Silent Hill 3
Encyclopedia
Silent Hill 3 is a survival horror video game published by Konami
for the PlayStation 2
and developed by Team Silent
, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. It is the third installment in the Silent Hill
series and a direct sequel to the first Silent Hill game
. It was released in May 2003, with a port to Microsoft Windows
released in October of the same year. A remastered high-definition
version of it is due for release for the PlayStation 3
and the Xbox 360
.
Set seventeen years after the events of Silent Hill in which Harry Mason defeats the god of the town cult and is given a baby girl to care for, Silent Hill 3 focuses on Heather, a teenage girl who finds herself being drawn into Silent Hill's alternate reality. She discovers that the cult plans to use her to birth their god, and becomes caught in a conflict within the cult.
Silent Hill 3 was mostly well-received by critics, especially in its presentation, including the environments, graphics and audio, as well as the overall horror elements and themes that are continued from past installments.
Gameplay in Silent Hill 3 resembles closely that of its two predecessors, the three main gameplay elements being combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. Combat, as exploration, takes place in third-person view, with the player able to equip weapons found throughout the game. Heather may also block and perform side-step maneuvers to avoid enemies. As a series staple, the flashlight and radio return, the latter of which crackles when monsters are in proximity.
Players can set the difficulty of both the combat and puzzle elements of the game separately. In the case of the puzzle difficulties, there is a large difference between the "medium" difficulty level and the "hard" difficulty level; one of the puzzles on the "medium" level requires only simple pattern recognition, whilst the "hard" difficulty level version of the same puzzle requires knowledge of Shakespeare
plays
to complete. The game also features unlockable weapons and costumes.
The protagonist and player character of Silent Hill 3 is Heather, the teenaged adopted daughter of Harry Mason. Claudia Wolf, the cult's priestess who plans to bring about a paradise on Earth, serves as the game's antagonist. As Heather attempts to unravel the reasons why the cult of Silent Hill is pursuing her, she encounters a private investigator named Douglas Cartland; Vincent, a member of the cult who detests Claudia; and Leonard Wolf, Claudia's abusive father.
Heather resolves to go to Silent Hill, intent on killing Claudia. She meets with Douglas in her apartment and accepts his offer to drive her there. On the journey there, Douglas explains that Vincent left him a message, telling them to look for a man named Leonard, whilst Heather reads a memo left by her father before his death, which reveals that she is the baby girl that was left to her adoptive father, Harry Mason, at the conclusion of the first game, after he defeated the god birthed by Alessa Gillespie. Claudia seeks Heather to birth the cult's god, since Heather is Alessa's reincarnation
.
Upon arriving in Silent Hill, which is abandoned and fog-shrouded, Heather checks Brookhaven Hospital for Leonard. After discovering that Leonard is Claudia's father, Heather meets a transfigured Leonard, who attacks her after discovering that she is not a cult member; Heather defeats him. She eventually meets Vincent, who directs her to a church via a local amusement park, purportedly at Douglas' request. Upon arriving at the amusement park, Heather is transferred to the Otherworld, where she finds Douglas wounded. She reaches the church and confronts Claudia, who kills Vincent. After swallowing a substance within a pendant that her father had given her, Heather vomits out the deity in fetus
form. Claudia swallows the fetus and dies after birthing the deity; Heather then fights and defeats the god.
Three endings appear in the game. The "Normal" ending, which is the only ending available on the first play-through of the game, sees Heather and Douglas survive. The "Possessed" ending sees Douglas having been killed by Heather. The "Revenge" ending, which is a joke ending accessible by performing certain in-game actions, sees Heather talking with Harry and UFOs blow up Silent Hill.
, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. Development on the PlayStation 2 version began after the release of Silent Hill 2
, and was carried out almost simultaneously with development of another Silent Hill title that was intended to explore a different direction for the franchise and not be part of the main, numbered series; known as Room 302, this game would eventually become integrated into the main series as Silent Hill 4: The Room
. The development team for this iteration was smaller than that working on Silent Hill 2, with around 40 people working on the game, made up of the core team from the second title and some newcomers. A smaller group of Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo staff later developed a port for Microsoft Windows
.
