Silent Hill 3: FAQs and Walkthrough with Synopsis U.S. Version Written by Collin Lee (adarkervision(at)yahoo(dot)com) Copyright September of 2003 by Collin Lee Version 2.0 UPDATE NOTE: The guide was updated again in September of 2008, five years after I originally wrote it. In the meantime I've become a father, and as such haven't written any new guides or had the time to even update this one, so this update was a large one, the culmination of several years more experience in the game, growth of my knowledge through reading and education, and tons of e-mails from the very, very helpful folk who love the series as much as I do. Where appropriate, I've added a notation as to who it was who helped me where it was needed. If your name isn't on here and you feel it should be, please send me a note and I'll fix it; it may just be that I've gotten multiple e-mails on the same tip, and lost track of just who told me what. That having been said, here's the things that were added in Version 2.0: Expanded the Valtiel Section significantly, added the solution to the royal flush t-shirt (and that was a beast), added a number of new references to horror movies, books, and so on, added notes on secrets and easter eggs that I hadn't seen or understood five years ago, and added new tricks, camera hacks and cheats from the PC version of the game, which didn't exist when this guide was originally written. -GUIDE OUTLINE- I. Introduction I-a. The Players (Characters) I-a-1. Heather I-a-2. Douglas I-a-3. Claudia I-a-4. Vincent I-b. Critters (Monsters) I-b-1. Closers I-b-2. Double Heads I-b-3. Insane Cancers I-b-4. Numb Bodies I-b-5. Nurses I-b-6. Pendulums I-b-7. Scrapers I-b-8. Slurpers I-c. The Arsenal (Weapons) I-c-1. Knife I-c-2. Steel Pipe I-c-3. Maul I-c-4. Katana I-c-5. Stun Gun I-c-6. Handgun I-c-7. Shotgun I-c-8. Submachine Gun I-d. The Good Stuff (Secret Weapons) I-d-1. Beam Saber I-d-2. Flamethrower I-d-3. Unlimited Submachine Gun I-d-4. Heather Beam I-d-5. Sexy Beam I-e. Your Stuff (Support Items) I-e-1. Health Drink I-e-2. First Aid Kit I-e-3. Ampoule I-e-4. Beef Jerky I-e-5. Handgun Bullets I-e-6. Shotgun Shells I-e-7. Submachine Gun Clip I-e-8. Stun Gun Battery I-f. Tricks of the Trade I-f-1. Before you Begin I-f-2. Exploring I-f-3. Combat Tips II. The Walkthrough II-a. Part One: "Worse than Christmas Season" II-a-1. Prelude: "The Unhappiest Place on Earth...": Lakeside Amusement Park II-a-2. "Does this gaping chest wound match my pants?": Central Square Shopping Center II-a-3. "Clean-up in aisle five..." Central Square Dark Side II-a-4. BOSS BATTLE: SPLITWORM II-b. Part Two: "There's a World Going On Underground..." II-b-1. "Eat Subway, Eat Flesh...": The Subway Tunnels II-b-2. "Sewers; The New Smell of Fear..." The Underground Passage II-c. Part Three: "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Dying..." II-c-1. "Some Spackle, a new coat of paint... and it will still suck.": Unfinished Building II-c-2. "Forget Fortune's 500, this is Fortune's 666..." Hilltop Center Office Building II-c-3. "Business so evil, it must be owned by Bill Gates...": Hilltop Center Dark Side II-c-4. BOSS FIGHT: MISSIONARY II-d. Part Four: "Shotgun Surgery at Brookhaven Hospital..." II-d-1. "Silent Hill: Come for the scenery, stay for the mind-numbing horror..." The Town II-d-2. "Helllloooo Nurse!": Brookhaven Hospital II-d-3. "I don't think my HMO is going to cover this...": Brookhaven Dark Side II-d-4. BOSS BATTLE: LEONARD II-e. Part Five: "Daddy, what is Robbie the Rabbit doing to that man's face?" II-e-1. "Are we there yet?": The streets of Silent Hill II-e-2. "Mommy, can we go on the 'Meat-Spewing Baby Eater' ride?": Lakeside Amusement Park II-e-3. BOSS BATTLE: MEMORY OF ALESSA II-f. Part Six: "Taking Communion at Our Lady of the Bloodbath." II-f-1. "My advice? Don't drink the Kool-Aid...": The Church II-f-2. FINAL BOSS BATTLE: THE GOD II-g. Part Seven: Epilogue III. Endings III-a. "Normal" Ending III-b. "Possessed" Ending III-c. "Revenge" Ending IV. Puzzles IV-a. Bookstore Puzzle IV-a-1. Easy IV-a-2. Normal IV-a-3. Hard IV-b. Hospital Second Floor Key Code Puzzle IV-b-1. Easy IV-b-2. Normal IV-b-3. Hard IV-c. Hospital Briefcase Puzzle IV-c-1. Easy IV-c-2. Normal IV-c-3. Hard IV-d. Hospital Mortuary Puzzle IV-d-1. Easy IV-d-2. Normal IV-d-3. Hard IV-e. Tarot Card Puzzle IV-e-1. Easy IV-e-2. Normal IV-e-3. Hard V. Secrets And Mysteries V-a. ADDITIONAL ACTION LEVELS V-b. BULLET ADJUST V-c. GOLD AND SILVER PIPES V-d. BONUS WEAPONS V-e. UNLIMITED SUB-MACHINEGUN V-f. HEATHER BEAM/SEXY BEAM V-g. COSTUMES V-g-1. Transform Costume V-g-2. Heather Shirt V-g-3. Don't Touch Shirt V-g-4. Block Head Shirt V-g-5. God of Thunder Shirt V-g-6. Transience Shirt V-g-7. Golden Rooster Shirt V-g-8. Royal Flush Shirt V-g-9. Killer Rabbit Shirt V-g-10. Onsen Shirt V-g-11. Zipper Shirt V-g-12. The Light Shirt V-g-13. EGM Shirt V-g-14. GamePro Shirt V-g-15. Game Informer Shirt V-g-16. Official PS Magazine Shirt V-g-17. OPS2 Shirt V-g-18. PS2RO Shirt V-g-19. Play Shirt V-g-20. GameSpy.com Shirt V-g-21. IGN.COM Shirt V-g-22. 13eme Rue Shirt V-g-23. Game Reactor Shirt V-g-24. GMR Shirt V-g-25. GN Shirt V-h. DOUGLAS- KING OF NO PANTS V-i. EASTEREGGS V-i-1. SPECIAL DEATH SCENES V-i-2. VALTIEL V-i-3. EXTRA NEW GAME WEIRDNESS V-i-4. LIFE DISPLAY V-i-5. SILENT HILL 2 REFERENCES V-i-6. METAL GEAR SOLID REFERENCE V-i-7. JACOB'S LADDER REFERENCE v-i-8. STEPHEN KING REFERENCES v-i-9. HOUSE OF LEAVES REFERENCE v-10-9. CAFE TURN MILL v-11-9. BORLEY HAUNTED MANSION v-12-9. SESSION 9 REFERENCE v-13-9. EXORCIST 3 REFERENCE V-j. HOW TO GET A PERFECT RANKING VI. Final Review VII. Conclusion and Farewell I. Introduction Good evening ladies and germs. You are about to take a journey into one of the darkest and most frightening games of all time, Silent Hill 3. Silent Hill has always been my favorite vacationing spots: there is something about its dark and nightmare haunted streets and the sound of the howls of the damned echoing