Following much discourse and a general disbelief that Silent Hill would return, the franchise is back and looks more promising than ever. Several new Silent Hill games are confirmed to be in development, including the enigmatic Silent Hill f, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Silent Hill: Ascension. The most notable among these announcements, however, is a remake of Silent Hill 2 being developed by Bloober Team. Konami has officially entered the modern realm of remakes, and its first foray seems to capitalize on Silent Hill’s most beloved entry.
Many fans seem excited about the degree of faithfulness seen in Bloober’s cinematic Silent Hill 2 teaser. Still, this is likely not the installment that fans would have chosen if they were asked what Silent Hill game needed a remake, or could improve as a reimagining. Silent Hill 2 certainly has areas it could improve on, like any original Silent Hill game. But it is also highly popular and has better stood the test of time than its counterparts. Therefore, a case can be made for other Silent Hill games receiving their own faithful remakes following Silent Hill 2.
Some Silent Hill Games Could Be Bolstered by a Remake
The consensus among fans is that the first four Silent Hill games are relatively similar in quality, with Silent Hill 2 being Team Silent’s crowning achievement. Whenever fans look back on Silent Hill fondly, they are probably reminiscing about the original Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, or Silent Hill 4: The Room.
The original Silent Hill and Silent Hill 3 are narratively connected, though some fans were not as interested in the Order’s cultist antagonist. If Silent Hill received more remakes, any of these other three original games would be a great choice. The original Silent Hill could improve most in terms of its low-poly resolution, while gameplay in all of them could also excel, and potentially take after Silent Hill 2’s new over-the-shoulder camera.
Silent Hill 4: The Room could be fantastic to remake with greater fidelity in the apartment, reimagining the chain-strewn door. As long as new Silent Hill games are also being developed in the meantime, fans would probably have no problem with Team Silent’s Silent Hill games getting remade for modern audiences.
Other Silent Hill Games Are in Dire Need of Redemption
The Silent Hill franchise then endured a stark departure from what fans enjoyed. Silent Hill: Origins, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Silent Hill: Homecoming, and Silent Hill: Downpour are generally regarded as the franchise’s worst installments. This is obviously due to personal preference, with some fans enjoying some of them for their own reasons. But since they are commonly lumped into a disliked category, they would be the most deserving of remakes.
If Konami wants to rehabilitate its image, it could rectify the games that players had the most concerns with and reimagine them as completely different experiences. Remakes give Konami the opportunity to keep the essential essence of a game such as Silent Hill: Downpour, for example, but re-engineer it to be much more favorable with changes to gameplay and narrative.
On the other hand, it may be in Konami’s best interest to leave these particular games alone. This way, Konami could carve out a new path for the Silent Hill franchise that looks ahead to the future instead of looking back.
Silent Hill 2 is in development for PC and PS5.
