Top 10 Fascinating References in Silent Hill 3 (2003)

Following a brief hiatus from my previous articles on the first two installments of the series, I’m here today to share additional fascinating references provided throughout Silent Hill 3, as originally released for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) back in 2003. Before its official release, Silent Hill 3 was assumed to feature another “standalone” story like its predecessor, but was actually a direct continuation of the plotline from the original game…while also offering even more delectable pieces of trivia and lore.

10. What “Silent Hill 3” Could’ve Been

While this isn’t an interesting reference hailing from the actual game itself, certain parts of Silent Hill 3‘s preproduction are fascinating in their own right: namely, how the title almost wasn’t developed as a continuation of the original game’s story, per a translation of a 2005 interview with Akihiro Imamura and Akira Yamaoka (both former members of Team Silent). Furthermore, according to social media posts from background and creature designer Masahiro Ito, SH3 was also originally envisioned as a “rail shooter” before being scrapped in favor of the previous titles’ traditional format.

9. Old Silent Hill 2 Save Bonuses

This set of references is admittedly pretty well-known by the vast majority of the fan community, but I still feel like it’s worth mentioning that people playing Silent Hill 3 on the PS2 with save data from Silent Hill 2 on their memory cards will unlock a few interesting little “Easter eggs” that can be found throughout the course of the game. In particular, additional flavor text will appear if players examine an apartment mailbox, a poster at Heaven’s Night, and a fence on the roof of Brookhaven Hospital (also, be sure to see what happens if you search a certain toilet at the game’s opening mall location).

8. You Look(ed) Familiar…

After players exit through the window of the women’s bathroom and enter back into the mall near the very beginning of the game, they’ll soon run into Silent Hill 3‘s very first monster in the process of (very messily) devouring a corpse in a boutique store. Even though it’s quite hard to tell due to the cutscene’s quick editing, as well as the corpse’s face being obscured by copious gore, the “victim” is actually a reused character model of Angela Orosco from Silent Hill 2 (per her original 2001 design).

7. Hiding in Plain Sight

Speaking of the particular monster alluded to in the entry above, the large and imposing “Closer” (itself a conceptual carryover of the “Mandarin” from SH2) has what appear to be Japanese characters written on its abnormally shaped head: in fact, it’s actually a Buddhist chant. Known as the Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, the chant references the Lotus Sūtra scripture encompassing the Nichiren branch of Buddhism (as based on teachings established by Nichiren, a 13th-century priest).

6. All That Glitters Is Not Gold…or Silver?

During additional playthroughs of Silent Hill 3 (after beating the game at least once), players are given the option to throw the steel pipe weapon into the water where they just electrocuted the so-called “Sewer Monster” with a hairdryer. Doing so will trigger the appearance of the bizarre “Sewer Goddess,” who asks if the pipe you dropped was golden, silver, or neither: weirdly, this is an obscure reference to an ancient Greek fable about a woodcutter who accidentally dropped his axe into a lake.

5. Turning Japanese

In a similarly bizarre (and ridiculous) vein than the aforementioned encounter with the Sewer Goddess, players donning the unlockable Princess Heart costume (itself an amusingly unexpected reference to the “magical girl” subgenre of manga and anime) will find that a particular “Insane Cancer” enemy at the Hilltop Center will briefly speak in Japanese when approached. Additionally, if the player character is attacked (or killed) while this Easter egg is active, she’ll actually respond to the enemy in Japanese as well (with both speaking in the regional “Kansai” dialect of the language).

4. Game Over…OR IS IT!?

Silent Hill 3 is notable for having many randomized “scares” that have unspecified chances of activating during a given playthrough, with multiple examples being particular environmental sounds that will (or won’t) trigger to alarm players by creating an unnerving sense of doubt and paranoia (the spontaneously ringing payphone in the subway station be damned). However, a much more apparent example is how “game over” sequences will sometimes show a mysterious entity appear and drag the player character’s body away…the implication of which is greatly disturbing.

3. An Unexpected Cameo

While climbing a very long ladder in the “Otherworld” version of Brookhaven Hospital, players will pass by the mysterious entity mentioned above and what appears to be a nurse trapped and bound to the surrounding environment: apparently, per notes provided in the Japanese Lost Memories sourcebook, this figure is meant to represent Lisa Garland from SH1. This revelation is supported by the player character recalling “memories” of being treated for burn wounds at Alchemilla Hospital in a previous life, which ostensibly triggers Brookhaven’s transition into its “otherworldly” incarnation.

2. Around & Around

A recurring visual motif seen at various points throughout Silent Hill 3 is the image of valves being turned, with the action specifically being performed by the same entity alluded to in the last two entries on this list; in particular, this is almost always seen in close approximation to the game’s transitions into its Otherworld segments (though not completely limited to such). While this might be easy to disregard as a purposely strange background detail by some, it’s actually a very important reference to the game’s central themes of birth and rebirth in specific regards to its main character.

1. The (Troubling) Resolution to a Certain Mystery

As I discussed in another article regarding unresolved mysteries in the overarching SH franchise, main protagonist Heather looks back at the defeated final boss and briefly reacts to something we don’t see or hear with a notable look of surprise: according to additional social media posts by Ito, a sound of a baby crying was originally meant to be heard. Even though this detail has been confirmed to be what Heather is actually reacting to, and it perfectly fits Silent Hill 3‘s aforementioned themes of birth and rebirth, a part of me actually prefers the ambiguity left by the sound’s ultimate exclusion.