off of Taluca Lake that has made me want to return to this town again and again. If this is your first foray into the town that sanity forgot, I envy you: you are in for an unforgettable horror treat like no other. However, if you haven't played the previous games in the series, I suggest you do so before playing venturing further into Silent Hill 3. Unlike Silent Hill 2, which was more of a spiritual successor, taking place in the same town as the original Silent Hill game, and thus could be played by itself without having played the first game, Silent Hill 3 is a direct sequel to the original Silent Hill. It follows up on characters, locations, and events that took place in the original game, and while it does a very good job of summarizing the important bits of the first game, there is no substitute for first-hand knowledge. And since the original Silent Hill is still one of the best and most frightening games ever, you should play the first game simply because it is a real treat. That having been said, here is a little history on the series. Silent Hill was originally published for the Sony Playstation in 1999 by Konami, and was an instant classic. Often compared to Resident Evil due to its survival horror roots, Silent Hill took a different approach to the genre than Capcom's B-movie zombie shooter. While Resident Evil put its emphasis on combat against the undead and "boo" scary frights, Silent Hill focused on ambience and psychological horror. Where Resident Evil had highly trained soldiers and police officers as the main protagonists, Silent Hill had a simple writer lost and out of his element. This meant that he was not nearly as adept with his weapons as he could have been, got more and more tired as he ran throughout the large town, and seemed constantly to be almost overwhelmed by the horrors around him. At the same time the combat seemed grittier than in Resident Evil, with the inclusion of melee weapons such as Steel Pipes and Emergency Hammers and the necessity to stomp on or kick your enemies once they fell, to make sure they didn't get up again. Where Resident Evil rejoiced in showing you your rotting foes in all their lurid glory, Silent Hill frightened you with what you couldn't see. The environments were all clouded in darkness and fog, and your enemies were little more than forms in the shadows around you, heightening the sense of dread that built throughout the game. While the ambiguity of the story put off some players (Sony wouldn't allow direct references to Satanism on any games made for their system, so Konami had to be more cryptic than was probably good for them), the exceptionally dark ambience, tight gameplay, and deeply frightening moments turned Silent Hill into a sleeper hit for both Sony and Konami, and left fans screaming for more. Or maybe they were just screaming. It was scary. Enter Silent Hill 2, released by Konami in September of 2001 for the Playstation 2. Silent Hill did not offer a direct sequel to the original Silent Hill, instead deciding to take things in a different direction. Since the events of the original Silent Hill, the town itself has become a sort of beacon for the lost and the damned, offering salvation or damnation to those who heed its dark call. Combat and basic gameplay remained more or less unchanged from the original, but the beautifully updated graphics, excellent story telling, superb sound and voice acting, and twisted imagery set a precedent for the fledgling game system that was rarely matched and never outdone until Silent Hill 3 was released two years later. A slightly updated version of Silent Hill 2, called Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams was released 2 months after the PS2 version for the Microsoft X-Box, offering more detailed graphics, another ending, and expanded gameplay in the form of a second scenario featuring a supporting character from the storyline. In 2002, the enhanced version of Silent Hill 2 was released for the PS2 in the form of the PS2's Greatest Hits line. Which brings us to August of 2003 and the U.S. Release of Silent Hill 3 (followed by the PC version of the game in December of the same year). This game features a return to and continuation of the original story, but with new characters, new enemies, and new locations, as well as a re-visitation of familiar material. Other than the addition of an automatic weapon, some new support items, and a few minor gameplay tweaks, Silent Hill 3 remains true to the Silent Hill series in respect to gameplay, puzzles, ambience, and out and out horror. It is also arguably the best-looking game available for any system, featuring graphics that are simply mind-bendingly beautiful while at the same time inducing nightmares. So step inside and find out what it is that makes Silent Hill 3 one of the best horror experiences of all time... I-a. The Players I-a-1. Heather Heather is a seemingly ordinary seventeen-year-old girl, with a smart mouth and a bit of an attitude, though she is loving and respectful to her father. One day, on a typical Sunday trip to the mall, Heather finds herself trapped in a twisted nightmare world, populated by hideously monstrous creatures. Lost and alone she arms herself and sets out, not to save the world, but rather her own hide. But sometimes things happen that we never plan for... I-a-2. Douglas In his late fifties, Douglas is a private detective who has been sent by mysterious forces to find Heather. He needs to talk to her about her past, something having to do with the day she was born. The strange events that happen in the game begin only minutes after he tracks Heather down at the Central Square Mall. Could he have something to do with the Unholy events that unfold? I-a-3. Claudia This beautiful and mysterious woman is the first living human being that Heather encounters after the world goes crazy. She seems to know something of what is going on, but speaks in cryptically spiritual