It’s no surprise, but I’m sure many would consider the original Silent Hill 2 on the PlayStation 2 not only one of the best horror games to date, but also one of the best games that generation of consoles has produced. It probably broke much more ground at that time, but I would also argue that it still holds up pretty well by today’s standards.
If you find that it doesn’t however, developer Bloober Team have provided the goods with a complete remake of Silent Hill 2, which adds up to be one of the more impressive remakes in recent memory. There’s plenty about this remake that most fans and newcomers alike will love. It’s creepy, drenched in atmosphere and at times, downright gorgeous. Its gameplay is functional and its puzzles engaging.
I wish certain characters had been given a little more life and some of the combat could have been a little more fleshed out, particularly in the earlier hours. That being said, most of what Silent Hill 2 does, it does right, making for one of the more entertaining and polished remakes thus far.
A Trip Into Town
Much like the original, Silent Hill 2 begins with our protagonist James Sunderland, heading to the town of Silent Hill to investigate a strange letter received by his late wife, Maria. While she’s been gone for three years now, James decides to humour this letter nonetheless, and so our journey begins. You’re pretty much within the confines of Silent Hill within the first ten minutes, and it never lets up from that point.
The atmosphere is incredible, and developer Bloober Team have done a great job at making the fog a thin blanket that reveals just enough in the distance to pique your curiosity, without revealing much more. The story itself plays out much like the original, with a few additions to certain characters and relationships that admittedly extend the total runtime to almost twice the length of the original. I don’t think too much is wasted here, and I can appreciate the amount of depth it adds to these characters, most of which return from the original.
Without spoiling the latter stages of the story, I must say, that Silent Hill 2’s reliance on its existing narrative is anything but a weakness, as it was already incredibly strong and engaging when it hit back in 2001. The psychological thriller angle is also running at top speed here, and the overall story takes a really deep dive into the concepts of pain, loss and ultimately the five stages of grief.
At the same time, I wish we had gotten a little more time to flesh out James’ character earlier on in the story. While his arc makes sense in hindsight, he spends the majority of the experience wandering around with a bland look on his face, rarely reacting or speaking as a normal person would.
While certain supporting characters are a little whackier, it makes their appearances feel a little more memorable in contrast, and I wish that Silent Hill 2 leaned into this with our protagonist, as it would have been a welcome adjustment. I can’t criticise this too harshly, as the original is guilty of the same issue, but it also feels like a missed opportunity here.
The crazy endings from the original do return (I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over that dog), and as insane as they are, this remake of Silent Hill 2 does bring a couple of additional endings, which I certainly will not spoil.
At the end of the day, the consistent feeling of dread through the strong atmosphere, creepy soundtrack and decent supporting characters still ensure this is a journey worth taking, even if James as a protagonist could have used a little more love.
Where Are We?
Players will spend most of their time guiding James through the streets of Silent Hill, further into the heart of the mystery as they explore each of the town’s streets, alleyways, nooks and crannies. It’s incredibly detailed even with the amount of fog in the way, and most fans of the original will feel at home with just how familiar the town feels.
That being said, the remake ditches the old locked-camera perspective in favour of a more modern over-the-shoulder third-person view, which is always a welcome choice. That damned camera from the original is still my biggest gripe with it. As you progress through the town, you’ll generally be alternating between combat and puzzle-solving in between general exploration.
Combat is fine, it’s just a little bland. It’s functional in all the right ways though. You’ll get a melee weapon early on, followed by three weapons, but that’s about it. Given you’re always running out of ammo, you’ll be relying on that trusty one plank of wood with melee combat, but it does get a little repetitive.
You’re able to dodge attacks with a dedicated dodge button, which thankfully works well enough. But beyond that, you’ll be spamming the R2 button to bludgeon enemies into the ground.
Most enemies return from the original as well and generally keep you on edge for most of the experience. I love how certain enemies now creep up on you from crazy angles as the DualSense controller lets out an increasingly alarming screech as they draw closer. For newer fans, the variety of enemies still feels equally creepy and disgusting which is always a bonus.
Still, this newer approach to building up tension between encounters adds a nice touch to the experience, as the original game usually saw them creeping or even jumping out of areas that the locked camera system simply couldn’t see. Most bosses from the original also return, but a few have been given some new twists and mechanics, which make those encounters all the more engaging.
You’ll also have access to health drinks and syringes to heal yourself between combat encounters, and Silent Hill 2 also does a great job at placing these in such a way that makes them feel consistent, but also precious. I found that I always needed a top-up, as combat encounters usually leave James pretty battered and bruised, but I never went without support long enough that I would die unnecessarily. It’s one of the few things that allows the survival horror genre to shine through and feels like it goes unnoticed at times.
When you’re not smashing or shooting your way through things, you’ll be solving puzzles, mostly to proceed through some type of blockade that’s hindering your progress. While the difficulty for both puzzle-solving and combat can be adjusted (once again, a nice touch) certain puzzles do see you tracking back between certain areas of Silent Hill, as you gather required resources and scan found notes and collectibles for additional information. Unlike the combat and enemies, however, the puzzles in this remake of Silent Hill 2 are almost entirely original.
I played with both combat and puzzles set to the standard difficulty setting and found that they presented an adequate challenge for the most part. The puzzles might involve similar patterns as far as gameplay goes, like backtracking to find certain items, but most solutions are different and require a bit of thought, which I love. Just the right amount of pressure made puzzle-solving rewarding without feeling too frustrating.
While the combat feels a little bland when you’re relying solely on your melee options, there’s plenty to love in terms of its overall gameplay. Puzzle-solving feels fresh and engaging, while the overall exploration aspect feels just as interesting when it’s drenched in such a creepy atmosphere.
Look the Part
Silent Hill 2 looks fantastic from all angles. While the fog adds to the atmosphere, there’s still an incredible amount of detail to uncover. Be it through the intricately designed interior environments and external alleyways and streets or the fleshed-out character models and enemies, there’s certainly plenty to admire.
That being said, the overall performance leaves a little more to be desired. Sure, Silent Hill 2 doesn’t necessarily require a buttery smooth frame rate to feel satisfying to play, but the frame rate hitches are unfortunately unavoidable here.
You’ll be able to choose between a dedicated Quality Mode which offers a dynamic 1440p resolution at 30 FPS and a dedicated Performance Mode, which offers a dynamic 1080p resolution at 60 FPS. I feel the former option is more valuable than the latter, as the shaper resolution brings out more detail and even thicker fog while allowing the frame rate to feel a little more consistent. The latter option never really holds onto that 60 FPS target.
Final Thoughts
While I’ve complained about James’ bland character design or the basic combat, make no mistake; this remake of Silent Hill 2 is still fantastic. The gorgeous visuals reinforce that creepy atmosphere, while the excellent sound design and enemy variety add to the mix in all the right ways.
The puzzle-solving is also a breath of fresh air compared to the original, while the existing boss encounters have received some new ideas too. The additional endings certainly add some replay value for returning fans, but I feel as though there are more than enough improvements here to justify this remake for new and returning fans alike.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Gorgeous visuals; New endings; Narrative still packs in some engaging themes and moments; New puzzles and boss encounters
Lowlights: Combat feels a little bland at times; James feels a little underdeveloped as a protagonist
Developer: Bloober Team
Publisher: Konami, Konami Digital Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a pre-release code provided by the publisher.
