“In my restless dreams, I saw that town… Silent Hill. You promised you would take me there again one day,” and the team at Bloober has finally done just that, with exceptional quality and respect for the source material of loyalty. Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 will never replace the original game and the survival-horror zeitgeist it embodied back in 2001, but the developer has made sure that no one, veteran or new, forgets the game of the same name The remake of the beautiful and ambitious entry in the series, Silent Hill 2, and its story is coming soon.
Previously limited by technical limitations and experimentation, the Bloober team and the original crew – Motoi Okamato, Akira Yamaoka and Masahiro Ito – were tasked with a unique mission to recreate this cult classic. This time, the sky is the limit, and Akira Yamaoka (composer of Silent Hill 2) mentioned that it will require a lot of trial and error. However, it was not all in vain and the end result was so exciting that not even my restless dreams could achieve it.
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This Silent Hill 2 feels a bit similar to Capcom’s Resident Evil remake, but I didn’t initially want that for fear that James’ journey would become too combat-centric. However, Bloober Team has managed to strike the perfect balance; Silent Hill 2 has been modernized with a third-person perspective and high-definition environments, and while combat has been updated, it’s by no means center stage in this remake.
Don’t get me wrong, though; combat is incredibly satisfying when you’re actually in it. Especially close combat. When there weren’t any lying characters or bobblehead nurses left to beat to a pulp, I spent a good portion of my time smashing every window and vehicle I could. The only drawback to combat, and maybe not a drawback, is how much Silent Hill 2 makes you want to smash everything; it feels so good that sometimes you forget what you’re really supposed to be doing.
The gunplay feels good enough, too; it’s not too clean or overpowering, and James’ dodging mechanics are clunky enough that he still feels like the regular protagonist he’s meant to be. However, no matter how the ranged weapons feel, I always find myself relying on planks of wood or steel pipes to get the most satisfaction out of combat. That said, engaging in combat is still frustrating to a degree (just like it was in the original game, if you want to talk about loyalty).
Enemies are now more responsive, making swinging the pole more fun, but also more dangerous. New variants, behaviors, and improved boss fights will keep even the most dedicated Silent Hill fans on their toes. Take the spider mannequins, for example, which can climb up walls and lunge at you to your surprise. You may (or may not) also be pleasantly surprised to see a powerful enemy get a little more time in this remake.
Not only do these enemies look great – as you’d expect from a design by Masahiro Ito – but they can also dodge James’ attacks and weave in between launching brutal attacks of their own, making them sometimes frustrating Crazy. That’s exactly what you want from James’ journey. After all, he’s not Leon Kennedy.
Along with this journey you get a soundtrack that is more overwhelming than ever, which is arguably one of my favorite things about this remake. Akira Yamaoka’s otherworldly, suspenseful score adds greatly to the experience. At the best of times, industrial tones and organic thuds echo through every corridor you wander—and, as you’d expect from Silent Hill, there’s plenty of them—keeping you waiting for the next one What happens around a corner (especially if you choose to play No The radio is on). Other times, the music is daunting; the various trajectories in James’ journey become so overwhelming that they overwhelm and scare you, even if the threats you face aren’t actually that bad.
This is especially true in the second half of the game, when James finds himself in Toluca Prison and the Maze. The areas have been greatly expanded, and the environments are grittier and scarier than ever. Familiar yet fresh areas, a hilly soundtrack, the looting sounds of various enemies that you can hear but can’t see, and fresh, well-implemented puzzles combine to create an incredibly beautiful experience.
It’s been a while since the last time I had to turn the audio down in a game to get through an area without feeling scared (Resident Evil 7 was the ultimate culprit), but Silent Hill 2’s sound design It’s just too powerful and will undoubtedly have an impact on many players.
In a previous interview with Bloober, the developer spoke enthusiastically about the game’s new voice actors and what they bring to the game. After finally experiencing some of the most important cutscenes in the game, like the conversation with Eddie in Toluca Prison (which creature designer Masahiro Ito talked about during Tokyo Game Show), or our encounter with Angie in the maze Pull-in, it’s easy to see why Bloober Team takes so much pride in talking about its cast.
The characters feel more real than ever, and cutscenes are more emotional thanks to their facial expressions and unique tones. It’s really distressing. I found myself overwhelmed with Angela’s confusion and never-ending guilt, and Eddie’s transformation shocked me to the core. He’s still Eddie, and he still has his funny moments, but when push comes to shove, he’s gone from the goofy caricature he represented to an extremely realistic and intimidating representation of James’ dark side.
Conflict with both characters, Laura or Maria, is an absolutely enjoyable experience, if a bit unsettling or unsettling. It wouldn’t be Silent Hill 2 if it didn’t make you uncomfortable, that’s for sure, and Bloober Team has mastered the ability to evoke such strong emotions.
Just like the original’s ending took a while to crack (and was only confirmed after someone finally accessed the game’s code on PC), there’s more of the same in the Silent Hill 2 remake that has internet sleuths buzzing crazy. Bloober hints that all six original endings (excluding the “Born from a Wish” sub-scenario ending) exist, and before writing this review I was able to experience three of the original endings: “Away,” “In the Water,” and ” Maria”.
It’s worth noting that Born From A Wish has yet to be released and has yet to be confirmed. Considering how reserved Bloober Team has been about the game, and the hints the game itself has made about it, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw it added later. I’m sure Konami knows it, and it would be a shame not to include it!
The additional alternate endings (including everyone’s favorite Silly Dog ending) are all in New Game Plus, but the items associated with them have been moved and could be anywhere from 15 to 20 hours into the experience. Bloober also suggested that players could discover new endings, but I have yet to find these in my run of New Game Plus…
So while Silent Hill 2 shows off its new puzzles, the real big puzzle that will test fans and bring the community together is rediscovering the ending’s canon and unearthing new secrets in this version. silent Hill.
Ultimately, those familiar with the original Silent Hill 2 will continue to be surprised by this remake, while those less familiar are primed to have a wonderful (albeit heartbreaking) time. All the key moments are still there, but veterans will find they’re now in a different command or a completely new room. There’s new dialogue to look out for, and plenty of new notes, memos, and Easter eggs to discover, especially in New Game+. To existing fans, these changes may seem strange at first, but all in all, they make the storyline flow more smoothly or completely add to the story. Think of the remake as a continuation or new take on James’s descent into a never-ending, recurring purgatory.
Bloober Team…you guys made me happy, and after playing Silent Hill 2, I’m curious to see what the studio does with Konami in the future. After all, maybe remaking Silent Hill 1 and 3 isn’t such a bad idea after all…
Silent Hill 2 was reviewed on PC with code provided by the publisher.