terms. She seems to be some kind of religious fanatic, but what God does she serve? I-a-4. Vincent Vincent is a strange and unsettling young man who seems to know more about events than he is willing to say. He shows up occasionally to give Heather clues and guidance, but what he is playing at is unclear, other than that he has a chip on his shoulder towards Claudia. His unflinching arrogance seems to mask something more, but is he Heather's friend, or enemy? I-b. Critters (In alphabetical order) I-b-1. Closers These are large, almost simian monsters with long, bulbous arms. They attack by attempting to impale Heather on a needle-like blade that comes from the end of their arms. From Brookhaven Hospital on, any Closers you encounter will also attack by swinging their arms around themselves in a circular pattern, effectively keeping you at bay. This is an enemy that also gets tougher the later in the game that you encounter them, inflicting more damage and taking more damage to kill, so your combat tactics will have to change along with them. The special Closers in the last stage, who's skin crawls with blackish, blood-like smoke, are devastatingly powerful, fast, and tough, and should probably be avoided. The most effective way to combat a Closer is to fire the Handgun at it while backing away, and strafing to the sides if it is backing you into a corner. If you are using a melee weapon, the best tactic is to come in at an angle from behind and strike fast, or to block their initial strikes and retaliate. Once they start swinging their arms around them, the best thing to do is step back and wait for them to finish, circling around them using strafe while they are standing in place, then move in and strike when their arms stop. Just be sure to get out of the way when they start swinging again. Most of their attacks can be interrupted by a strong hit from a melee weapon, if it is properly timed: a overhead attack (press and hold down attack button once) or a thrusting attack (forward and press the attack button) used right before one of their attacks lands may stun them and disrupt their own attack. If one doesn't work, alternate with the other. Since Closers are fairly slow moving (and tough), the best bet on your first time through the game is to run right past them and save yourself the hassle, since they won't be able to keep up. If you face more than one at a time and running isn't an option, kill one with the Handgun, strafing constantly until one falls, dash in and kick it to finish it, then switch to the Steel Pipe or Katana to take out the other one. Special note: The Closers are the only creatures other than the ever-present Nurses returning from an earlier Silent Hill game. In Silent Hill 2, they would hang from the underside of the grating in the Dark Side version of the town, swinging from their long arms as they pursued James. I-b-2. Double Heads Every horror game worth it's salt has a good undead dog, and the Double Head is an especially disturbing little pooch. It trails filthy bandages from its sides as it runs swiftly at you, and they aren't just there for show; they seem to be holding the creature together. Double Heads faces split in two vertically, rather than horizontally when it attacks, as if it was sliced in two and then bandaged back together haphazardly. They are swift and often hunt in packs. Most likely you will hear them before you see them, as they let out a bone-chilling howl when they spot living prey. Their first attack will often be to run straight at you and leap, smashing into you and chomping on you as they sail by. Their secondary attack, once they are right on top of you, is to grab your leg and savage you with their teeth. If this happens, press the action button and wiggle the left analog stick to pull free. The best way to deal with them is with the Handgun as you strafe around them, as five or six shots will put them on the ground, and another will put them down for good (although it is better to stomp them to save ammo once they are down). To conserve ammo, a fast melee weapon will work in a pinch, but it requires precise timing that can only be gotten through practice. When facing a Double Head solo, face it and wait for it to run at you. Just as it springs to hit you with it's leaping attack, use an overhead strike (press and hold down attack button) to smack it out of the air. If you miss, or your timing is off, the Double Head will most likely dash away before you can strike, unless you are near a wall. Facing out of a corner is actually the best way to face a Double Head, since if you miss it or it runs by you, it will run into the corner, where you can quickly bash it before it runs away. A block and attack combo doesn't work as well against them, since by the time you have lowered your guard, they have most likely bounded away again (once again, unless you are standing in a corner; then the block/attack works great). Once you have hit it once, don't let up; the overhead attack will also stun it momentarily, allowing you to hit it with a series of overhead strikes, one after another, until it falls. This is best achieved by simply holding down the attack button after you connect once, and Heather will keep chopping away at whatever is in front of her. Once it is down you can just keep hacking, or kick it a couple of times. If there is more than one Double Head in the area, and running isn't an option, kill all but the last one with the handgun, then switch to the Steel Pipe or Katana to finish off the straggler. I-b-3. Insane Cancers The name says it all. These maggot-white, putrescent masses of flesh are usually slumbering idly when Heather encounters them, but are quick to rise if you get too close, and can both run and strike with surprising speed. It takes a lot of damage to put them down permanently, so technically the best weapon for the job is the Shotgun at a close range. However, you don't want to waste ammo on