Following its surprise announcement alongside a slew of other titles in the franchise, Silent Hill 2 Remake is a surreal reality for longtime fans of the survival horror pioneer. A PS2 era classic released in 2001, Silent Hill 2 delved even deeper into the surreal, psychological horror established in the groundbreaking original. Through the mixed reception to Silent Hill games following The Room and the controversies surrounding Konami over the years since, the story of James Sunderland has persevered in the hearts of many dedicated horror fans. Polish studio Bloober Team now has the opportunity to update this classic with Silent Hill 2 Remake, but the pressure to live up to the original’s impact is serious.
Set to release in the modern landscape of Resident Evil’s remakes and upcoming mainline entry Silent Hill f, Bloober’s remake comes with the built-in expectation to meet this high fidelity standard. The original Silent Hill 2 has highly dated presentation and mechanics that have come to define the lasting identity of the game as console generations have passed over the years, so creating a true modern update is an innate balancing act. While it may seem odd that it has taken so long for such a monolith of survival horror to be revisited, this isn’t the first time it has been attempted.
Fans Have Justified Concerns with Silent Hill 2's Troubled Past
Released in 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Silent Hill HD Collection is widely considered one of the biggest missteps of the series. The bundle featured remastered editions of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3, but it has actually been forgotten over the years in favor of the less accessible originals. Silent Hill HD Collection ended up unintentionally highlighting a major aspect of its games: that they function more effectively as horror experiences due to their lo-fi aesthetics. When the overly dark lighting, ugly textures, and uncanny voice work were updated to fit a more professional standard, these changes ended up ruining the atmosphere of HD Collection for many players.
Following the success of 2021’s The Medium, Bloober Team seems to have the competency required for crafting the horror Silent Hill 2 Remake will require to be well-received. Seemingly having taken inspiration from the structure of Konami’s classic, The Medium also relies upon an important plot twist that recontextualizes its story. While the resolution to that particular storyline may have garnered a mixed response from some, the pre-defined plot of Silent Hill 2 provides no such opportunity for disappointment. While Bloober’s current status within survival horror may complement the security of working with a premade story, there is a much larger concern looming over the remake.
Silent Hill 2 Remake's Gameplay Has to Play a Balancing Act
Considering how heavily Silent Hill 2 relies upon the ultimate twist of its compact narrative, its remake can only truly improve the experience through featuring better gameplay. Seemingly taking inspiration from Resident Evil 2 Remake, it appears that Bloober has chosen to utilize the third person “over-the-shoulder” perspective in a shift away from the original’s fixed camera angles. This change is certainly promising, but the fact that Bloober Team has never developed a game with proper gunplay ultimately casts a shadow of doubt over the prospect that Silent Hill 2 Remake’s combat can match up to what Capcom has accomplished.
An update to an over 20-year-old game seems like a remarkable development on paper, but Silent Hill fans have unique taste. With many players appreciating the darker feeling that the
hardware limitations of the early sixth generation create, there’s an inherent challenge in capturing the same atmosphere with modern technology. Fans of Silent Hill 2 even attribute an element of its scariness to the flawed, stiff combat mechanics that can make a player feel truly helpless. With its legacy of strong puzzles and alternative survival horror gameplay, however, Bloober Team may have a shot at actually doing justice to the original with Silent Hill 2 Remake.
Silent Hill 2 is in development for PC and PS5.
