Silent Hill 2 (2024)
Review
A Classic story and loving hands craft a truly contemporary horror
by Jordan Helsley
reviewed on PC
Using Modern Tech For A Faithful Enhancement
I'll probably end up saying it multiple times, but the word that constantly came to mind was "care". We've seen, many times, games from this era get there remaster treatment and end up feeling soulless. From things like carelessly removing fog to sticking too close to antiquated ideas, updates to existing properties of varying degrees of scale have been hampered by the difference between old and new. With Silent Hill 2 being a grand-scale remake, plenty of caution from a fan of the original came from those same areas, but also stemmed from concerns that the identity of the game wouldn't survive an update. Rest assured, the ethos of the original game remains largely intact, and just about every update, change, and addition to the formula is a welcome one. The obvious things like the updated graphics are easy to appreciate, for fans and newcomers alike, but it goes beyond that. Of the more subtle changes, the way this game introduces and builds its characters benefits from leaving the past behind.
The characters are human. Motivations and stories come out in a more natural way this time around because the dialogue is much improved from page to performance. Meeting Angela for the first time, for instance, clues you in much better to who she is and why she's here. There's still a cryptic layer to the interaction, but because she has a more natural tone, and speaks in slightly more coherent sentences, it allows James' reaction to feel much more believable both to her and the other characters in this story. Certain segments of the fanbase will still likely mourn the incredibly hokey line reads of the original, but the improvement is undeniable. It comes from the graphics, the motion capture, the writing, and the performances, all coming together to truly adapt these conversations for a modern audience. It's nuanced, mysterious, and engaging, three very important aspects of a Twin Peaks-like psychological horror.
Clarity in the Fog
One of the more significant changes is likely to be one of the most divisive for the hardcore fans: I feel like I could see the decisions that would differentiate between the two main endings. Part of the charm of the original, especially back in 2001, was trying to figure out what caused the different endings once you knew that other ones existed. Without diving too deep, I'll say that Maria gave me plenty of overt opportunities to tip that scale in a certain direction, to the point where I imagine that most first-time players, the ones who'll be scouring every inch of the world and available dialogue option in their first playthrough, will end up with the same ending. Hindsight allowed me to head in a specific direction with success, but I remain eager to return to see the other endings, as well.
Beyond the story, the game is adept at leading you in the right direction while balancing the appropriate level of disorientation. Puzzles have changed, as have a few smaller level design elements, so it's difficult to truly rely on inherent knowledge to drive the experience on the first playthrough. I started with the normal puzzle difficulty, and they each felt challenging and satisfying to overcome, and James is in on it, too. To a certain extent, similar to the original, James will annotate his map with important information for the player. There's no doubt that this element was ahead of its time back in the day, but modern sensibilities have been injected to enhance the map system as well without overdoing it and making it too easy by completely crossing out "finished" rooms. He will even pull out the map and make a quick mark upon running into certain curiosities in the world (there's that care, again).
True Terror
Getting lost, or wandering off, in this version of Silent Hill was as joyous as it was terrifying. Starting in the foggy streets (or the foggy path leading to town, even) the city and the game work in tandem to invite you to explore. Utilizing new techniques like breaking windows (every window, regardless of whether there's an item/path there or not) allows an additional bit of discovery to Silent Hill's non-critical buildings. This miniature open world has so many nooks and crannies that the oppressive fog and stalking monsters are but a hurdle to discovering new and old secrets.
Once you begin to enter the game's levels, like the Woodside Apartments, oppression becomes suffocation. These spaces are dark, menacing, filthy, claustrophobic, and all sorts of terrifying, even if you think you know what's coming. Especially if you think you know what's coming. Returning players will notice the bulk of the changes here. Minor layout changes, enemy spawns, boss fight updates, story interactions, and, for many of us, save points. When I say that Silent Hill 2 is faithful to the original, it is sometimes with fault, and I believe to be hard save points a fault, at least without the option of anytime saving. It has the intended impact, though, in that it increases the tension and danger.
Real Survival, Mostly Real Horror
Whether you are a seasoned visitor to Silent Hill or just passing by, you will find a deeply upsetting and affecting experience. There is no doubt in my mind that this game is the scariest game I've had the pleasure of playing through, in a way that any video game can be scary, and it does so while staying mostly true to the original. There are a few jump scares, I'll admit, but they're both limited and organic. Everyone's most maligned horror trope does not overtake or taint the formula. I felt transported back to those days as a child experiencing the original dread as grotesque abominations hunted me down. Moreover, in a contemporary landscape filled with either PT adaptations or retro-inspired revivals, Silent Hill 2 stands alone for being both modern and classic, and blending that line to perfection.
It's a dichotomous feeling. When I was among the halls of Brookhaven Hospital I longed to be outside. I wanted light. I wanted room to move. I wanted to see that beautiful fog. When I made my way outside, among the shapes in the gray mist and the silence, I wanted to enter every building in sight. That exploration gets you, too, and while you can't enter every door or window, when you do you'll be greeted with feelings equal parts "stop and admire the gruesome beauty" and "run for your life." But truly, as I walked, not ran, through the various halls of Silent Hill's attractions, I didn't want it to end. Even as I battled enemies in a standard-but-diegetically-consistent awkward melee battle, each piece of the puzzle fit together so snuggly.
A New Benchmark
The bar for modern horror remakes is justifiably high. The expectations for a series that has not seen a worthy entry (in many fans' eyes) in at least two decades might be even higher. Silent Hill 2, somewhat unexpectedly, delivers on both. We've got great voice acting, writing that understands the assignment, and gameplay to mesh it all together. Most importantly, because James Sunderland is still just some dude it believably gets away with the basic one attack button, one dodge button combat. (Don't fool yourself into thinking you can breeze through with the guns, either, as James is still far from a marksman.) It's an impressive package, for fans and newcomers, that deserves to be experienced. Most glowingly, it is the definitive version of this story. Beats and handled as they should be, with some hitting harder than before thanks to tighter writing and acting, and they handled tertiary mental illness themes with more grace than before. I may never play the 2001 version again.
It was hard to find a list of detractors in this package without fabricating information or holding on too dearly to the ridiculous elements of its predecessor. It ran great on my modest machine, and looked good doing it. Upon concluding the story I was awash with emotions I thought I was numb to due to exposure, and I couldn't wait to dive in and do it all again for more endings. It is my hope that the next wave of horror games, indie and otherwise, begin to use this as a blueprint. It would be silly not to.
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9.5
fun score
Pros
A faithful recreation of a beloved and classic game that is modernized in intelligent ways, updated in the areas it desperately needed to be, and as terrifying as it deserves to be
Cons
The combat won't be for everyone, as it's fairly basic, and there are a few instances of what some might call "cheap scares."