these monstrosities, first of all because it takes so much ammo to put them down, and secondly because melee weapons can be much more effective. First of all, it isn't generally a good idea to attack them when they are lying on the ground. They are resistant to such damage (although it does hurt them somewhat) and can rise and attack in the same motion. If given an opportunity to attack them from behind, bash away with your heaviest melee weapon (even the Maul, but only if their backs are to you) as they are turning around. They have two basic attacks; the one- armed swing attack and the two-handed overhead bash. Both are surprisingly quick and fairly damaging. A well-timed overhead attack (hold down attack button) or thrusting attack (forward and the attack button) can disrupt either attack. If one doesn't work, try the other, alternating between the two. When they fall down, don't be fooled: they are most likely just recuperating. This could be a good opportunity to re-group and heal if necessary, but don't leave them lying there for long, as they heal as they lie on the ground. Instead, keep bashing away until they rise again, and start the whole thing over. Unless you gave them time to heal, the second time they fall should be their last. Kick them or keep bashing them with the overhead strike. When they are finally dead, they will make a distinctive death rattle, and then begin to actually deflate. A little key; if they ain't flat, they ain't flat lined. Facing off against more than one Insane Cancer at a time is a recipe for a good ass whupping. Since they don't react until you approach make sure to face one, then the other, instead of angering them both at once. I-b-4. Numb Bodies These things are going to be your whipping boys... or your whipping fish-things, rather. They look a bit like faceless fish with spindly legs made out of purplish raw and diseased flesh. They move rather slowly and can attack only by lunging at Heather and bumping her with their mouth-less heads. Never bother to waste ammunition on them, as they are pathetically weak and can be defeated with a few good whacks from the Steel Pipe or the Katana. Since pretty much any attack that connects with them can disrupt their own attacks they are easily beaten down. It is when you face them in numbers that they can become dangerous. One will draw your attacks while their companions work their way in from the sides to pummel you from multiple directions. If this happens, you should back up if possible and try to get them to separate, so that you can kill them one at a time. If you get backed into a corner, try to spread them out with the Shotgun or leave through a door and then come right back in to get them off your tail. Beef Jerky works pretty well with them, as they tend to move in patrol patterns; simply place the Jerky in a location you know they will be walking through, wait for them to start munching, then smack them from behind. They come in three varieties, small, medium, and large, but they should all be dealt with the same way; just beat them like a redheaded stepchild. No offence meant to any redheaded stepchildren out there. I-b-5. Nurses Affectionately known as "Bobble Heads", the Nurses are the only creatures who have been in all Silent Hill games, in one form or another. They are constantly evolving throughout the series; in the original Silent Hill they looked like ordinary, dead nurses with some sort of pulpy, parasitic growth on their backs. In Silent Hill two they became more loathsomely feminine, lost the leeches, and began wandering the town outside of the Hospitals. In Silent Hill 3 they retain much of their look from Silent Hill 2, but now some of them are pistol-packing mamas. In all three games they wield Steel Pipes, but in Silent Hill 3, if you play on Normal or higher difficulty levels, some of them also carry revolvers. Pipe wielding Nurses attack by either swinging them overhead, or by jabbing at you with them, depending on how close you are to them. Either attack can be disrupted by a strong attack of your own, but not always. Sometimes the best way to deal with a Pipe swinging Nurse is to block her attack with your defensive stance, then retaliate with an attack of your own. Revolver wielding Nurses will either shoot at you, if you are still further away from them, or attempt to pistol-whip you if you get too close. The gunshot cannot be blocked, so the best thing to do is try to keep something between you and them while they are firing (preferably another Nurse) and then charge in close to engage them hand to hand. Once you are in close, deal with them just as you would a Pipe wielding Nurse. Normally, if you are careful, they can be taken on one at a time, which is obviously the best way to deal with them. There are a few places, however, where they come rushing at you in groups of two or more, up to four at once. Then the Shotgun is the tool of the trade, at least until you get them thinned out or knocked to the ground where they are more easily dealt with using melee weapons. Although a boot to the face is always particularly satisfying as well. I-b-6. Pendulums Lord how I hate the damn Pendulums. You will always know when a Pendulum is nearby, because they make a horrible noise not unlike a cat being beaten to death with a bagpipe. