Can the Silent Hill 2 Remake Hit the Heights of the Original?
In our restless dreams, we have seen this review inevitably coming up at some point and here it goes!
Throughout the years there have been at least a few attempts to recapture the flare of the original Silent Hill 2game and it seems that the time has finally come for a worthy contender to take on this established and beloved masterpiece of a game and bring it forward in time.
We just recently got the Silent Hill 2 Remake which is a 2024 recreation of the psychological survival horror game that got developed by Bloober Team and is of course published by Konami. The Silent Hill 2 release date was quite recent and it just hit the market on October 8th, 2024 and is the latest official installment in the Silent Hill series of games ever since Silent Hill: Downpour, which was released in 2012.
The Silent Hill 2 2001 massive hit game originally got developed by “Team Silent”, a group of highly-skilled and talented professionals within the employee ranks of Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo responsible for the development of particularly that property at the time. What’s even more fascinating is the fact that, even though it has been more than two decades, “Team Silent” members have actually contributed to this current project and blessed it with their creative presence on board!
Just like in the original Silent Hill 2 game, the story follows James Sunderland, a widower who comes to the town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his deceased wife Mary, claiming to be waiting for him there, at their special place…. But, how is this even possible?!
Konami and Bloober Team have definitely made sure to remain focused on the idea of honoring the original in order to best represent it, as well as manage to retain its unique essence while at the same time still improving upon it by modernizing the franchise’s most beloved entry to nowadays tech and platforms. We truly hoped for exactly such an approach since Silent Hill 2 is one of the greatest survival titles in all of gaming ever, so make sure to be ready to experience a master-class in psychological horror with this one.
We are now able to experience all the terrific visuals and haunting soundscapes this retelling of the story has to offer on the latest hardware as there are currently versions of Silent hill 2 for PC and PS5, however Konami could be planning on a release for other platforms after the game’s launch, since this has already actually happened in the past. The original 2001 Silent Hill 2 was a PS2-exclusive video game at first; it did however receive an Xbox version almost two months later. Then, nearly an entire year after the initial release, came out the Silent Hill 2 for PC version. So, let’s hope that history kind of repeats itself once again and the remake expands upon its reach across other platforms as well!
In this review we are going to discuss a lot about the story, characters as well as which aspects of the original have been kept the same or improved upon so that we reach some sort of answer to the question: Can the Silent Hill 2 remake hit the heights of the original?
This would also be the best moment to declare a possible SPOILER ALERT, especially if you are new to the franchise as a whole and have no real clue of how things go down around the titular city of Silent Hill. You have been warned!
Grab your flashlight and old radio, blast the SH2 OST on your headphones and come with us to the foggy streets of our favorite nightmare-fueled city and let’s roam together through some quite familiar, yet completely renovated and brought to life anew iconic locations, creatures, sounds and discover who…. or more likely, what awaits us there… Let’s head on!
What was so Good About Silent Hill 2 Anyway?
Oh, boy…where do we actually start?
The wholesome Silent Hill 2 aesthetics come together to potentially create and form one of the most unsettling experiences, filled to the brim with horrific atmosphere, you would ever encounter in a video game.
The faded visuals and creepy sound design as well as the dilapidated locations all merge together to deliver an atmosphere of utter loss. This all gets further emphasized through the disturbing loneliness and sometimes even deep isolation of the main protagonist James Sunderland, who turns out to be a surprisingly complex character that seems so relatable, humble and most of all innocent... He is not a trained fighter or shooter, he lacks hardcore skills or abilities, just a regular person that needs to handle the terror that arises from the fog.
The incredible soundtrack and included audio effects gave off an eerie feeling full of mystery and the voice acting is pretty decent with quite a few iconic emotional moments both in the narrative/dialogue and musical aspects of the title and this aspect of Silent Hill 2 alone could have an article on their own.
The game also introduced some really innovative gameplay mechanics in the form of its Map system. The maps players used to navigate around got updated with marks by James every time a door is locked or when you find something important that you would probably have to come back later to. Whenever he was around an item of importance James would look in that direction signaling the player they should look around for it. Another cool thing to mention is the inclusion of separate game and puzzle difficulty settings, which was also a nice touch as they could be set differently, thus allowing for more replayability, completion and speed runs and ways to complete the game with different endings as well as bonus unlockables, such as weapons, after each run. Getting some of the final ending scenes would depend on game mechanics the players were not even aware of, such as spending more time to look at certain items or engage with other characters more often.
