regarding the changes in the combat system.

* [[spoiler:AllJustADream: The "Hospital" ending.]]

* [[spoiler:UnreliableNarrator: Alex, as it turns out.]]

* [[spoiler: UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Alex, overlaps with SpannerInTheWorks. When the founders left Silent Hill to found Shepherd's Glenn, The Order made them swear to perform a human sacrifice every 50 years to appease their God. In the case of the Shepherd Family, Alex. However, when Alex accidentally kills his brother Josh, his parents cannot bear to lose him too, and refuse to sacrifice him. This breaks the pact, and causes Silent Hill to invade Shepherd's Glenn; triggering the events of the game.]]

* GameBreakingBug: So, so many glitches and bugs are found in this game, especially the [=PS3=] version. These range from amusing to making the game {{Unwinnable}}, and aren't fixed upon resetting the game, forcing you to either reload an earlier save, or start the whole game over. Here's just a few found in the game:

* GiantSpider:
** The final boss of the game, Amnion, is a horribly twisted version of this trope, [[spoiler:most likely symbolising Josh's love of spiders]]. See {{Foreshadowing}} above.

* GoryDiscretionShot: Near the end of the game, if [[spoiler:you don't save Elle in time]], you get one of these and a NonstandardGameOver.

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

* ElevatorActionSequence: In the Grand Hotel. There's a reason someone just happened to drop [[SuspiciousVideogameGenerosity a box of ammunition]] in there.

** The newspaper article of Paul Russell Douglas, child serial killer, is an expy of the newspaper article about Walter Sullivan in ''SilentHill2''.

** HumanoidAbomination: Scarlet falls under this considering that she has the [[UncannyValley most human]] [[CreepyDoll but still very wrong appearance]]

** Alex has to reach into a sinister-looking hole in the wall to get an important key item, just like James in ''Silent Hill 2''.

* ThirdPersonFlashback: Averted, as all flashbacks is in the first person.

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

* {{Expy}}: The Bogeyman is an expy of Pyramid Head. Hell, he looks so similar that most players assume he ''is'' Pyramid Head.

* WhoForgotTheLights: This is easily the darkest ''Silent Hill' games in terms of actual image brightness. Even with the flashlight on, seeing anything can be a troubling task.

* [[spoiler: UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Alex, overlaps with SpannerInTheWorks. When the founders left Silent Hill to found Shepard's Glenn, The Order made them swear to perform a human sacrifice every 50 years to appease their God. In the case of the Shepard Family, Alex. However, when Alex accidentally kills his brother Josh, his parents cannot bear to lose him too, and refuse to sacrifice him. This breaks the pact, and causes Silent Hill to invade Shepard's Glenn; triggering the events of the game.]]

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 [[VideoGame/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.

* ViolationOfCommonSense: Special mention must go to a guy who comes home to an empty house, finds his mother in a BSOD state, goes down to see what she was after in the basement, is soon in knee-high water and ''getting attacked by a corpse-like monster with teeth for a face'', and then decides his most pressing mission at the moment is... figuring out how to pump out the basement. He even keeps his eye on this goal after getting attacked by ''two more'' similar monsters outside.

* MedalOfDishonor:
** You need three of them to solve a puzzle and each one is 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)]]. 'Heart of Darkness' is for [[spoiler:allowing the townspeople of Shepherd's Glen to be kidnapped, killed, and brainwashed by the Order]]. 'Vile Acts' is for [[spoiler:treating Alex poorly]]. And 'Fallen Star' is for [[spoiler:failing to sacrifice Alex]].
** 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]].

* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: That trucker who gives Alex a lift in the intro? That's Travis.

** Luckily, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp2nP_G5d8U this scene]] becomes hilarious if the graphics glitch.

* {{Expy}}: The Bogeyman is an expy of Pyramid Head.