Silent Hill: Origins is a survival horror game for the PlayStation Portable and serves as a prequel to the original Silent Hill. Players navigate between the real and nightmarish versions of the town, solving puzzles and confronting various monstrous foes. The protagonist can engage in hand-to-hand combat and utilize breakable melee weapons, throwable items, and firearms. The absence of a HUD is notable, with the screen edge turning red to indicate critical health.
Silent Hill: Origins is the fifth installment in the Silent Hill survival horror series, and a prequel to the original game. As in the previous entries, the player move back and forth between nightmare and real versions of the town, gathering items used to solve puzzles and open up new areas. Monsters of various types provide obstacles and, in series tradition, are mostly disturbingly twisted versions of humanity. The main character can fight with his bare fists or use melee weapons. Unlike previous games in the series, melee weapons break after a time. There are also one-shot items that can be thrown and several guns. There is no HUD, but the edge of the screen turns red when the protagonist is near death.