But the best thing about Silent Hill II is and always would be the depth of its story. It is never truly established what is exactly real or imagined. Most of what happens never gets directly explained; rather it is just implied and left for the player to figure out on their own. It is a game with lots of subtext that we should not get into too much detail about right now, but we assure you it has got a lot to do with huge personal drama, tough choices and the fate of all characters is shrouded in tragedy of some sort.
Silent Hill 2 is a game that you could spend much more time thinking about, than actually playing it and this alone should convince you it is a game worthy of its grand stature. They even managed to squeeze in a second shorter game scenario titled “Born from a wish” that develops from the perspective of another character, so that you could experience some unique and parallel events of the storyline as an extra bonus feature.
If Silent Hill 2 is so good, why would it need a remake?
Even though it is considered as a leading title for the genre, and maybe even the industry, Silent Hill 2 did have a few issues, none of which should be considered of the game-breaking type. Some of these could be traced back to and were caused by the hardware limitations of the time (which has actually proven to be of use sometimes, especially in the Silent Hill series, such as the fog being placed to cover the slower loading time of the level textures, but then becoming the main method to regulate the visibility distance and reach).
Players had to go through the menu too often and roll through numerous items in order to heal or change weapons, which did take you out of the immersion a bit as the menu had a screen of its own. The more damage you took the more visual noise and red gradients on the screen you would see, but only if your health is getting really low would an actual icon for it show up to warn you (although it could be too late already), leaving you clueless about your exact current condition a lot of the time, as these effects could sometimes get blended with the environments.
The tank controls and the game's combat could be mentioned as needing improvements too, since It may be a bit difficult to navigate in some areas due to some seemingly “random” camera angles and the fact that your movement would depend on where exactly you spawn on screen for each room or environment that you enter or visit, yet this again is exactly what many times gives the game a lot of its unique feel and is another type of obstruction added to the whole package of distortions that Silent Hill 2 comes with.
As for the combat sequences they could be defined as a bit clunky as well as too slow or even tediously repetitive at times (there was the option to go in pacifist mode and not fight at all, just run around and evade most of the enemies). Everything else in Silent Hill 2 which is not directly connected to fights is quite atmospheric, unsettling and in many instances very, very disturbing, and even though combat is none of those things it could actually too be viewed as another component of intentional difficulty placed by the designers on purpose to make things somehow even harder for players to go through - who really knows for sure what is intentional or not in Silent Hill at this point?!
Apart from these, some of the puzzles were a bit unclear and difficult to complete due to them being more contrived than the rest and some item’s roles were not obvious within their environments at first, but again that could be a good thing when speaking of the survival horror games type and the feel of sheer confusion they should deliver on.
In the bigger context of the game as a wholesome experience, these really are not major deal-breakers for the players as many games at the time suffered from the same or similar problems, but they definitely lacked the specific horrific formula and dark polish of the Silent Hill series.
The Plot in Silent Hill 2 and How does the Remake Handle the Lore
The original Silent Hill 2 plot is universally famous for its twisted and psychologically complex ideas and it manages to do a great work at keeping its players wondering why things happen the way that they do at all. The city constantly transforms and reshapes itself between what is seemingly a few different levels of reality, and even the most surface ones are not very visitor-friendly.
Just like in the original James Sunderland tries to navigate through a deeply personal set of psychological issues that are constantly tormenting him both emotionally and mentally as he returns to the location he and his late wife refer to as their “Special place”, which for some reason turns out to of course be the small “quiet and welcoming” town of Silent Hill. You have already parked your car and will continue on foot from here on…
This marks the beginning of a terrifying nightmare for James that forces him to go up against some truly horrifying creatures and deadly situations, but most of all to face all his deepest fears and desires. While the 2024 Silent Hill 2 Remake is set to be a faithful retelling of the original game’s story, it also tries to expand on it quite a bit. Now, there are a couple of new and additional locations that we were previously not able to explore in the original – one of which is located very early in the Silent Hill 2 gameplay (before you actually enter the town) and it being the Ranch that was previously blocked and fenced. Otherwise the linear storyline progression is kept fairly intact and whatever is included as extras gets layered on top of it. There are more new rooms, puzzles, elements, and details that the Bloober Team production deemed fitting to the original structure and layout of the game to make it work according to the realities of gaming in 2024.
