Keiichiro Toyama Knows What He Likes.

Siren was created by  Keiichiro Toyama. Toyama also was the project leader on the original Silent Hill. The games share a large number of similarities. First and foremost at the core, they are both based on mythos. They both use symbolism to express cultural and or group based beliefs. Secondly at the core, they both employ dynamism. Dynamism was used rather predominantly as an undertone in 1980s horror films. Dynamism is expressing the idea of all phenomenon as a force. In the case of the games, evil is the force being expressed. Evil as a force in and of itself. They both also use the concept of descending reality or alternate reality. The world around you is changed You're not in Kansas anymore. Aesthetically the games also share a number of similarities. They both make heavy use of dirt, and rust, and decay, and grime. They both employ fog and darkness to heighten claustrophobia and the general sense of dread. The games are inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft when it comes to the design of the enemies. They use his penchant for the grotesque. Sound is the last area they share similarities. They both employ noise in the same fashion. To unsettle you. They use actual sirens and alarms and sound. Musically is the one place they differ considerably in approach. Silent Hill used a cacophony of sound to keep you unsettled. Siren uses ambiance and silence and occasionally classic horror scoring tactics. What's readily apparent to me is that Toyama has used the same set of building blocks to create both titles. It's also clear to me from Siren just how much of what makes Silent Hill what it is came from Toyama...

Next time I should be covering the struggle and the desire.