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but it is a high-pitched rusty squealing noise that grates on your nerves and won't stop until you have left the area where they reside, or until they are dead. Obviously, dead is better, but that is more easily said than done. These creatures are like flying, wingless food processors, spinning end over end through the sky with blades sticking out all over the place. Combine that with a dead body wrapped in a dirty shroud, and you are starting to get the idea. Handguns are not effective against these creatures while they are in the air, as all shots seem to miss, and send the Pendulum spinning towards you at a greater speed, rushing the direction that the shot came from. The Submachine Gun works pretty well to take them down, but don't waste the ammo from this precious weapon. One of the most effective tools you can use is just a single blast from your Shotgun from close range while they are in the air. This will knock them out of the air, where you can finish them a lot more easily with the Handgun or a melee weapon. Once you are toe to toe with them, they will try to "head"-butt you to do damage, but a solid hit can disrupt this attack. If you don't want to knock them out of the air with the Shotgun, you can use a fast melee weapon like the Katana or the Steel Pipe to do the trick: when they charge you, don't panic, but rather strafe left or right and quickly strike them as they pass. This too will knock them out of the air so that you can deal with them more easily, but takes a steady hand and precise timing. Yet another, far easier way of dealing with them is the block and strike method (simply block their swipes and then immediately counter attack before they can get their defenses up). However, the best way to deal with this enemy, especially if they aren't alone, is the "run away like a scared little girl" method. It may sound complicated, but with a little practice you should get the hang of it. Fighting a Pendulum is simply more frustrating than it is rewarding. I-b-7. Scrapers These enemies are fast, but they are really pushovers, especially considering how late in the game they appear. They closely resemble the Boss Monster called Missionary, but they are smaller and a lot less resilient. They are of human size and shape, but their head is an unidentifiable mass, and they carry rusty but razor sharp blades in each hand. They have two main attacks, a running slash, and a standing slash. When charging you for the running slash, they are capable of moving surprisingly fast, so stay on your toes. For either form of their attack, they best way to deal with them is by blocking their initial swipes, then counter-attacking before they can recover for another action. The Katana is the best weapon for the job, because once you get a strong strike in, it is all over for them. A strong strike disrupts any attacks they were going to make, and gives you plenty of time to hit them just as hard the next time. It only takes two or three strikes to knock them to the floor, then you can finish them off with overhead strikes while standing above them, or with an old fashioned boot to the head. If you are attacked by more than one at a time, the Shotgun should make short work of them, but usually it is in your best interest to avoid fights with more than one of them. I-b-8. Slurpers These are the second noisiest and most irritating creatures in the game. They make a rising and falling chirruping noise as they move around, crawling along the floors like a lizard, and just as capable of moving suddenly and devastatingly fast without any warning. They are mostly humanoid, with a leathery, proboscis-like snout, beady eyes, and club-like front limbs. As they move in for the attack, they will often dart suddenly forward and yank Heather's feet out from under her, they crawl over her to inflict additional damage after she is on the ground. Handguns and shotguns can work great against them, but the proper use of a good melee weapon is really the way to go. Since they crawl so low to the ground, only melee weapons with a good overhead attack are effective against them. Well-timed attacks can disrupt any attacks they were attempting to make, and allow you to keep beating on them. Attacking from the side or from the back is always your best bet, but can be difficult to maneuver with any regularity. This foe is one of the best to use Beef Jerky against, as it is somewhat near-sighted and will snack on the treat even if Heather is fairly close. This will allow you to circle around it to the side or from the back and hit it hard. This is also one enemy that the Maul works pretty well against, due to its reach and its ability to hit foes even low to the ground. After a few hits from any weapon the Slurper will fall still and play possum. Don't be fooled by this, as it will burst back to life and sweep Heather's legs out from under her if she gets too close. Only when the Slurper emits its loud and distinctive death cry, and then falls entirely silent, is it truly dead. If attacked by a group of more than one Slurper wait for them to bunch up and rain your anger down upon them with the Shotgun until their numbers are thinned. Note: since these enemies are close to the ground, Heather can actually kick them or stomp on them for an attack. It doesn't do a lot of damage, but it is fast and can be an effective weapon... but only if she attacks from the back or sides. Otherwise, the Slurper will just swipe her feet out from underneath her and attack her while she is prone. I-c. The Arsenal I-c-1. Knife You start the game with the knife. What this weapon lacks in attack power and reach, it makes up for in uselessness. It is pretty fast, I guess, but unless you have no other choice it is best to leave this weapon in your inventory and forget about it. It can be fun to use against Numb Bodies, just to prove how pathetic they are, but it is usually a waste of time. The knife can be used to perform Sweep attacks (pressing the attack button) or Thrust attacks (holding the attack button). The Thrust attack does more damage but is not quite as fast, while you can string together up to three Sweep attacks in a row, after which Heather will pause for a moment, and then can do another round of three attacks. You can overcome this limit by tapping the attack button twice, waiting a split second, and then pressing it twice again. This will result in an unbroken chain of two swipe attacks. Furthermore, the Sweep attack can hit more than one enemy in a single swipe, and you can even move forward