Like all Silent Hill games, one of Silent Hill 3s influences is the film Jacob's Ladder
: one of the subway platforms is named Bergen Street Station, the station Jacob was inquiring about at the beginning of the film. The developers also cited horror writer Stephen King
as another of their influences.
Much like the previous installments, Silent Hill 3 also incorporates references drawn from real life actors and actresses. As the only female protagonist of the series, the creators originally named Heather "Helen", but it was dubbed too old-fashioned and was changed. It was later decided that the character would be named after voice actress Heather Morris who lent her talents to the video game's protagonist. Heather was modeled after French actresses/singers Charlotte Gainsbourg
and Vanessa Paradis
in several rough sketches.
Douglas Cartland's name came from American actor Douglas Fairbanks
. The developers stated that his name "just seemed to suit him" and that there was no true connection to his namesake. During the sketching process, his character was modeled after actors Giancarlo Giannini
and Ian Holm
. It was noted that even during the concept designs that Cartland was designed as a middle-aged detective.
Claudia Wolf's character was considered the most difficult to design. Early sketches revealed that the creators wanted to dress her like a holy woman in various robes, and at one point she had a shaved head covered entirely with tattoos. Eventually, the creators decided to make her appear like an average woman, modelling her on Julianne Moore
, and then removing her eyebrows, so that the "normal" appearance was slightly skewed. She was first named "Christie", but it was deemed too "cute" and the character was eventually named after actress Claudia Cardinale
.
Vincent's name originated from actor Vincent Gallo
in connection with his unshaven look. Early designs were based on actor Ethan Hawke
and focused on capturing a look of "derangement and moodiness."
, was released in Japan on July 16, 2003 and in North America on August 6, 2004. The song "You're Not Here", used in the game's introduction sequence, was included in the PS2 port of Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
. It is also included in the Silent Hill Experience UMD media pack and is featured during the closing credits of the Silent Hill movie
released in 2006. The game's soundtrack is notable as the first using vocals prominently. Most of the vocalized tracks are performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
(credited as Melissa Williamson). The end credits song "Hometown" is voiced by Joe Romersa
.
. The film will be a sequel to the film adaptation of the first installment in the Silent Hill series
.
for the PlayStation 2 version, and a 70.42% rating for the PC version. Its Metacritic
rating for the PlayStation 2 version is 85/100, whilst the PC version has a rating of 72/100. The PC version fared less well than the PlayStation 2 version, with some PC reviewers drawing unfavourable comparisons of the game's combat and gameplay to other combat-based games found on the PC platform, whilst others highlighted some technical issues, such as poor gamepad support.
Positive reactions were given to the general horror and atmosphere of the game, including "truly horrifying sections" whilst it "packs some genuine scares" and "the feeling of eeriness and doom is almost overwhelming". The story told as part of the atmosphere was also received positively, making for a "satisfying, coherent sequel", although its status as such meant that "it may be a little tough to follow for people who haven't played the first game", despite "a laudable effort to help people catch up". In addition, the graphics, audio and general high production values were all credited with adding positively to the atmosphere.
Negative criticism largely stemmed from the lack of any innovations in gameplay; the game "doesn't do anything major that the series hasn't done before", "does little in term of innovation" and "doesn't offer much beyond the other titles in the series". Also criticised was the game's camera and control system which, despite having been improved from previous games, was described as "awkward, disorienting, and motion sickness-inducing". Some criticism also stemmed from the length of the game, as it "can be easily beaten in a handful of hours". In their retrospective review, Honestgamers.com wrote "What began as uncommon brilliance on the PlayStation, has degraded into a convoluted and senseless exercise in flexing visceral muscle while offering less and less in the way of engaging play. And the downward spiral began here", though that same review also praised the quality of the visuals, sound and music stating "it’s a work of art by PS2 standards".
Silent Hill 3 sold over 300,000 copies by November 2003. The game also topped sales charts in Japan upon its release.
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and developed by Team Silent
Team Silent
Team Silent was a development group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo , responsible for the first four games in the Silent Hill franchise by Konami released from 1999 to 2004, with later titles developed by external Western companies such as Climax Studios and Double Helix Games...
, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. It is the third installment in the Silent Hill
Silent Hill
is a survival horror video game series consisting of seven installments published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4, have been developed by an internal factor, Team Silent...
series and a direct sequel to the first Silent Hill game
Silent Hill (video game)
Silent Hill is a survival horror video game for the PlayStation and the first installment in the Silent Hill series. Published by Konami and developed by Team Silent, a Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo group, the game was released in North America in January 1999, and in Japan and Europe later...
. It was released in May 2003, with a port to Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
released in October of the same year. A remastered high-definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
version of it is due for release for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Set seventeen years after the events of Silent Hill in which Harry Mason defeats the god of the town cult and is given a baby girl to care for, Silent Hill 3 focuses on Heather, a teenage girl who finds herself being drawn into Silent Hill's alternate reality. She discovers that the cult plans to use her to birth their god, and becomes caught in a conflict within the cult.
Silent Hill 3 was mostly well-received by critics, especially in its presentation, including the environments, graphics and audio, as well as the overall horror elements and themes that are continued from past installments.
Gameplay
Players can set the difficulty of both the combat and puzzle elements of the game separately. In the case of the puzzle difficulties, there is a large difference between the "medium" difficulty level and the "hard" difficulty level; one of the puzzles on the "medium" level requires only simple pattern recognition, whilst the "hard" difficulty level version of the same puzzle requires knowledge of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
to complete. The game also features unlockable weapons and costumes.
Setting and characters
Silent Hill 3 is set in the fictional universe of the Silent Hill series. Seventeen years before the start of Silent Hill 3, Harry Mason defeated a god brought forth by the resident cult of Silent Hill and at the ending, was given a baby girl to care for.The protagonist and player character of Silent Hill 3 is Heather, the teenaged adopted daughter of Harry Mason. Claudia Wolf, the cult's priestess who plans to bring about a paradise on Earth, serves as the game's antagonist. As Heather attempts to unravel the reasons why the cult of Silent Hill is pursuing her, she encounters a private investigator named Douglas Cartland; Vincent, a member of the cult who detests Claudia; and Leonard Wolf, Claudia's abusive father.
Story
At the beginning of the game, Heather awakens at a shopping mall. Before she can leave the mall, Douglas Cartland confronts her, claiming to have information about her birth. Heather evades him and discovers that the mall is mostly abandoned except for monsters. She encounters Claudia, who hints about Heather's fate. Heather finds herself in the Otherworld version of the mall—monster-filled and decaying—and is eventually transferred back to the original shopping mall where she encounters Douglas, who confesses that Claudia had hired him to find her. Heather leaves the mall and resolves to take the subway home. Having arrived at her residence, Heather discovers that her father has been killed by a monster under Claudia's orders, who tells her that she will be waiting for her in Silent Hill and leaves.Heather resolves to go to Silent Hill, intent on killing Claudia. She meets with Douglas in her apartment and accepts his offer to drive her there. On the journey there, Douglas explains that Vincent left him a message, telling them to look for a man named Leonard, whilst Heather reads a memo left by her father before his death, which reveals that she is the baby girl that was left to her adoptive father, Harry Mason, at the conclusion of the first game, after he defeated the god birthed by Alessa Gillespie. Claudia seeks Heather to birth the cult's god, since Heather is Alessa's reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
.
Upon arriving in Silent Hill, which is abandoned and fog-shrouded, Heather checks Brookhaven Hospital for Leonard. After discovering that Leonard is Claudia's father, Heather meets a transfigured Leonard, who attacks her after discovering that she is not a cult member; Heather defeats him. She eventually meets Vincent, who directs her to a church via a local amusement park, purportedly at Douglas' request. Upon arriving at the amusement park, Heather is transferred to the Otherworld, where she finds Douglas wounded. She reaches the church and confronts Claudia, who kills Vincent. After swallowing a substance within a pendant that her father had given her, Heather vomits out the deity in fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
form. Claudia swallows the fetus and dies after birthing the deity; Heather then fights and defeats the god.
