There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour FAQ

Murphy's been a bad boy ...

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There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour FAQ

Post by Vixx »

... just stupid people. So if you're stumped on what you fear might actually be very obvious - but for the LIFE of you, can't find an answer - leave it here, where it'll be answered/discussed snark and sarcasm free. Well. Ish.

As always, be mindful of spoilers and put anything you're not sure about behind a spoiler tag.

Five quick questions to start us off ...
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
1) Why "Downpour"? What makes this particular story connected to water when previously we've seen ice, fire etc.?

2) Why was Murph in such a max security prison in the first place? For a car theft?!

3) What happened to DJ Ricks? And why did the Boogeyman have his boat keys?

4) What happened to Howard?

5) Who was the wheelchair dude we had to fight at the end?
I'm not saying that these questions don't have definitive answers ... I'm just listing 'em here in order to aid people to quick answers to their queries.

If you have any idea of an answer(s), leave 'em here for us all to consider, and - obviously - feel free to add your own burning question.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by DMChristensen »

Question #1
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
His son was drowned by Napier.
Question #2
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
Car theft, resisting arrest, and evading (he drove in a stolen police car for...well, a long time. I don't remember the specific time. I think 10 hours (I could be way off).
Question #3
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I have no f*cking idea. I believe the Bogeyman, to Murphy, was Napier. So I guess Murphy had to confront his Bogeyman before the town would "let Murphy have the keys". I'm still thinking about this one...
Question #4
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I think Howard is supposed to be a mysterious character we will slowly learn about in future games, possibly over time.
Question #5
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I think it was a manifestation of Frank Coleridge. Perhaps a manifestation of Murphy's guilt over his death. Frank also spent years in a wheelchair as a vegetable, according to Anne.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by aj4x94 »

Vixx wrote:... just stupid people. So if you're stumped on what you fear might actually be very obvious - but for the LIFE of you, can't find an answer - leave it here, where it'll be answered/discussed snark and sarcasm free. Well. Ish.

As always, be mindful of spoilers and put anything you're not sure about behind a spoiler tag.

Five quick questions to start us off ...
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
1) Why "Downpour"? What makes this particular story connected to water when previously we've seen ice, fire etc.?

2) Why was Murph in such a max security prison in the first place? For a car theft?!

3) What happened to DJ Ricks? And why did the Boogeyman have his boat keys?

4) What happened to Howard?

5) Who was the wheelchair dude we had to fight at the end?
I'm not saying that these questions don't have definitive answers ... I'm just listing 'em here in order to aid people to quick answers to their queries.

If you have any idea of an answer(s), leave 'em here for us all to consider, and - obviously - feel free to add your own burning question.
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
1. My belief is that water plays a bigger theme in the game(especially in regards to Murphy) due to the circumstances surrounding Charlie's death: by drowning.

2. Well, yes. Murphy was in prison for stealing a police car and leading the cops on a 10 hour chase. I'm not sure how the law works in Europe regarding grand theft, but here in the states, it's a felony and will net you a few years in jail. Frank's murder didn't help things, and he was only six days away from parole. We're never really told how long Murphy was in jail, and how much time passes after Sewell frames Murphy for the murder.

3. No clue

4. No Clue.

5. The Wheelman is an embodiment of the guilt Murphy feels towards his role in the paralyzation and death of Frank Coleridge. We know from Anne that Frank did not die immediately, and spent the rest of his days in a wheelchair. Presumably, she took him off life support sometime after his attack, as seen in the penultimate boss battle. With this in mind, one could even make a guess the Otherworld took Anne's memories of her crippled father and manifested it in the form of the Wheelman to remind Murphy of his role in the matter, unintentional or not.
EDIT: Damn DMChristensen, you beat me to it. :P
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by DMChristensen »

You did a better job at explaining than me, though. Lol.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by Bluebolt77 »

Here's my go at the questions. :)
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
1. I believe the game is related to "Downpour" not because Murphy's kid drowned, but because of both deaths that occurred in the prison showers. It is emphasized that the showers need to be running in order to obscure the murders. Showers = rainstorms, or a downpour, to me. Those events were traumatic to Murphy so he associates the showers running with a downpour of water. Everytime you transition to the Otherworld its because of a fire triggering a sprinkler system, mimicking the showers. The game focuses heavily on both murders in the showers and only nods in the direction of Murphy's kid if you do some exploring.

2. In some states I believe grand theft auto, especially involving a police cruiser that most likely had weaponry in it (rifles, etc) is considered a very dangerous crime with a heavy penalty. In my mind just the fact weapons were probably in the car makes it okay to me.

3. Man I really liked that guy and wished they would have done more with him. I think he was just a manifestation of the town made in order to get Murphy to confront what happened in his past. The numerous dedications to Murphy etc. When a manifestation is no longer needed it... dissappears?

