The premise ofSilent Hill 2is simple. James Sunderland receives a letter from his wife about visiting their special place in Silent Hill. Sounds lovely, right? Well, James’ wife Mary has been dead for three years … Despite knowing that something isn’t right, James bites and revisits the small town only to discover that he’s quite literally wandered into hell on Earth.
Check out the Silent Hill 2 trailer below!
The town ofSilent Hillis more accessible. Granted, you can’t enter every building but you will discover plenty of open windows in the hope of finding ammo or health. But there’s a chance that you’ll find nothing but pure nightmare-fueled creatures. If a building looks accessible but there is no open door or window, then James might be able to smash his way in. What’s more, you can even smash car windows if you see ammo or health on passenger seats.
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As much as I love the originalSilent Hill 2, as I recently rediscovered with a fresh playthrough, the camera is absolute pants. This is something that Bloober Team wanted to improve. In this new version ofSilent Hill 2, you are benefiting from an over-the-shoulder free-moving camera, similar to theResident Evil 4remake.
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In terms of combat, when wielding a weapon such as a firearm, James can now strafe. He’s also able to aim down the sights. Furthermore, James has a new dodge mechanic and to counter this to make sure the game doesn’t become too easy, all enemies have new attacks to catch you off guard and some bosses even have additional forms. James’ new abilities feel like a natural evolution because if he was as stagnant as the original, then that aspect ofSilent Hill 2would have been stuck in the past.
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Other than being easier on the eye, the improved visuals have another benefit and that’s the environmental storytelling. What you see is a large part of how the Silent Hill series tells its story, but due to the technical limitations of the original games, that subtlety wasn’t always obvious. That’s no longer an issue. Now, I don’t need to make assumptions because the game’s themes are a little more obvious through its environment.
There is a part ofSilent Hill 2that might hinder your enjoyment regardless of your experience with the series, and that’s a forced stealth section late in the game. For the record, this section was not in the original (though a moment that requires you to leave items behind is) and it feels unnatural in the remake. I’m not sure why this section was included and if it was removed and the puzzle pieces that you need to acquire were placed elsewhere, the game would be better for it.
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I must also say, and this might be considered controversial, but the voice cast provides better performances in the remake and offers more believability and emotion to their respective roles adding to the fantastic facial animations for each major character.
The original sequel will always remain an all-time classic and I recommend checking it out, at least to see how the two versions compare. Bloober Team has treated this remake with the utmost respect and despite that forced stealth section, this is about a perfect remake ofSilent Hill 2and everything I could have hoped for. Bloober Team has finally realised its potential, and its remake ofSilent Hill 2deserves its place amongst the upper echelon of modern survival horror greats.
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Pros:Captures the vibe of the original, Silent Hill feels more alive, fantastic performances
Cons:Forced stealth section hinders pacing
For fans of:Silent Hill (2001), psychological horror
Topics:Konami,PC,PlayStation,PlayStation 5,Reviews,Silent Hill
