Game play is this title is very authentic to the series, you primarily explore the town with collapsed roadways or construction corralling you into specific parts of the town, generally you have a stretch of town and a couple of buildings to explore at any given time. The mysteries of the town are unveiled piece by piece as you explore the foggy streets and seemingly abandoned buildings. The industrialized and brutal Otherworld is featured in this game, but it's integration is very different then other Silent Hill titles, this time you activate the transition by touching mirrors scattered around the world. These mirrors figure heavily into the puzzle solving aspects of the game as you can reach areas not normally accessible via the Otherworld and vice versa.

Puzzles are the major task you tackle as you traverse building to building, by and large the puzzles are challenging and keep you interested in exploring and tackling each section. Tasks ranged from re-building a surgical dummy (the parts in the Real World were plastic, the parts in the Otherworld were of course real) to retrieving a key from a hydrotherapy bath by following it through the drainage system. Most puzzles require you to switch back and forth from the Otherworld and though difficult they rarely have you lost with no clue where to go.

Graphically Silent Hill Origins is a stunner on the Sony handheld, while the character models are a tad chunky in shape and animation, the environments, particularly the Otherworld, are incredibly detailed and believable. As you explore both versions of the town both the mundane and horrific environments are represented in a way that has you studying everything you pass to get a feel for the setting. Creatures you encounter are pulled from the other games with some new additions, they are all represented in a wonderful way with subtle effects such as slick surfaces adding to their grotesque looks.

The biggest impact graphically is the developers' handling of the standard flashlight that all main characters in the series seem to have. When it is in use, the shadows are dynamic and startlingly real, creature's shadows sway and lurch, elongating as they get closer to the source of light. As you start the game there is a note recommending you play this in the dark with headphones and as I explored further and further I found myself doing just that. The differences between the light and dark areas are just as pronounced as the change between the Real World and the Otherworld and I found myself creeping cautiously through the hallways not knowing what to expect around each corner.

The audio in this game is equally as impressive, while Climax developed this game as opposed to Konami, famed Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka once again composed the score and created the sound effects. The effort is well appreciated and as you play through the game the haunting music, assorted whispers and various eerie noises further pull you into the demented world you are exploring. As suggested I played this game with headphones (as most PSP games are enjoyed) and I was stunned at times by the amazing sound I was hearing. This is further proof that audio has as much impact on game play at times as graphics and story, when it is done right of course.