4. He's off to the Silent Hill game coming out for Vita. XD I have no idea, maybe he had other folks to give letters to?

5. It was the female cop's father, the good cop you keep seeing throughout the game. I think it was the female cop's (Anne?) memories being manifested into Murphy's Otherworld.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by aj4x94 »

Wow, bluebolt that is a really interesting theory for the first question, and it makes perfect sense too.
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I might have brought this up before, but I'm still a bit confused about how much time passes between Frank's attempted assassination by Sewell and Anne's plan to transfer Murphy to Wayside Penitentiary so should could presumably murder him.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by AuraTwilight »

PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I know there's no canonical answer, but what do you guys THINK is the deal with Howard? He kind of sticks out like a sore thumb because he doesn't really have to do with anything and is, in my opinion, an unnecessary character that only makes problems (why does he butt into Murphy's business as opposed to every other SH character, etcetera).

Also, DJ Ricks. What do you guys think his deal is. The town, uh...detained him for some reason and makes him radio for...some reason and he gets phone-ins from...uh...people? What the hell?

I also find it kind of unsettling how both of the otherwise likeable black characters in Downpour are cut-and-paste Magical Negro archetypes who have assloads of knowledge about how the power of the town works for no adequately explained reason.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by NanayaShiki »

AuraTwilight wrote:
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I know there's no canonical answer, but what do you guys THINK is the deal with Howard? He kind of sticks out like a sore thumb because he doesn't really have to do with anything and is, in my opinion, an unnecessary character that only makes problems (why does he butt into Murphy's business as opposed to every other SH character, etcetera).

Also, DJ Ricks. What do you guys think his deal is. The town, uh...detained him for some reason and makes him radio for...some reason and he gets phone-ins from...uh...people? What the hell?

I also find it kind of unsettling how both of the otherwise likeable black characters in Downpour are cut-and-paste Magical Negro archetypes who have assloads of knowledge about how the power of the town works for no adequately explained reason.
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
As I said elsewhere, I think Howard is someone who once got trapped in Silent Hill and eventually became a part of it. I made a comparison between Howard and his delivering of "mail" to Lisa, how she become a part of the town, and was tortured for years and years even after the events of SH1. Obviously he doesn't appear to everybody that winds up going through these kind of events in Silent Hill, and I don't really have any theories on why he appears to the people he does and not others, perhaps he's just a tool that the town "uses" sometimes, or a random element. Perhaps when someone needs a push, Howard is one of the things that can appear to help push them in the right direction, no different from a roadblock covering every street but the right one. That being said, I do think Howard is more than just a manifestation of the town, and I get the impression that he doesn't really like doing what he is doing, but can't stop.

As for DJ Ricks, I think he is less "mysterious". The only mysterious thing is why they didn't bother to give us any solid resolution to his situation. However, what I took away from DJ Ricks is that he's just another person going through Silent Hill. He had been there for awhile, figured out what he had to do in order to escape, but couldn't bring himself to do it. It mentions in the gallery that his lack of courage to take action by himself is what led to his demise, so I suppose a comparison can be made to how Angela gave up and accepted her fate in SH2. Only DJ Ricks never tried to begin with and... ran out of time, maybe?

As for who was calling in dedications to Murphy, I'd say the town itself. Not to make the town sound like some sentient creature that's happily fucking with the two of them (even though that is seriously the impression I got from Downpour), but it's just something that happened. No different from writings on the wall referring directly to the main character or creepy gameshows randomly popping up in an elevator. Sometimes weird shit just happens in Silent Hill.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by AuraTwilight »

PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
About Howard; I've noticed he's actually AGED since his appearance in Past Life, and he's certainly got a new appearance. Is it possible he either A) has a different flow of time ("It was a hundred years for you, a decade for me"), or B) reincarnates and has to take on his job as Messenger whenever he grows up (explaining his absence for other characters), or some other option I haven't thought of?

The problem I have with DJ Ricks is that despite what you say, the town seems to put him in a place of some importance or observational significance. Someone or something keeps feeding him information, he somehow figures out the rules of Silent Hill (how the hell can he deduce things if he's not able to compare his experiences with others like we can?) and....apparently Silent Hill has a malevolent will because when he breaks the rules the monsters go in to target him, specifically. And as someone who dislikes the idea of Silent Hill having any sort of guiding sentience...bleh. Just BLEH. Buuut I can live with it if I have to, not like Silent Hill was defined as being non-sentient.

