I’ll admit that when it was first confirmed that Bloober Team was remaking Silent Hill 2, I laughed and shook my head. Bloober has a spotty track record with scary games, Silent Hill 2 is one of the most beloved horror games ever made, and Konami has done a horrible job supporting the franchise over the last decade. So the idea of modern Konami ordering a Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober Team seemed like a recipe for a trainwreck. Once again, I assumed Silent Hill fans would be left disappointed and frustrated.
But that’s not what happened. After playing about 11 hours of the remake I can confidently say that Bloober Team has created something special that even Silent Hill 2 newcomers will enjoy, assuming they love oppressive atmospheres, creepy monsters, and scary situations.
The Silent Hill 2 remake tells the same story as the original PS2 classic. James Sunderland gets a letter from his supposedly dead wife and travels to Silent Hill, aka the worst town in America, to find her or at least find out what’s going on. Within minutes of arriving in the fog-filled town, James is fighting for his life against disturbing monsters while meeting bizarre people who have seemingly lost their minds. Or maybe James is slowly losing his mind?
Bloober Team’s remake of Silent Hill 2 doesn’t look to shake up the plot or characters of the original too much, which is a smart move. Like most elements of the remake, Silent Hill 2‘s narrative is faithful and respectful of the OG. Some might complain that at times Bloober Team is being too conservative with how strictly they adhere to the classic survival horror game and its characters, narrative, and world. Yet, I get it. Silent Hill 2 is one of the genre’s most lauded games. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? And Bloober Team, rightfully so, doesn’t assume it can perfect or outsmart the original story and instead mostly recreates it with great care and higher production values.
All the unnerving dialogue, strange quirks, and oddball writing are still here, it just sounds better than ever and is delivered by photorealistic recreations of the characters who now exist in gorgeously lit and intricately detailed areas.
Silent Hill 2 doesn’t just look different (and amazing), the remake also plays very differently than the original game. The camera is brought in closer to James and combat has been expanded and modernized a bit, with gameplay and a control scheme that feel closer to the recent Resident Evil remakes. It’s a smart move, as while Silent Hill 2 is a classic that people still talk about fondly in 2024, even its most diehard fans admit that its combat and controls feel clunky at times.
Oh, and if you were worried that Bloober Team might cut out all the esoteric and impossibly silly puzzles, don’t be concerned. All of that stuff is still here, just once again rendered at a higher resolution.
The Silent Hill 2 remake also effectively recreates the same oppressive and dreary atmosphere that so many horror fans love in the OG. Creeping around the foggy streets of the remake reminded me of when I first played the original Silent Hill on PS1. I was nervous about what would come out of the fog and the world felt dangerous at all times. When I entered buildings or visited the other side of the town in Silent Hill 2‘s remake, I felt claustrophobic and scared. I would have to take breaks after playing for a bit so that I could let my heartbeat slow down and my eyes blink again.
I play a lot of scary games and it’s been a while since one has spooked me as much as Silent Hill 2. And it does so without constant jumpscares, either. Instead, it relies on an overwhelming sense of dread and makes you feel trapped in a nightmare. So yeah, the Silent Hill 2 remake is very scary and will be a treat for fans of horror games.
Bloober Team has truly delivered on the assignment of updating and modernizing a classic horror game without changing what made it special. The question is: Did the world need a Silent Hill 2 remake? The original is still worth playing and fans have made it easier than ever to experience that classic game in 2024. So I’m not sure we needed a remake. But I’m at least happy to report that the remake we got is a genuinely well-made, faithful adaptation of the OG classic developed by people who seem to not only love Silent Hill 2 but who also understand it and know when to tweak and when to stand back and let the original moments shine.
Remaking Silent Hill 2 always seemed like an impossible task, and I imagine it wasn’t easy, but Bloober Team has done it and in the process created one of the best scary games of 2024.
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