and back or side-to-side while performing a Sweep attack. It doesn't make it much less useless, however. I-c-2. Steel Pipe The Steel Pipe can be found in the Central Square Shopping Center (Dark Side) in the second floor Café Turnmill kitchen, hanging from the wall. This weapon will be your best buddy through the first parts of the game, until you replace it with the Katana and never look back. It is a blunt length of metal about three feet long that can be used for three basic kinds of attack: a side-to-side Sweep attack (press the attack button), and overhead Bashing attack (press and hold the attack button), or a Thrusting attack (pressing forward and holding the attack button). You can string together up to three Sweep attacks in a row, after which Heather will pause for a moment, and then can do another round of three attacks. You can overcome this limit by tapping the attack button twice, waiting a split second, and then pressing it twice again. This will result in an unbroken chain of two swipe attacks. Furthermore, the Sweep attack can hit more than one enemy in a single swipe, and you can even move forward and back or side-to-side while performing a Sweep attack. The Thrust attack is a quick jab to the enemy's midsection, and this attack can disrupt an attack that the enemy is beginning. And finally there is the all-useful Bash attack, in which you raise the weapon over your head and swing it straight downward, causing a good chunk of damage and also capable of disrupting enemies' attacks. The Bash attack can also be used to beat enemies while they are on the ground, which means that you can continue to hit them even after they have fallen. So feel free to go all caveman on them. Special Notes: the Gold and Silver Pipes that you can get in an Extra Save Game function identically to the Steel Pipe. For information on how to obtain them, read subsection V-c in section V, "Secrets and Mysteries". I-c-3. Maul This weapon is found in the Employee Locker Room in the Underground Passage, on the upper floor. The Maul is a great weapon, but is really rather useless for practical purposes, kind of like the Great Knife you could steal from Pyramid Head in Silent Hill 2. Slow, heavy, and very difficult to wield, the Maul is a three-foot long length of handle with a heavy, spiked ball on the end. It has two kinds of attacks, a Sweep attack, and a Bashing attack, but can do four kinds of damage. That is because the damage it afflicts is different, depending on whether you strike with the handle (less damage) or the head (a lot more damage). This huge weapon is a little much for poor, petite little Heather to use effectively, as you cannot move while swinging it or even hit more than one enemy at a time with it. If you can master the timing necessary to use this unique weapon, its effects can be devastating. The Sweep attack is a single, side-to-side attack, and does respectable damage. It is also a bit faster than the Bash attack. The Bash attack is slow and awkward, but if you can get the Maul's head to hit what you are swinging at, the results are devastating. The Bashing attack is the second most damaging attack you can make with a regular weapon, next to the Katana's Thrusting attack. This weapon works wonders against Slurpers, if you can get the timing of the Bash right to intercept them before they get to you. If you don't take time to practice the timing of attacks with this weapon, it is best not to try to use it in combat situations. If you do master the timing, it can be one of the most effective tools in the game. I-c-4. Katana The Katana can be found in the second floor art storage closet in Hilltop Center (Dark Side), behind the Gallery of Fine Arts. This weapon will be your best and closest companion through the second half of the game. An elegant, precise weapon of war, the Katana may be the most famous sword-type in the world. Technically, I believe this particular weapon to be a Wakizashi, a shorter companion to the Katana, which was wielded in the Samurai's less adept hand when using Musashi's two-handed fighting style. Heather finds a Daisho (matched set), and chooses the smaller of the two blades, due to her relatively small size. It is still quite effective, and has the potential to be the most damaging normal weapon in the game (if you use the Thrusting attack with proper timing). The Katana can perform three different types of attack: the Sweeping (side-to-side) attack (press the attack button), the Hacking (overhead) attack (press and hold the attack button), and the Thrusting (forward stabbing) attack (press forward and hold the attack button). You can string together up to three Sweep attacks in a row, after which Heather will pause for a moment, and then can do another round of three attacks. You can overcome this limit by tapping the attack button twice, waiting a split second, and then pressing it twice again. This will result in an unbroken chain of two swipe attacks. Furthermore, the Sweep attack can hit more than one enemy in a single swipe, but due to the precision and concentration needed to properly use the Katana, Heather can't move while attacking. The hacking attack is the most useful and effective, does a moderate amount of damage, and can disrupt an enemy's attack. The Thrust attack is a quick forward stab, does a good deal of damage, and can disrupt an enemy's attack. Furthermore, the Thrust attack is exceptionally powerful if you can hit the enemy from behind with it, catch them unawares, or use it as a finishing strike (the last blow that kills an enemy). All forms of the Katana's attack are fairly fast, and fairly powerful. The Katana is a good, effective all-around weapon. I-c-5. Stun Gun You find the Stun Gun in Daisy Villa Apartments, in Heather's dresser drawer. Heather's dad gave her the Stun Gun to defend herself, but she usually leaves it at home. Ironically enough, it is just about as effective buried in her sock drawer