Silent Hill 2 review: Gameplay impressions, videos and main features of the remake | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats and Rumors

Silent Hill 2 from Konami and developer Bloober Team boldly aspires to become the industry’s latest and greatest remake.

A reboot and remake of the 2001 PlayStation 2 classic, Silent Hill 2 promises sweeping changes to bring the horror experience to modern audiences.

But easier said than done. While this classic still sees its influences reflected in modern horror games, the genre itself has evolved over time and is perhaps more competitive than it ever was.

To keep up with the recent relentless stream of remakes across the industry, including genre staple like Resident Evil 2, Silent Hill 2 must navigate that delicate balance between modernizing while retaining the horrifying, tension-riddled feel of the original.

Silent Hill 2 nailing the graphics and immersion seemed as obvious as the game horrifying its players.

Just one look at the game in motion says it all. The characters and environments are detailed, and the modern power of game engines and systems have taken the series’ iconic misty location to incredible levels.

Also stunning is the detail of the grotesque or just plain weird monsters and other things crawling through the fog and shadows ready to confront players.

Like the original, fantastic sound design puts a bow tie on the sweaty-palmed ride. The score is classic Silent Hill, as are the groan-inducing creaks, rattles, and shuffles heard from afar as players explore.

It’s a classic, never-ending tension that results in earned scares and an almost stressful feeling of dread, especially with headphones that can handle immersive 3D audio.

One of the biggest overall shake-ups, however, is the over-the-shoulder camera. Fortunately, Silent Hill leaves archaic fixed viewing angles far in the past, bringing players closer to the action and deepening the immersion.

Players will explore an expansive map, some of it new, but players with a keen eye and good memory will quickly realize that some previously inaccessible areas have also been fleshed out.

A Last of Us or Red Dead Redemption style looting system while exploring will register as polarizing. On the one hand, it feels realistic to the world and promotes immersion. On the other hand, it might actually reduce immersion for some players and make them feel like they’re being overly playful, as they enter rooms thinking about loot instead of focusing on the fact, you know, killer monsters.

Like the original, the puzzles players encounter are actually fun and thoughtful, encouraging exploration and slowing down thinking. Of course, slowing down at almost any point can also be scary, which is why the marriage of puzzles and world is brilliant.

The fight comes last here for good reason. The updated combat system includes all the modern amenities players have come to expect, like a timed dodge mechanic and the ability to aim down sights.

This dodge is perhaps the best new mechanic, and it fits so naturally into the flow of combat that fans could be forgiven for thinking it was always in the base game. Wielding melee weapons more skillfully than ever is a welcome improvement and the ability to hide, at times, is also a nice option.

But overall, where other remakes of the genre have leaned heavily into combat to the point where it might reduce the challenge, Silent Hill 2 emphasizes immersion. This isn’t a combat-based action game and while it’s nice to dodge in the new camera perspective, that’s not the point, thankfully.

The story of Silent Hill 2 has stood the test of time for good reason.

There, James Sunderland returns to Silent Hill three years after his wife’s death, following an apparent letter from her. He meets some interesting characters along the way and some of the real-life horrors he encounters have, without exaggeration, become iconic over time.

This should go without saying, but the game’s in-depth exploration of grief, punishment, and similar themes simply won’t be for everyone. But it’s still a careful exploration of these things, and the ability to opt for multiple different endings keeps the level of replayability high.

A dark Maine town turning into a character in its own right is something Silent Hill 2 achieved years ago. It’s only accelerated here. There are of course the mentioned expanded areas that players can explore. But the game uses its first act and many others to really develop the story.

Fortunately, from a gameplay and storytelling perspective, this remake stays true to form. Where some remakes can tend to modernize too much and provide too many weapons, James doesn’t get it. Neither do the players: rarity and a limited selection keep things intimate and it never feels like a player is being overpowered, which fits the game’s world.

Silent Hill 2 doesn’t go overboard with game modes or anything, as expected, but it does in the options menu. There are a host of accessibility elements that players can tweak, and the game retains the still-modern options of the original, such as the ability to individually change the difficulty of combat and puzzles.

To say that this effort constitutes a smooth modernization of Silent Hill 2 is the highest praise.

In fact, “faithful” might be the better word. This remake, unlike others, doesn’t attempt to redress the balance, nor does it appear to be heavily attempting to subvert long-time players’ expectations in shocking ways.

This is Silent Hill 2, updated. That means it’s a scary, even horrific, journey through a Stephen King-style Maine town and everything that comes with that setting. It’s maximum immersion with fun gameplay and poignant themes explored.

Silent Hill 2, for the most part, is the last fairly well-made remake and its influence on the rest of the industry is obvious.