The overall environment and audio-visual feel of the game have been preserved and heavily improved or expanded upon with better graphics, motion capture techniques and layout design. What used to work well has now been boosted to a new level of efficiency and the elements that needed improvement have been addressed to a very big extent.
We get a more dynamic fighting system with inclusions such as a dodge move, weapon switch (without the use of menus), quicker healing, a 3rd person static camera that players are now able to control much better (although we would miss some of the moments when the camera seemed to be locked or veering out of control) and a basic aiming system has been included.
There are even a few new scenes and situations with quick-time events added to the pacing of the narrative that are nicely included in a way that does not harm the general plot or overall feel of the title and seems to be a move in the right direction. Moreover, you would have to solve completely new or up-to-date versions of the puzzles that were used in the original in order to progress further and reach your goals. It has been already established that old codes would not work and we would need to look around for the new answers.
The Silent Hill 2 Characters and Enemies are Given a Complete Makeover
There are both types of fans in this regard, some will get to meet the Silent Hill 2 characters for the first time while others would be once again visiting them in their remade form. The remake aims to show us a better idea about each person we meet on our journey as well as their goals, fears and desires. All of them have been recast and modeled after their original counterparts but with latest gen hardware, MOCAP technology and modern graphics.
In this section of the review, we are going to shed some light on each of them without giving too many specifics, so here is a list of all the original characters that are featured in the Silent Hill 2 Remake:
James Sunderland – The main protagonist of the game is back once again but this time with a more up-to-date voice and look! He is a down-to-earth regular guy with quite a few problems in his personal life. His marriage suddenly ended with the loss of his wife three years ago. James goes to Silent Hill with the false hopes of meeting his late wife one more time.
Mary Shepherd-Sunderland – She is the kind and loving wife of James that we see in various cutscenes, who unfortunately passed away from a mysterious disease.
Angela Orosco – A 19-year-old young lady who is searching for her mother when James Sunderland meets her just outside of Silent Hill. They both seem to be looking for their lost loved ones and they have some sympathy and emotional support for each other.
Maria – Her character is notorious for her sometimes-intimidating presence and sexuality in the Silent Hill 2 original game. What is much more interesting about her is that she looks and sounds astonishingly like Mary (even according to James himself), however they have completely opposite personalities, style and behavior. Her design is perhaps the one that has been most redesigned and somewhat edited.
Laura – A young girl who might be lost in the city, she seems to not like James at all for some unknown reason, since she sabotages him on a few occasions. Her reasons and motives for doing so seem a bit vague and unclear at first, but then you get to know her backstory more and piece things together better.
Eddie Dombrowski – Initially Eddie gives off a vibe of being a normal and even a bit simple guy, he seems very scared of getting hurt and insecure about himself. The reason for him to come to Silent Hill is not specified but it simply cannot be for the great pizza offered around.
The AI of the enemies has also been greatly improved, meaning their behavior and attacks would be much more unpredictable and we would have to learn their newest tactics and patterns. The Silent Hill 2 remake brings us a cast of enemies that are more stylized and varied such as the Lying body, Bubble Head Nurses, Mannequin, Creepers and now some of them have got variations that could perform certain mechanics such as climb, crawl and jump from walls, hide in the dark and attack you in a morbid surprise moment.
It should not come as a surprise that the tougher Silent Hill 2boss creatures have all now been redesigned and improved upon too. They do not just have changes in their outfits and aesthetics, but also when it comes to their attacks and presence around you. Some of the more epic battles have been altered a bit with different arena settings or have an included dynamic chase sequence to make things more exciting and even a bit cinematic.
Here, standing out most prominently is of course the giant Pyramid Head monster that is possibly the most terrifying enemy apparition from the 2001 Silent Hill 2 original game. The horrific encounters with Pyramid Head have also gotten massively improved upon and are now even more graphic and brutal. He is also iconic enough to have even been guest-appearing in various other gaming titles throughout the years and has become emblematic, but is also the executioner in this world of pain, guilt and suffering.
Let’s not forget the fundamentally important fact that it somehow seems that the town itself is an enemy of the player as well, manifesting their most terrible nightmares and fantasies at once.
Silent Hill 2 Team Silent Members, Gameplay Features and PS5 Modern Technological Inclusions
To keep the Silent Hill 2 remake grounded in its survival-horror roots, the development team decided to extensively consult with the original “Team Silent” members Masahiro Ito and Akira Yamaoka throughout the entire process. They have made their invaluable contribution in the form of original concept art and sound design thus helping to ensure that the authentic essence and legacy of the game remain properly handled. It has all now been greatly modernized to fit the current expectations of gamers, so the title certainly includes several improvements in the performance department.
