Silent Hill 4: First ever shots and details revealed

Konami have released the first ever screenshots and details of Silent Hill 4: The Room, the latest instalment of the chilling survival-horror series.

The game, which is due to be released for PS2 and Xbox in the autumn, features a new lead character called Henry Townshend who, it says here, "finds himself trapped in his own cursed apartment." After a week, he realises his only way out is by investigating mysterious portals that lead to alternate worlds - packed, of course, with some truly grotesque-looking new creatures and monsters, including grim reapers, spirits that can attack through walls and a gruesome ape-like monstrosity with babies' heads. Interestingly, as the game's narrative is brand new, so are all the characters and the game has no storyline connection to previous Silent Hills.

Atmospheric new effects include the environments - which feature a forest, prison and hotel - changing over time as the alternate worlds begin to seep into the game's real world. In addition to the traditional third-person view, Silent Hill 4 also makes use of a first-person perspective when Townshend is in his room. You'll now also be able to swap between the plethora of new weapons - which include a handgun and a club - in realtime, without having to resort to the menu system.

We'll have more on Silent Hill 4 in the coming weeks but, for now, take a look at the first ever screenshots to the right.