Top 10 Best Ways to “Fix” Silent Hill: Downpour

Since I had fun recommending changes that I’d make to hypothetically improve Silent Hill: Homecoming, I also wanted to go more in-depth from my previously stated desire to redo Silent Hill: Downpour (again, the last mainline SH title released before the 2024 SH2 remake). While there will be a certain amount of overlap with suggestions I provided for Homecoming, there are also a few unique changes in Downpour that I’d make in addition to the former title.

10. Redesign (Average-Looking) Monsters

Despite having a couple of standout monsters (namely, the “Weeping Bat” and “Doll/Shadow”), the overall aesthetic of Downpour‘s enemies is admittedly a bit too average-looking compared to some of the series’ more bizarre attractions, with critics deriding most of them as feeling too much like “people wearing scary costumes.” To this, I recommend overhauling the notably humanoid enemies (such as the “Screamer” and “Prisoner”) to look exceedingly more disfigured and/or deformed in their overall designs, as supplemented by the addition of two or so new animal-based monstrosities.

9. Make the “Bogeyman” More Unique

Towards the middle of Downpour, players will start catching minor “glimpses” of a highly menacing, Pyramid Head-coded “tormentor” also nicknamed the “Bogeyman” [sic] that resembles a very tall man covered up with a full-body raincoat, gas mask, and rubber gloves and boots – also wielding a giant “hammer” made out of a cinder block and fire axe handle. While it’s very obvious what the Bogeyman is a stand-in for, I’d recommend more overtly emphasizing his nature as a dehumanizing “mantle” for someone’s hatred (and, as above, adjusting his design to make him much less human).

8. Have Murphy Be Guilty of Napier’s Death

One of the most contradictory (if not outright confusing) aspects of Downpour‘s narrative is that main protagonist Murphy Pendleton‘s level of guilt and culpability are actually somewhat…”fluid” based on the game’s central (but underdeveloped) morality choices that determine the character’s exact crime(s) and ending(s). This includes whether or not he actually kills Patrick Napier during the game’s opening combat tutorial: even though this is a very dark suggestion, I think that Murphy’s killing of Napier should be set in stone regardless of choices made – which I’ll extrapolate on below.

7. Fix Murphy’s Backstory…& the Morality System

As above, Downpour features a very loose (and, again, not-so-great) “morality” system that impacts the ending players receive – including whether or not Murphy is guilty of varying crimes in his time before and during prison. First and foremost, I’d redo Murphy’s backstory to have him commit a more serious (and believable) crime that landed him in prison with Napier; however, I’d also include additional (and more complex) choices throughout that could lead to new and different outcomes.

6. Streamline Combat, But Also Make It a Gamble

Overlapping with my recommendation to rework the awkward combat mechanics in Homecoming, I once again recommend using a version of the system featured in the SH2 remake: incorporating the ability to dodge (and also block) – but with some monsters dealing out very heavy damage. I’d also address one of Downpour‘s biggest gameplay issues by allowing Murphy to easily cycle between the sidearms and melee weapons he’s holding without needing to holster the former or drop the latter.

5. Provide a Bigger & Better Overworld

Another disappointing element in Downpour was its initial (and admittedly exciting) promise to incorporate an open-world gameplay structure – which ended up being very limited in scope and with random “side quests” sprinkled through a large but primarily inaccessible town. As I suggested before, the town should be greatly expanded with brand-new (accessible) locations and side quests; likewise, a certain side quest needs to be made completable well before losing access to the town.

4. Feature More Boss Encounters

Even though Downpour’s very scant number of boss encounters isn’t an entirely major deal (SH4: The Room only has two – and both are arguably more like environmental puzzles), I’d still recommend including at least a few more to round out the overall game experience. Obviously, I’d reincorporate the scrapped “Monocle Man” boss fight shown in earlier prerelease footage but would also suggest the inclusion of entirely new bosses; going even further, it might be fun to have some of these new bosses found only through careful exploration and/or accessible via additional side quests.

3. Rethink How the Otherworld Is Presented

In keeping with most of the previous titles from the series, Downpour‘s take on the Otherworld (a dark and nightmarish “alternate” version of Silent Hill) follows a near-singular concept: in this case, Murphy’s “other side” is primarily based around imprisonment and water (including key sequences where he has to escape from drowning). However, as some have pointed out, the odd “theme park” elements of these Otherworld segments (such as the multiple waterslide sequences and literal “cardboard” prison section) need to be reworked – or removed – since they just come off as too silly.

2. Tone Down the Void

Throughout the game’s major Otherworld portions, players will be doggedly pursued in short “chase” sequences by a strange, black hole-like entity called the Void, with various obstacles, puzzles, and even monsters slowing you down and/or blocking your escape. But while the Void is a scary concept on paper, the game’s presentation of it as a glowing red orb that twists everything around it is a bit too extreme for the SH series and should probably be reworked to be subtler and harder to grasp – maybe even have it be something as simple as having the location’s lighting and coloration change.

1. Incorporate (& Expand On) Anne’s Story

Released from 2014 to 2015, the four-part comic miniseries Anne’s Story served to fill in various plot details that were unaddressed in the final version of Downpour (and, appropriately, was reportedly based on a cancelled DLC campaign for the game). I’d not only suggest adapting and reintegrating it as a playable second campaign but also reworking and expanding on the story presented in the four comic issues (maybe even featuring exclusive monsters and an additional boss or two to deal with).