as it is in her hand. It has even less range than Heather's pig sticker (her pathetic excuse for a knife) and sends out a moderate amount of damage with a successful strike. The Stun Gun uses Stun Gun batteries, each of which has enough charge for four attacks before it is out of juice and you have to use another one. Furthermore, Stun Gun batteries are rare in the game, so you can't just use the thing to zap anything you want to. If you run out of battery power, Heather will continue to use the weapon, doing ridiculously low damage with each successful hit; dragging your feet across the carpet while wearing wool socks and then tapping enemies on the nose would probably be more effective. What is worse, Heather won't even reload the thing on her own, so each time you run out of juice you will have to manually go to the menu screen and reload it. It is THE weapon to use if you are ever attacked by a blind, retarded quadriplegic. I-c-6. Handgun The Handgun is found in Central Square Shoppping Center (Normal Side), in Boutique Marguerite (the women's clothing store) on the first floor. Ah, the Handgun. This is the screwdriver in the Survival Horror player's toolbox: not the most impressive tool, but one of the most useful. The Handgun's magazine holds 10 rounds, and is the first useful weapon found in the game. It has a fairly fast rate of fire, and although the shots are not very powerful, the Handgun has great range. Furthermore, you can move in any direction while firing the Handgun, and even strafe from side to side. Heather is by no means an expert markswoman, and sometimes her shots go wide, even when you are aiming directly at an enemy, but that is just part of the deal. When you are in the combat stance, Heather will remained locked onto one enemy even when strafing. To change targets, use the left analog stick. When Heather is not locked on to an enemy, she holds the gun close to her chest, so this can be used as in indicator to tell if Heather has a monster in her sights. Simply go into the combat stance and move forward, and when she gets closer she will point her gun at the enemy to show she is locked on. The Handgun can be equipped with a Silencer, which muffles the sound of your gunfire so that nearby enemies won't come to investigate. However, the Silencer slightly reduces the Handgun's attack power, so use judgment when deciding whether to use the Silencer or not. I-c-7. Shotgun The Shotgun is found in Hazel Street Station, Platform 2 on floor B3, inside the derelict Subway car. All right you primitive Screwheads, listen up. This... is your Boomstick! Sorry, I know that was obvious and cliché, but it was also absolutely necessary. I'm done now, really. Anyway, the Shotgun is an almost indispensable part of the Survival Horror experience. The cone-shaped blast of the Shotgun is capable of causing moderate damage to all enemies in its blast radius a medium range, or massive amounts of damage to a single enemy at short range. That is why it is THE weapon to use during Boss Battles: accept no substitutes. The weapon can hold 6 shots at a time, and can be slow to reload, not to mention that you can't move or strafe while firing it, which means that it shouldn't be used when you are being attacked from more than one side. However, any time you need to do massive damage to a single enemy, or whenever multiple enemies bunch into the same general area, this is your weapon of choice. The massive blast let off when the Shotgun is fired can cause enemies from further away to become aware of your presence and come attack you. If you go into the combat stance when there are enemies near, Heather will automatically lock on to the nearest enemy. If you walk into a room already holding down the combat stance button, Heather will simply aim it forward, regardless of where the enemies are in the room. For this reason, it is best to not raise the weapon until you are ready to use it. Remember, shop smart... shop S-Mart. I-c-8. Submachine Gun The Submachine Gun can be found in Brookhaven Hospital (Normal Side), in the Basement corridor, in front of the elevators. Automatic firearms make their appearance for the first time in the series with the discovery of the SMG. To use it, simply equip it, go into the combat stance, and press the attack button. The SMG fires half of its clip in a single burst (15 rounds with a single tap of the button), and since there are only 32 rounds in a clip, you will go through ammo for this weapon rapidly. So it is best to only break out this weapon for special occasions or when you really want to lay waste to something. You can't move while firing the SMG, but you can use the left analog stick to sweep the barrel of the gun up, down, or from side-to-side, effectively covering a whole room. The Silencer can be used with this weapon, which makes the shots quieter but less powerful, so use the Silencer only if you need to avoid the attention of nearby enemies. I-d. The Good Stuff I-d-1. Beam Saber The Beam Saber is a special weapon that can only be obtained during an Extra New Game. For details on how to get your hands on this fine weapon, see subsection V-d in section V, "Secrets and Mysteries". Repeat after me: "This is not a Light Saber (registered trademark of Lucasfilms Limited, all rights reserved)". Now that little bit of legal hiney covering is out of the way, let's talk about what it can do. When the Light... BEAM Saber is equipped but not in use, Heather just holds the metal handle. Going into the combat stance ignites the blade. Not only can move forward or backward while swinging the blade; the weapon actually causes the most damage of any weapon in the game if you hit an enemy with it while you are moving. The downside is that if you are hit by an enemy while using the Beam Saber, the blade actually turns itself off, forcing you to release the combat stance button and then re-press it to activate the weapon once more. The Beam Saber has