uch like how innocent passersby wander into the foggy abyss that is Silent Hill never to return, fans of the series tend to stay devoted to these games because of their consistently disturbing thrills. But the warning lights are up now, Silent Hill has been spinning its wheels for too long, and it’s becoming harder for fans to stay lost in the fog.

Silent Hill has long been one of the most oppressively atmospheric franchises out there, and this is still true. You can almost feel the game’s hot breath on your neck as you watch its film grain effects or listen to the classic moody music. Every enemy looks like some kind of deformed human/beast hybrid stuffed into a cellophane wrapper and beaten with every splinter of God’s ugly stick. Like cockroaches they infect every area, only instead of scattering when they see your light, they lunge at you with a wail. Fans of the series know exactly what I’m talking about, and they’ll be happy to know that the Silent Hill routine has been faithfully delivered to this portable package.

But that’s the problem – Origins doesn’t do much that isn’t routinely delivered elsewhere. The new lock-on system is nice, but it doesn’t fix the stale combat that has been around since the PSone. Origin’s does have some fun puzzles, but it’s still too easy to miss an important item if you’re not used to searching every corner of every room. You could easily find yourself backtracking through areas to find one missing puzzle piece. The camera is still a little too random making it easy to get lost unless you check your map every time you enter a room, and I’m tired of wandering mazy halls trying every lock just to figure out where I have to go next.

This game will interest people who are into the series, especially with its story that unravels new details about the Silent Hill mythos. The bits about protagonist, truck driver Travis Grady, uncovering about his mysterious past are nice, and fan’s will get a kick out of his run-ins with series mainstays like the creepy young Alessa and nurse Lisa Garland. Unfortunately, the game has fallen into something like a rut in most other areas and less fanatical gamers won’t be as forgiving of its faults.