| RAW SHOCKS |

Learn how to deal with Raw Shocks in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Discover strategies for evasion, combat, and using flares effectively.

In the Nightmare world, you will encounter pale pink creatures called Raw Shocks.

Q: What do I do if a Raw Shock sees me?

A: Once these creatures see you, they will follow you relentlessly. The Raw Shocks are faster than you, so if you see you then they will almost always catch you. You can tell if a Raw Shock starts chasing you because you will start to hear a static noise which will grow louder, and when the creature is very near it will start to make shrieking noises. You can keep track of how close the creature is by pressing L2 - this makes Harry look over his shoulder.

When the Raw Shock(s) catch up with you, they will jump onto your back. Once they do this, Harry will be damaged until he throws them off. You can throw them off by pressing the indicated button - X, O, TRIANGLE or SQUARE. Tap this button repeatedly until the Raw Shock is shaken off, then get running. If you are grabbed by more than one creature at once, you will have to tap another button. Shake them off as quickly as possible, as Harry has no health bar so you'll have no idea how close to death he is.

You can fend Raw Shocks off with a fairly rare item: a flare. You can find flares lying around in the Nightmare world. They are illuminated by a red light. Either get close to them and press X to pick them up, or simply run over them to make Harry automatically scoop them up. Then press down on the D-PAD to use the flare. Raw Shock are scared of flares, and will never attack you as long as you're holding a lit one. Flares do run out after about a minute, so only use them if you're being chased. You can throw a flare on the ground by pressing down on the D-PAD again, although this will only stop the creatures behind you. I find it easier just to constantly hold the flare.

Q: How do I avoid the Raw Shocks?

A: It's not always possible to completely avoid Raw Shocks, but you can do your best and it will make things easier for you. You cannot avoid the creatures if you have your flashlight on. Having your flashlight turned on may seem like a good idea, as Nightmare world can be quite dark, but it is possibly the worst thing you can do. Raw Shocks will see you from miles away if your flashlight is turned on. With your flashlight off, they will only see you if you are very close to them. Trust me, for the first couple of Nightmares I always had the torch on and I had hordes of Raw Shocks on me. For the rest of the game I turned it off, and only had one or two at most after me.

If your flashlight is turned off, you're a lot safer. You should still try to avoid any Raw Shocks you see though. But the only way to really avoid them is to have your flashlight turned off.

You CAN throw down obstacles like a stack of shelves to impede the creature's progress - they will have to jump over or go around these objects, which will slow them down a little. These objects are outlined a little in blue. This will not stop the Raw Shock chasing you, though - it will just slow them down. To throw down an obstacle, press the X butto when running past.

You can also use hiding places, like lockers. These are also light blue, but they are extremely useless. If you hide in it, the Raw Shock will stay outside it looking for you. So basically, you either have to exit the hiding place to try to continue looking for the exit, at which point the enemy will immediately spot you and resume chase. Or, you can sit there forever waiting for the enemy to go away, which it won't - it will probably find you, actually. So don't use hiding places. It's easier just to keep running.

According to the Shattered Memories Wikia, the appearance of Raw Shocks changes to indicate what ending you're headed towards at that moment in time. However, none of the forms of Raw Shock they've associated with specific endings were right for me (bar the Feminine one), and I've played through all of the different endings. That's not to say there's no truth behind them, just that you shouldn't really pay much attention to the appearance of a Raw Shock as, although interesting, they do not 100% tell you what ending you're headed towards. I can tell you that Raw Shocks will always be pale pink and hairless, and they will always sound the same, but that's about it. So rather than associating the different appearances to endings, I'll just describe them.

• FEMININE: These Raw Shocks have womanly figures, or are more like quite curvacious mannequins. Their boobs and their butts are very prominent, and instead of a face they only have lips. I would say that these are ALMOST ALWAYS associated with the Sleaze and Sirens ending, as you would expect from this appearance, but do not take that as fact.
• DISEASED: These Raw Shocks are all bloated and have a warty-looking skin surface. They also are a bit mouldy, covered in green patches.
• SLICED: Simply put, these Raw Shocks are sliced into pieces, it's a miracle they even can stand as parts of their body like their torso are just floating, unattached to anything.
• ATROPHIED: These Raw Shocks have holes all over their bodies. They're thinner than the other Raw Shocks. Apparantly this is associated with the Wicked and Weak ending - THIS IS QUITE WRONG, as I got these when I concentrated soley on (and achieved) the Love Lost ending, which is the complete opposite of Wicked and Weak. Do not take any of these appearances to mean you're headed to a specific ending.