two main attacks in addition to the attack you make while moving: a basic Sweep attack and an overhead Hacking attack, which can be used in a manner identical to the Katana. If you somehow manage to get a 10 Big Star rating at the end of an Extra New Game, the Beam Saber will become longer and more powerful in your next game. Good luck on that. For details on how to get this perfect rating, see subsection V-j in section V, "Secrets and Mysteries". I-d-2. Flamethrower The Flamethrower is a special weapon that can only be obtained during an Extra New Game. For details on how to procure this devastating weapon, see subsection V-d in section V, "Secrets and Mysteries". This weapon is capable of completely devastating a whole room full of enemies, since you can attack foes in a wide range and the flames spread as they travel away from the nozzle. Like the SMG, you cannot move while using the Flamethrower, but using the left analog stick allows you to sweep the nozzle up, down, or side to side. Since the gas cylinder never runs out of fuel, you can really do a great deal of damage to quite a few enemies with this weapon. The more flames touch an enemy, the more damage they do; thus this weapon works wonderfully against larger foes. If you somehow manage to get a 10 Big Star Rating at the end of an Extra New Game, the flames emitted by this weapon become more damaging on your next playthrough. For details on how to get this perfect rating, see subsection V-j in section V, "Secrets and Mysteries". I-d-3. Unlimited Submachine Gun The Unlimited Submachine Gun is a special weapon that can only be obtained during an Extra New Game. For details on how to get your greasy mitts on this short-nosed bad boy, see subsection V-e in section V, "Secrets and Mysteries". Other than the place where it is found, and the fact you can use it throughout the entire game, on every enemy you ever come across, without ever having to worry about running out of ammo, this weapon functions exactly like the normal SMG. See the description for that weapon for more details. I-d-4. Heather Beam This is a special attack ability that can only obtained by meeting certain conditions in an Extra New Game. For more details on how to unleash Heather's magic powers, given to her by UFOs, see subsection V- f in section V, "Secrets and Mysteries". Once the Heather Beam has been unlocked, you can unleash its power by un-equipping all weapons, going into a combat stance, and holding down the attack button. When you go into the combat stance, Heather's eyes will begin to glow. When you hold down the attack, she releases two energy beams from her noggin that home in on enemies, and will strike them, even around corners. If you press forward and tap the attack button, Heather will release hexagonal balls of energy that are more damaging. When the "Transform" costume is equipped, the Heather Beam becomes the Sexy Beam. See the "Sexy Beam" section below for more details. Note: use of this weapon is necessary to get the "Revenge" secret ending. See the entry for that ending in section III-c. I-d-5. Sexy Beam The Heather Beam becomes the Sexy Beam when the "Transform" costume is equipped. For details on how to obtain the "Transform" Costume, see subsection V-g in section V, "Secrets and Mysteries". In Heather's super hero form, the basic Homing attack (press and hold the attack button while in the combat stance with no weapons equipped) becomes much more powerful, firing a combination of the homing shots and the energy balls, for a total of eight at once. When you use the secondary attack (press forward and hold down the attack button), Heather will fire beams of energy from her eyes, Superman style! These beams can then be directed towards your enemies by using the left analog stick to sweep them around the room. These attacks are very powerful, and darned neat to boot! I-e. Your Stuff (Support Items) I-e-1. Health Drink This is a high-nutrient protein drink that restores a small amount of Heather's health when used. They are the most common healing item, but still should be used somewhat sparingly, if you can help it. If Heather is almost dead, it will take three of these to heal her almost up to full health. I-e-2. First Aid Kit This is an emergency medical kit that can be used to restore a moderate amount of Heather's health. They are not as common as Health Drinks, and should be saved for emergencies or Boss Battles. If Heather is almost dead, it will take two of these to heal her almost up to full health. I-e-3. Ampoule I'm not really sure what is in this concoction, but I am guessing adrenaline and/or morphine. They will restore all of Heather's health, even if she is almost dead. In addition, it keeps Heather from becoming fatigued by any exertion for about three minutes after it is used. Ampoules are few and far between, and should be saved for the end of your game if at all possible. I-e-4. Beef Jerky This is a new item introduced to Silent Hill. Heather can place Beef Jerky in the path of a patrolling enemy and when it comes across the treat, it will crouch and begin to eat it. This allows Heather to slip by without difficulty, or to position herself to the side or behind the enemy when it is distracted and set up a devastating attack. Most enemies, if already aware of Heather's presence, will ignore Jerky in favor of her warm, living flesh, so don't bother dropping it if you are being chased. However, if you place Beef Jerky in a room where enemies are located, leave through a door, and then come back in, the enemies will be munching on the Jerky when you return. This is a good way to shake pursuit and turn the tide of a battle. However, the enemy will consume Jerky after a short time, and then they will resume looking for Heather, so be careful of time. I-e-5. Handgun Bullets Handgun Bullets are the most common form of ammunition in the game. On the default setting, each box of Handgun Ammo holds 10 shots for the