honestly a really fun, scary and exciting game. already sunk 32 hours into after just a few days. 10/10.

(new edit) the stranger things chapter 2 is SO GOOD. vecna is balanced, hes not too strong but not too weak, and he can be mastered - theres levels to ts. also, the character models for dustin, eleven, vecna etc are really well made. the only L from this update is nancy's remodel - but apparently thats because they lost the rights to natalie dyers likeness, so its understandable. anyway, love it. really good update. and for once, theres barely any bugs, and this is only in the ptb which is insane because by that logic, the full release of this chapter will be even better. w bhvr for this.

(old edit) i hate this game
genuinely only play this game if you want to hate the human species.

on a real note though, this game has serious issues. the community is appalling. you will either get toxic killers that slug and tunnel all game and then nod their head like theyre amazing at the game or that theyre funny, or on the other hand you will get toxic survivors that tbag the killer needlessly or sandbag and troll other survivors to ruin their experience. or lastly - you'll get people like the infamous annieilusion_ttv, who are just so oblivious to their own delusion and will do everything except take responsibility for being a complete ass. usually its easy to not let the community of a game influence your opinion on it, but with this game, its so in your face that you cannot avoid it. and the thing i hate most about this community problem, is that when you get in a game with either of these types of people, your natural instinct is to dc. but OHH NO you will get a dc penalty/ban that prevents you from playing. its like the devs DONT want you to play their game. I understand that dc'ing was a big issue in dbd, and so i respect that they made it harder for sore losers to stop disconnecting the second the game isnt going the way they want, but with such a toxic playerbase, its hard not to dc sometimes - especially when faced with players who want to make the experience miserable.

next is the problem with balancing. you will either go against killers that have no kind of cooldown or punishment for misusing their abilities - like the ghoul or legion for example that can use their ability to gain distance on survivors and cancel it to get quick and easy downs without any kind of punishment for cancelling their ability, or they will be using the most obnoxious perks that make it impossible for you to make any progress in the match. or you will go against a 4 man swf with perk builds that are solely purposed to making your experience as difficult and as painful as possible. and the problem with both sides is that some people will say the game is killer sided, while some will say its survivor sided. there is a severe divide in the community. my opinion? as someone who plays alot of both killer and survivor, i just say that the game is overall unbalanced on both sides. its just a mess.

next is map rng/randomness. some maps will have an insane amount of vaults and pallets that make it torture to play on as killer, but other maps will have dead zones everywhere with no vaults or pallets within a 32m+ range - making it nearly impossible for survivors to have a chance on.

then you will get problems with bugs and glitches and cheaters. i will admit that ive not had many issues with cheaters or glitches - so w anticheat i suppose, but the game is still spaghetti coded, and that often leads to odd issues arising when new content is added like new characters and perks.

i just hope some major changes can be made to this game, because i play it so much and love it. im addicted, but i also hate 3/4's of the time i spend on it, because the game is unbalanced, the community is abysmal, and players will exploit every unbalanced thing in the game to make your experience as either killer or survivor as miserable as possible.

not only that, but i miss the old vibe that the game had. it was darker and grittier, and had a watercolour/oil painting aesthetic that me and alot of people miss. now unfortunately i didnt play dbd back then, i started playing in the fnaf chapter, but ive still played well enough to know where the game's flaws are - and i understand that dbd is a more competitive game now, and if it had the same level of darkness and aesthetics that it did back then, it would be even more of a miserable experience.

i think the one of the most annoying things is when you get teammates that blame everything on you when they were throwing the game or doing nothing all game.

[EDIT] i felt the need to add this little segment in to complain about how broken killers like the legion are. i just went against a complete failure of society who was using legion to gain distance and block pallets and get easy downs. they were using spirit fury and gen pop perks to waste as much of our time and resources as possible while also making it impossible to progress. THEN, they had the AUDACITY to proxy camp me until i got sacrificed. so, like any normal individual, i scorched them for it in end game chat. their reply was that i was just crying. the nerve to play like that and then say im crying. I HATE THIS GAME.

anyway;
despite all of this, i still love the game for some reason, i just want it to improve.

jamtoes.

*if you want my deep-dive into the secrets and symbolism of this game, click on this link to my full review on google docs. (ive only done this because my review exceeds the maximum word count for steam if i put it all in one, so i must put my analysis section elsewhere. obviously, this analysis will be FULL of SPOILERS, so only read through if youve already beat the game and want answers/explanations, or if you dont care about being spoiled.*

i just finished the game... what an absolute masterpiece. i went into this game knowing the general plot - as i was spoiled, but even still, the game managed to scare me, give me goosebumps, make me interested in the story, and at times make me tear up. the details are genuinely immaculate. the symbolism of every action you do as james, and everything in the town of silent hill, all correlate to the story. everything has a meaning. if something looks strange or out of place, its most likely meant to. such a beautiful but horrifying game. the atmosphere is so eerie, it literally gave me goosebumps more than any other game ive ever played, and the sound design is INSANE. so well made. the acting is good - and especially good for james sunderland. they did an amazing job with this game. alot of people prefer the original, but from what ive experienced of this game and seen from the original, it seems like a faithful remake that just improves the overall experience and makes it more enjoyable for all kinds of players - even those new to silent hill like i was. my best advice going into this game is to stay away from as many spoilers if u can. but, if you do get spoiled, dont fret. just go into the game trying to spot as many details and symbolic messages as you can that are hinting and suggesting the events of the story. trust me, i did the same, and every time i spotted something that was a subtle nod to the story, i had to let out a gasp or go "holy sh!t" and the hairs on my arm raised with the biggest goosebumps ever. it is THAT type of game. a few things i could criticise it for is that it is a bit long winded, and some sections make you go back and forth in a level to figure out clues for puzzles - and that those puzzles can be quite confusing sometimes, to the point where you may resort to a tutorial. but other than that, its just genuinely an amazing game. not to mention that there is a ton of content including the base game which will most likely take around anywhere from 15-30 hours to complete - for me it was 20 ish, NG+ and 8 DIFFERENT ENDINGS, so theres plenty of replayability.. crazy.

this game is super atmospheric and eerie. i unfortunately already know the story and plot - however, the game still does really well at building a world of mystery. the fog is a HUGE feature - im serious. not only it is symbolic, but it makes you as the player often confused of where you are, and it severely adds to the atmosphere. speaking of symbolism; as someone who already knows the plot, im spotting subtle symbolism and metaphors everywhere, and when i do it gives me goosebumps. another thing that gives me goosebumps is the atmosphere of the game itself. it does a good job at making you feel uncertain and unsafe in the foggy streets of silent hill, and those ambient screech music notes that play in the background while you steadily explore is chilling af. lastly, the sound design and graphics are amazing - and its on ue5 and runs buttery smooth even at max graphics.
im playing it again rn and its genuinely so unnerving. im in the woodside apartments and im lost trying to figure my way around to the 3rd floor, and i keep hearing breathing, creaks, and all kinds of noises and its giving me goosebumps so bad. it feels like somethings always watching you, or that theres going to be a jumpscare at any moment genuinely the most 'scared' ive been while playing a horror game in ages. such a well made horror game.