The new Silent Hill 2 Remake is developed on Unreal Engine 5 and features some very modern visual features. There has obviously been a lot of work with the shadows, reflections and transitions, just like the noise and silence aspects of the title are deeply interwoven in the scenario, since they are among the key aspects that make the game such a horrific delight. The audio department offers much more immersive soundscapes that would keep you tense all through the story and you can take advantage of PlayStation 5’s 3D audio technology to know where each particular sound is coming from.
There are now high-end graphics with implemented Ray Tracing and many other cutting-edge technical enhancements. You could choose and switch between the Quality/Performance modes as well as select from the other additional visual options at any given moment. You get to enjoy the same story as before while you experience the town of Silent Hill with a fresh coat of paint bringing a more modern look to the smallest of details from the source material and more.
The whole map has been reworked with larger environments and now you get to explore locations and buildings that were once inaccessible and were just part of the background in the past. There are also the ones that are added entirely for the Silent Hill 2 remake to rack up the playthrough hour counter with at least a couple of digits depending on the difficulty levels you set, making this version of the game longer and perhaps a bit more expansive than the original.
Battles are now much more dynamic and James is quite reactive and able to avoid attacks with carefully timed dodges, look around or aim with the basic yet very effective shooting system, making the terrifying monster encounters much more interesting and rich in playstyle possibilities than ever before. On top of all this, you would absolutely not see any loading screens, thanks to the NVMe SSD technology.
Your arsenal would consist of the few weapons you somehow manage to find such as the wooden board with nails on it, the rusty steel pipe and at one later point in the story you even get to use Pyramid Head’s enormous blade for improved melee attacks. The handgun, shotgun and rifle are also used in a more updated shooting system with all the modern solutions it brings all while being able to swap between different weapons in an instant.
The HUD is still not very obstructive, but shows important details and notifications when you place items in your inventory. Make use of Pressure-Sensitive Buttons, haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support that would all be included as well in order to help you get an even more immersive gaming experience while holding a joystick
To get from one part of the town to another, you would have to solve the necessary puzzles, correctly interpret the scattered clues and collect various items, some of which you would use to open doors and get past the different blocked ways. In this town, you may not be able to revisit some of the locations twice, since new pathways could eliminate the previous ones that possibly got you to that point. Be sure to explore as thoroughly as possible before your access gets cut or limited as you progress in the game’s storyline. There are numerous newly-introduced optional collectables such as Strange Photos and Glimpses of the Past that could give you interesting hints about the story or just convey some sort of feel or mood.
Silent Hill 2 Steam Versions and Editions
The Silent Hill 2 Remake features two different editions of the game alongside different bonuses based on what you order on which platform. Here are the editions and their exciting contents:
Silent Hill 2 Standard Edition
The Silent Hill 2 Remake Standard Edition contains the following things:
Silent Hill 2 Remake Base Game
Mira the Dog Mask
Robbie the Rabbit Mask (PlayStation 5 only)
The Silent Hill 2 Remake Deluxe Edition contains the following things:
Silent Hill 2 Remake Base Game
Mira the Dog Mask
Digital Artbook
Digital Soundtrack
Pyramid Head Mask (pizza box)
Robbie the Rabbit Mask (PlayStation 5 only)
Torn Between the Worlds of Preservation and Innovation
From the very start Bloober Team probably had an idea of what a huge responsibility they have with this official Silent Hill 2 Remake opportunity. Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno said in an interview with Rolling Stone, “Let’s say [development has been] a daunting journey balancing preservation and innovation.” Working with the original members of “Team Silent” allowed their team to find a greater balance between both the classic and modern worlds.
In conclusion there is no point to say whether the Silent Hill 2 remake dethrones the original, or that the original classic remains forever the best there is. As long as they bring us to a place, where reality shatters so abruptly in order to reveal some very confusing and twisted pathways, which do not make complete sense at all, especially in some very particular instances where a leap of faith is required.
This remake title could be just one of many more upcoming projects to continue expanding the nightmarish world of Silent Hill, since Konami does make efforts and moves to get the franchise back on track because there are already rumored and possible project titles that have been mentioned to be undergoing development. So, if this Halloween season you are looking for a fresh take on a cult classic, head right away to the 2024 Silent Hill 2 steam release and get the latest recreation of the fan-favorite story.