Sidequests like the Bank have NAMED individuals putting in requests for DJ Rick to play songs and stuff. Like a Susan Something from Brahms of all places. Could ghosts and spirits, rather than the town itself, be communicating with DJ Ricks? Certainly if we HAVE to give Silent Hill a sentience, the spirits of the dead would be the most appropriate and hardest to write off as unfitting or bullshit.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by KingCrimson »

All I want to know is this...
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
Who or what is the face at the end of the mine cart roller coaster that says "enjoy the ride, Murphy?"
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by Martee »

KingCrimson wrote:All I want to know is this...
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
Who or what is the face at the end of the mine cart roller coaster that says "enjoy the ride, Murphy?"
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
As to who that face was my best guess is that it's Frank.
I really liked the minecart ride and that face just ruined it for me :( The minecart already felt like they didn't really know how they wanted to finish the Devil's Pit and then the face made it feel like they didn't know how to finish the minecart ride.

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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by Aerith Gainsborough »

^
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I actually kind of think it's Sewell. He sounds like a huge smart ass, and his eye looks like a spotlight kind of. The spotlights in the game were used to scare the prisoner type minions, since prisoners who escape always fear being shone on by the spotlight. Maybe Sewell would have something like that because he was constantly steering Murphy away from coming to terms with his guilt. He was sort of...leading him astray, kind of like a spotlight leads a prisoner away from his goal of freedom. Sewell always made Murphy feel like he was had to do favors for him in order to not face his past, but at the same time he is furthering his guilt.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by KingCrimson »

Aerith Gainsborough wrote:^
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I actually kind of think it's Sewell. He sounds like a huge smart ass, and his eye looks like a spotlight kind of. The spotlights in the game were used to scare the prisoner type minions, since prisoners who escape always fear being shone on by the spotlight. Maybe Sewell would have something like that because he was constantly steering Murphy away from coming to terms with his guilt. He was sort of...leading him astray, kind of like a spotlight leads a prisoner away from his goal of freedom. Sewell always made Murphy feel like he was had to do favors for him in order to not face his past, but at the same time he is furthering his guilt.
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
That would've been a satisfying explanation all around if the face had said "cupcake!" :D Good theory, though.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by SilentRobert23 »

Regarding DJ Ricks, is it possible he doesn't understand any existing rules, but is simply paranoid? His belief that he and Murphy need to speak quietly doesn't seem like it would fit in a supernatural environment, at least not to me.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by AuraTwilight »

I would agree, except when he apparently 'broke' one of his rules, a shitton of monsters attacked him and left Murphy alone.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by KingCrimson »

AuraTwilight wrote:I would agree, except when he apparently 'broke' one of his rules, a shitton of monsters attacked him and left Murphy alone.
That was interesting to me since, if the town was punishing Ricks for trying to escape, why wouldn't it punish Murphy as well? I can't think of any rules that Ricks broke and Murphy didn't. I am inclined to agree that the "higher ups" running the show were just manifestations of somebody's psyche, and not Silent Hill's gods communicating via telephone. As to whose psyche and what the rules mean, I have no clue.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by Martee »

AuraTwilight wrote:I would agree, except when he apparently 'broke' one of his rules, a shitton of monsters attacked him and left Murphy alone.
Could you not just argue that there are no real rules, but because Ricks so fully believed that there were in his mind, nothing happened to him unless he broke a rule. Though I don't personally remember Ricks ever telling us what any of the rules were let alone breaking one. I just remember him saying "it's like there's rules you gotta follow, you know what I mean?"
You could probably even argue that Murphy or Anne set the monsters on Ricks by accident.

I could be wrong about this as I don't know anything about prison but I always assumed that Ricks was just a familiar voice that Murphy heard when he was in prison, as in maybe Ricks was a prison radio presenter/inmate running a prison radio station. The thing that stuck out in my mind as suggesting this was that he calls himself "Your friend till the end." over the airwaves. As if he's on the radio on death row.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by Number 7 »

Haven't the developers specifically said in interviews that they wanted to show the town itself as a character with this game? To me, that sort of implies that the town has sentience. So it's the town's will who goes and stays, and it's the towns rules that are being broken.

As for my questions:

1. How many different side quests are there? (I only completed 7)
2. What are the criteria that have to be met to obtain each ending? (so far, got Ending B, D, and the reversal ending when Anne kills you.)
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by AuraTwilight »

Haven't the developers specifically said in interviews that they wanted to show the town itself as a character with this game? To me, that sort of implies that the town has sentience.
Just to play devil's advocate, things can have character without having sentience. Man VS Environment is ALL about that.
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Re: There's no such thing as stupid questions ... Downpour F

Post by SilentRobert23 »

AuraTwilight wrote:I would agree, except when he apparently 'broke' one of his rules, a shitton of monsters attacked him and left Murphy alone.
You forget that they also took Cunningham.

I side with Martee.
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