Offering a different version of survival horror to the likes of Capcom’sResident Evilseries, Konami’sSilent Hillfocuses on a psychological horror that explores the psyche of the main protagonist (or antagonist, depending on your perspective). InSilent Hill 2, it isJames Sunderlandwho ventures into the misty town after receiving a mysterious letter from his wife, Mary, who died three years earlier.
Check out theSilent Hill 2story trailer below!
Now, 23 years later, Bloober Team, known for the likes ofLayers of Fear,ObserverandThe Mediumhas taken on the gargantuan task of remakingSilent Hill 2. A task that even if perfection is achieved, may still not be enough for purist fans. Recently, I spent three hours with theSilent Hill 2remake, and despite going in with cautious optimism, I came out feeling very excited.
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I, like many, wasn’t overly impressed with the previous gameplay trailers that I have seen forSilent Hill 2. It lookedvery combat-heavyand the redesigned Maria, a stripper that looked eerily like James’ dead wife looked notably different to the original and not for the better. While I never encountered Maria in the preview, we were treated to a yet-to-be-released trailer that was very reminiscent of an originalSilent Hill 2trailer where Maria is talking to James from a prison cell, and she looked a lot more like how we remembered her, which hopefully is replicated in the full game.
There was also an issue with some fans with the new design of Angela, a troubled young lady that you meet early on in a church cemetery. Yes, her new design took a bit of getting used to and it’s a personal preference at the end of the day but her character model does not look as bad in-game as what we had seen in a previous trailer and if anything, I felt her new design made her appear more vulnerable, which serves the purpose of theSilent Hill 2story and world.
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So how does theSilent Hill 2remake look and feel? In short, it felt very much like the remake I hoped it would be. Whether it’s due to the support ofKonami, Bloober Team levelling up its talents or a little bit of both, this remake may far exceed anything the studio has previously achieved.
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Konami
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I played this preview on normal difficulty for gameplay and puzzles, so it will be interesting to see how much more scarce ammo is on higher difficulties come launch. With myResident Evil 4andDead Spaceinstincts kicking in, I found myself planting one or two headshots at an enemy, before charging in to clobber them with a plank of wood and then stomping them on the ground, something that would make Isaac Clarke proud.
As what was made clearn in mySilent Hill 2developer interview, it’s clear that Bloober Team are very big fans ofSilent Hill 2and in the best way possible, this feels like a passion project. This is a very faithful remake that looks to be true to the original story, as well as the locations and characters. Reminding me of the 2002Resident Evilremake,Silent Hill 2was very familiar, but locations were redesigned, sometimes relocated and even extended without losing the vibe of what made the original game so great.
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There is also more opportunity for players to explore the town of Silent Hill, with buildings being more accessible, whether it’s via a door, an opened window, smashing a window with a melee weapon to loot for precious items or discovering world lore. You can even smash car windows, just in case there’s loot in there too.
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Speaking of the world, I was pleasantly surprised to discover many more shortcuts that made it easier to backtrack and with theSilent Hill 2remake having no noticeable loading screens during my preview, it feels very seamless and you’re not taken out of the immersion due to constant loading screens.
After my time was over with the hands-on preview which began with James Sunderland staring into a public bathroom mirror and ended with the iconic Pyramid Head and Mannequins cut-scene with James hiding in the closet, I left feeling exceedingly hyped. I will remain cautiously optimistic to a degree but for the first time, I have some confidence that Bloober Team might just be able to deliver the goods with this beloved classic.
Silent Hill 2will be released on 8 October 2024 for PC and PlayStation 5.
Topics:Features,Konami,PC,PlayStation,PlayStation 5,Silent Hill,Preview