Three endings appear in the game. The "Normal" ending, which is the only ending available on the first play-through of the game, sees Heather and Douglas survive. The "Possessed" ending sees Douglas having been killed by Heather. The "Revenge" ending, which is a joke ending accessible by performing certain in-game actions, sees Heather talking with Harry and UFOs blow up Silent Hill.
Development
Silent Hill 3 was created by Team SilentTeam Silent
Team Silent was a development group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo , responsible for the first four games in the Silent Hill franchise by Konami released from 1999 to 2004, with later titles developed by external Western companies such as Climax Studios and Double Helix Games...
, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. Development on the PlayStation 2 version began after the release of Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 is a survival horror video game published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 and developed by Team Silent, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo...
, and was carried out almost simultaneously with development of another Silent Hill title that was intended to explore a different direction for the franchise and not be part of the main, numbered series; known as Room 302, this game would eventually become integrated into the main series as Silent Hill 4: The Room
Silent Hill 4: The Room
Silent Hill 4: The Room is the fourth installment in the Silent Hill survival horror series, published by Konami and developed by Team Silent, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. The game was released in Japan in June 2004 and in North America and Europe in September of...
. The development team for this iteration was smaller than that working on Silent Hill 2, with around 40 people working on the game, made up of the core team from the second title and some newcomers. A smaller group of Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo staff later developed a port for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
.
Like all Silent Hill games, one of Silent Hill 3s influences is the film Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder (film)
Jacob's Ladder is a 1990 American psychological thriller/horror film directed by Adrian Lyne, based on a screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin.-Plot:Jacob Singer is a U.S. soldier deployed in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War...
: one of the subway platforms is named Bergen Street Station, the station Jacob was inquiring about at the beginning of the film. The developers also cited horror writer Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
as another of their influences.
Character design
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg is an Anglo-French actress and singer. After releasing an album with her father at the age of fifteen, more than twenty years passed before she released two albums as an adult to commercial and critical success...
and Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Chantal Paradis is a French singer, model and actress. She became a child star at 14 with the worldwide success of her single "Joe le taxi"...
in several rough sketches.
Douglas Cartland's name came from American actor Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
. The developers stated that his name "just seemed to suit him" and that there was no true connection to his namesake. During the sketching process, his character was modeled after actors Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini is an Italian actor and dubber.Giannini was born La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. He studied at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome, and made his film debut in a small part in Fango sulla metropoli in 1965...
and Ian Holm
Ian Holm
Sir Ian Holm, CBE is an English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear...
. It was noted that even during the concept designs that Cartland was designed as a middle-aged detective.
Claudia Wolf's character was considered the most difficult to design. Early sketches revealed that the creators wanted to dress her like a holy woman in various robes, and at one point she had a shaved head covered entirely with tattoos. Eventually, the creators decided to make her appear like an average woman, modelling her on Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
, and then removing her eyebrows, so that the "normal" appearance was slightly skewed. She was first named "Christie", but it was deemed too "cute" and the character was eventually named after actress Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale is an Italian actress, and has appeared in some of the most prominent European films of the 1960s and 1970s. The majority of Cardinale's films have been either Italian or French...
.
Vincent's name originated from actor Vincent Gallo
Vincent Gallo
Vincent Gallo is an Italian-American film director and actor. Though he has had minor roles in mainstream films such as Goodfellas, he is most associated with independent movies, including Buffalo '66, which he wrote, directed, did the music for and starred in; The Brown Bunny, which he also...
in connection with his unshaven look. Early designs were based on actor Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
and focused on capturing a look of "derangement and moodiness."
Audio
The original soundtrack for Silent Hill 3, composed by Akira YamaokaAkira Yamaoka
is a video game composer, sound designer, sound director, and video game producer who worked for Konami since 1993 until his resignation in 2009. He is best known for creating the music in the Silent Hill series; he also worked as a sound director and producer on the series as well as serving as a...
, was released in Japan on July 16, 2003 and in North America on August 6, 2004. The song "You're Not Here", used in the game's introduction sequence, was included in the PS2 port of Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme is a music video game by Konami and is the eighth release in the main Dance Dance Revolution series. It was released on December 25, 2002 for Japanese arcades and on October 9, 2003 for the Japanese PlayStation 2...
