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The Great Knife is a recurring weapon, or non-usable item in the Silent Hill series.
Silent Hill 2
In Silent Hill 2 the Great Knife is an over-sized blade, similar in design to Angela’s kitchen knife, despite obvious size differences. The Great Knife was wielded by Pyramid Head, but he later switches to a lightweight spear as his weapon of choice. The weapon is extremely heavy and rusty, and is often seen being dragged across the ground by its wielder, making horrific screeching noises. The sheer weight of the weapon is enough to cause damage to its victims, with even Pyramid Head himself swinging this weapon fairly slowly. An overhead swing from Pyramid Head can kill James Sunderland in one hit, even on the Beginner difficulty.
Power
One strike from the Great Knife deals a ton of damage to your enemies, killing most in a single hit. In fact, it is so powerful that even Pyramid Head can be momentarily stunned when hit with an overhead swing (although actually accomplishing this is, in a word, tough) . However, it is a slow and cumbersome weapon to use, and you cannot run while it is equipped or move beyond turning when in combat pose and your walking speed slows considerably. James drags it behind him and wields it with both hands, unlike Pyramid Head who wields it single-handed due to his supernatural strength. James use of the weapon is limited, to lurching horizontal swings and a strong, slow overhead swing.
It is worth noting that James' attacks are the same as Pyramid Head's.
Notes
- In Silent Hill 2, while rescuing Maria from the water maze, it is possible to find the Great Knife in Pyramid Head's room.
- Once the Great Knife has been taken from the room in the water maze, Pyramid Head adopts his spear weapon. This can be seen as a turning point in the game, where James decides to stop running and face his tormentor. Ironically, Pyramid Head is quite a bit faster without it, removing his biggest weakness.
- Interestingly, the handle of the Great Knife is continuous with the sharpened edge of the blade; considering the weight of the weapon, such a design would make the weapon rather top-heavy, and thus the wielder would require considerable grip and upper body strength just to prevent the weapon from flipping upside down.
- Another interesting aspect of this weapon is that James is able to scare off enemies with this weapon. To achieve this, James must turn off his flashlight and radio, then equip the knife. Monsters, particularly Lying Figures, will start to run away from James. Note that this only works in dark places like the Labyrinth.
Silent Hill 4: The Room
In Silent Hill 4: The Room, the Great Knife is the "heavy tool" used in the Ritual of the Holy Assumption. Henry Townshend discovers it (amongst other items) upon entering a secret room in his apartment during the latter portion of the game, although he does not retrieve it to use as a weapon.
Silent Hill Homecoming
In Silent Hill Homecoming, the Great Knife is used by the Bogeyman, but has a new design similar to a military-issue combat knife, having a serrated edge on one side and a tapered point at the end. This provides a symbolic connection for the Bogeyman to the protagonist. It is not used by Alex Shepherd, but retains its characteristic rusty texture and great weight, and can frequently be heard being dragged across the ground.
Film
The Great Knife as depicted in the movie appears to be little more than a single, solid blade with a handle shaped at one end. It is by far the simplest incarnation of the weapon to have appeared, but is arguably the most dangerous, as the Pyramid Head wielding it was able to cut through a metal door as if through tin foil, before embedding the blade in the presumably thicker metal wall behind it.
Sinner's Reward
In the final issue of IDW's Sinner's Reward, Finn Conway, as he prepares to kill hitman Jack Stanton, is run through by a Great Knife being held by a Pyramid Head. The town of Silent Hill, he's told, has already decided on Stanton's fate.