The upcoming remake of Silent Hill 2, developed by Bloober Team, is a game I don’t have particularly high hopes for. Ever since the initial excitement over Konami’s decision to resurrect its classic horror IP faded, and more and more details surrounding it have emerged, my excitement for this long-awaited resurrection has turned into a sense of dread.
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So, you can only imagine how I felt when I finally sat down to play silent hill 2 – Three hours last week with a fresh, shiny new glow. My expectations were low. I didn’t know what to think; would I leave disappointed or elated?
“Silent Hill 2” is a product of that era. It is shaped through technical constraints and experimentation. This time around, Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remains very much the product of passionate experimentation, using modern technology to support all developers and fans’ restless dreams and desires for a remake. Despite all my doubts and growing worries, it is safe to say Bloober Team has done its best job yet in rebuilding the troubled world of Silent Hill.
Let me start with what everyone wants to know. Yes, there are some big changes coming to Silent Hill 2. That said, these remastered tweaks in no way affect or detract from the beloved psychological tale. If anything, what Bloober Team does is build on and actually enhance James’ tragic story and the lore of the other supporting characters, rather than removing or dramatically changing it in any way.
My preview started with the game until we were able to fight Pyramid Head at Blue Creek Apartments. During this time, I explored more locations. Some of them, like The Flower Shop and Neely’s Bar, have a more Twin Peaks feel than ever before, and it doesn’t feel out of place here. I fought some brutal enemies with intelligent AI, and even got scared out of my skin on more than one occasion.
It was literally the last thing I was looking forward to (I know the base game like the back of my hand), but I’m excited to be scared with open arms again. After all, that’s what Silent Hill 2 is all about; your fears.
The Wood Side Apartments – James’ first apartment in Silent Hill – looked and felt better than I could have imagined. Team Bloober has expanded on the countless corridors in meaningful ways; there’s still a familiarity from the original game, but it’s exciting to explore this larger area, with plenty of holes to crawl through and, of course, the ability to move James Put your hand in…
No matter what you think, such changes are beneficial to “Silent Hill 2”. This is not a 1:1 remake, and the flavor is actually fully added to the cocktail. This new content will make it more familiar to veteran Silent Hill players, while also giving them a wider space to really get excited about exploring. As you probably know, exploration is very important to Silent Hill 2.
Entering Silent Hill for the first time is daunting; you lack visibility, you lack autonomy, and you are placed in the shoes of an ordinary protagonist—a man who murdered his sick, dying wife—in a state of mental confusion. among. It’s confusing, frustrating, and plays on the darkest recesses of your brain as you try to piece together the emotional story told through the horrific manifestations. Bloober Team found a way to successfully retain that feeling (which is an integral part of Silent Hill) while creating something that’s still exciting enough for every type of Silent Hill fan.
The puzzles from the original game are still present (with minor changes), and new puzzles have been added to freshen up the content and keep players on their toes. Like the fleshed-out locations, these new puzzles are great for existing fans, providing us with challenges we don’t yet know the answers to. Happier still, the answer isn’t always obvious; The Moth Room has one noteworthy example, which I won’t spoil here.
I’m concerned about the combat, considering many fans have some very strong thoughts about the combat trailer. While James can hit lying figures and mannequins with brutal force, they can hit him back just as hard. They can also dodge and weave between James’ attacks, making them more troublesome than ever. Let’s not forget James’ ability to dispatch enemies with his stomp, which, frankly, feels incredibly cathartic after being scared to death by a mannequin.
While James does feel more capable of defeating these enemies than before (I’d say that’s aided by the new third-person perspective), these enemies also feel more threatening to him. There is a solid balance. You also need to be careful around corners, i.e. greatbecause the architects of Silent Hill seem obsessed with them.
My preview ended with my first meeting with Pyramid Head, whose footsteps I had previously heard echoing down the hallway of my apartment, preparing me for what was to come.
Original art director and monster designer Masahiro Ito unveiled a slightly modified version of his nightmarish creation, but the red pyramid monster remains as intimidating as ever, dragging a machete behind him, taunting and attacking James, But no single sound was uttered. Haunted him, quite literally. As you explore the apartment, the feeling of being watched culminates in an epic initial showdown between James and his nightmare, though alarms soon begin to sound and Pyramid Head mysteriously ducks out of sight.
This session, and many others, were accompanied by the industrial-vibe Silent Hill 2 soundtrack that many of us know and love. Composed by Akira Yamaoka and significantly polished and remixed, the music is still familiar, but of a higher quality, with crazier sound effects that keep you predicting who or what you might encounter next.
I’ve been vocal about my lack of trust in both Konami and Bloober Team before. It’s been a long time since Konami did anything meaningful with Silent Hill. Even the recently released spin-off Shorts fell flat despite trying to convey an important message.
As for Bloober Team, I’m not a huge fan of the latest Layers of Fear, and I worry about how the developers will finish a game like Silent Hill 2; admittedly, there’s a lot of pressure on any developer’s shoulders.
But Bloober Team seems to have channeled that stress into something beautiful (in a sick and twisted way). The first three hours of Silent Hill 2 Remastered are filled with pure passion and dedication to preserving the feel and story of Silent Hill 2 while creating gameplay that works for a modern audience, whether you’ve played Silent or not. Ridge 2》.
Konami is back in a big, big way this year – especially with Metal Gear Solid: Delta on the way – and the publisher seems to have finally honed in on what fans really want, and how to attract new audiences. If Bloober Team (and its collaborators) can maintain a clear passion for the original game and a commitment to preserving it throughout the rest of the game, while resurrecting it, then Silent Hill 2 Remastered could be just what many of us have. hope. If not better.
Silent Hill 2 has been previewed on PS5. The game will be released on PC and PlayStation 5 on October 8th.
