Silent Hill 2finally has arelease date. ThePS5exclusive remake from Bloober Team will be coming our way this October, and the latest State of Play featured a new trailer that left fans feeling a smidge dispirited. Its focus on repetitive combat, strange new models of its beloved characters, and an unwillingness to show major parts of the town itself makes it hard to keep faith about this revival being anything less than mediocre.
I’m right there with them - this feels like a cheaper version ofResident Evil 2 remakethat isn’t giving Silent Hill 2 the respect it deserves. But if you look beneath the surface, and at materials that have been released beyond flashy new trailers in publisher presentations, you will find a game which looks far more palatable.
The Silent Hill 2 Remake Is A Victim Of Terrible Marketing
Shortly after last week’s State of Play, Konami released a 13-minute extended trailer for Silent Hill 2, which is the first time we’ve actually seen how the remake will play. It states that this is the game that redefined psychological horror in video games before it provides a few scenic shots of the abandoned town alongside narration from protagonist James Sunderland. It’s subdued, mysterious, and tinged with the oppressive melancholy Silent Hill 2 is known for. After that, we’re thrown right into gameplay, and I’m on board.
The HUD is minimal, the music subtle, and the player is seemingly free to explore parts of the town at their leisure, much like they could in the PS2 original. Your perspective is now more reminiscent of newer survival horror titles, squarely positioned over the shoulder so it can better facilitate accurate gunplay and melee combat. James is still forced to be scrappy and resourceful as he pulls decaying wood filled with rusted nails from nearby windows to defend himself from unknown horrors, having no choice but to swing away and pray he will come out alive.
You emerge injured into a cramped part of town drenched in fog, where James is able to smash open the windows of nearby cars and shops to gather resources. It’s simple when compared to the original, but works with what we’d expect from modern survival horror. It seems you also have a map, which is updated naturally with new icons and clues as you interact with objects found throughout the town.
The trailer is edited into smaller sections alongside cutscenes that introduce key characters, although I would have loved to see an interrupted chunk of exploration across town to get a better idea of exactly how Bloober is approaching scope in this remake, and whether it is going for linear thrills or giving us the freedom to explore. I hope it’s the latter, because while claustrophobic, there was a surreal joy to mapping out this ruined town in the original I would hate to lose.
Ever since its reveal, I have lambasted Silent Hill 2 for itsneedless focus on combat, weird aesthetic decisions,and my belief that Bloober Team simply isn’t the right developerwhen expanding upon a narrative that is all about trauma, abuse, and what it means to be human and face up to the consequences of your own actions. It isn’t mature enough for this and has proven that time and time again, so why believe it won’t fumble the ball with Silent Hill 2?
Konami hasn’t helped itself either, putting trailers that focus on unusual aesthetic decisions and underwhelming combat at the forefront. I’m not responsible for the game’s marketing, nor am I privy to everything going on behind-the-scenes, but Silent Hill 2 being presented in a mostly raw, unfiltered state like it is in this gameplay trailer might have alleviated some fans’ fears, but I worry it’s too late.
In A Lot Of Ways, Silent Hill 2 Has Been Doomed From The Start
None of these feelings have changed. But now Konami has decided to actually show us how this game looks and plays, instead of presenting it as a bleak facsimile of the original, it’s so much easier to swallow. While aspects of the user interface and environments feel cheap in places, thanks to strong performances and an obvious love for the source material, Silent Hill 2 is able to shine where it counts. It still gives off a dreamlike aura, like everything we are seeing and doing might not be real, and everything is being imagined by the guilt pent-up in James’ broken mind.
Every character you stumble across speaks in misguided tongues, like they want to mislead James or are holding something back, like they are also trapped in this town and forced to confront their own demons. Silent Hill is always best when it doesn’t attempt to explain itself, and given this is the first time many will be experiencing it, I hope it doesn’t try to be something different.