. It is also included in the Silent Hill Experience UMD media pack and is featured during the closing credits of the Silent Hill movie
Silent Hill (film)
Silent Hill is a 2006 horror film directed by Christophe Gans and written by Roger Avary. The story is an adaptation of the Silent Hill series of survival horror video games created by Konami. The film, particularly its emotional, religious and aesthetic content as well as its creature design,...
released in 2006. The game's soundtrack is notable as the first using vocals prominently. Most of the vocalized tracks are performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is an American voice actress, ADR director, writer, and singer best known for her extensive English-language dubbing of various anime, and her singing in multiple games from the Silent Hill series, as well as the movie adaptation and Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME. She has...
(credited as Melissa Williamson). The end credits song "Hometown" is voiced by Joe Romersa
Joe Romersa
Joseph M. Romersa is an American song writer, drummer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, sound engineer and vocalist....
.
| Silent Hill 3 Original Soundtracks | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. |
"Lost Carol" "You're Not Here" "Float Up from Dream" "End of Small Sanctuary" "Sickness Unto Foolish Death" "Clockwork Little Happiness" "Please Love Me... Once More" "A Stray Child" |
0:37 3:46 1:22 1:42 4:14 3:06 3:24 1:54 5:28 |
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. |
"Innocent Moon" "Letter — from the Lost Days" "Dance with Night Wind" "Prayer" "Walk on Vanity Ruins" "I Want Love" "Heads No. 2" |
1:38 3:02 3:54 5:21 2:19 1:40 2:44 2:45 1:13 |
19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. |
"Memory of the Waters" "Rain of Brass Petals" "Flower Crown of Poppy" "Sun" "Uneternal Sleep" "Hometown" "I Want Love (Studio Mix)" |
1:46 3:39 2:13 1:47 1:00 6:04 4:40 5:01 |
||||||||||||||
Film adaptation
A film adaptation of Silent Hill 3, titled Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, is in post-productionPost-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
. The film will be a sequel to the film adaptation of the first installment in the Silent Hill series
Silent Hill (film)
Silent Hill is a 2006 horror film directed by Christophe Gans and written by Roger Avary. The story is an adaptation of the Silent Hill series of survival horror video games created by Konami. The film, particularly its emotional, religious and aesthetic content as well as its creature design,...
.
Reception
Silent Hill 3 received positive reviews, garnering an 83.79% rating at Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
for the PlayStation 2 version, and a 70.42% rating for the PC version. Its Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
rating for the PlayStation 2 version is 85/100, whilst the PC version has a rating of 72/100. The PC version fared less well than the PlayStation 2 version, with some PC reviewers drawing unfavourable comparisons of the game's combat and gameplay to other combat-based games found on the PC platform, whilst others highlighted some technical issues, such as poor gamepad support.
Positive reactions were given to the general horror and atmosphere of the game, including "truly horrifying sections" whilst it "packs some genuine scares" and "the feeling of eeriness and doom is almost overwhelming". The story told as part of the atmosphere was also received positively, making for a "satisfying, coherent sequel", although its status as such meant that "it may be a little tough to follow for people who haven't played the first game", despite "a laudable effort to help people catch up". In addition, the graphics, audio and general high production values were all credited with adding positively to the atmosphere.
Negative criticism largely stemmed from the lack of any innovations in gameplay; the game "doesn't do anything major that the series hasn't done before", "does little in term of innovation" and "doesn't offer much beyond the other titles in the series". Also criticised was the game's camera and control system which, despite having been improved from previous games, was described as "awkward, disorienting, and motion sickness-inducing". Some criticism also stemmed from the length of the game, as it "can be easily beaten in a handful of hours". In their retrospective review, Honestgamers.com wrote "What began as uncommon brilliance on the PlayStation, has degraded into a convoluted and senseless exercise in flexing visceral muscle while offering less and less in the way of engaging play. And the downward spiral began here", though that same review also praised the quality of the visuals, sound and music stating "it’s a work of art by PS2 standards".
Silent Hill 3 sold over 300,000 copies by November 2003. The game also topped sales charts in Japan upon its release.