Silent Hill 2 Remake Review – “In My Restless Dreams, I See That Town”

Silent Hill 2 is a legendary survival horror sport and though many video games within the style have come and gone, none of them have reached the distinctive storytelling accomplishments the 2001 title managed to attain. So, when Konami introduced that they had been remaking the sport in a partnership with Bloober Crew, a studio that’s finest recognized for technically sound however finally middling horror experiences, I used to be greater than a bit uncomfortable.

I imply, why Konami would select Bloober Crew to helm a remake of a sport that’s held so extremely by probably the most passionate followers of the franchise? It felt a wierd choice again then. Nevertheless, after experiencing the sport myself, all my issues have been laid to relaxation.

“Your complete forged of characters has been expertly portrayed by their gifted actors, bringing depth and nuance to every function and enhancing the emotional impression of the story.”

So, what occurs in Silent Hill 2? You tackle the function of James Sunderland, who involves the dreaded city of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his spouse Mary. “What’s the large deal?” one might ask. Effectively, his spouse died from an sickness three years in the past. Out of intrigue and curiosity, James makes his option to Silent Hill, solely to seek out that it has been overrun by grotesque monsters that may solely be described as a nightmarish mix of human and horror.

However wait, he’s not alone. Alongside the way in which he meets a various forged of characters, every haunted by their very own traumas of the previous. Angela Orosco, for instance, has a painful previous of abuse and is usually proven to have confused feelings starting from being tense to getting indignant. Eddie Dombrowski, however, tends to dwell in isolation after struggling years of bullying. Then there may be Maria, who resembles James’ lifeless spouse. She is proven to be charming and rather more astute than Mary, however let’s chorus from delving deeper into her character to keep away from spoilers for any newcomers.

The unique Silent Hill 2 was recognized for its distinctive voice performing, and I’m glad to report that the remake elevates that have even additional. Your complete forged of characters has been expertly portrayed by their gifted actors, bringing depth and nuance to every function and enhancing the emotional impression of the story.

I used to be notably impressed with Gianna Kiehl’s portrayal of Angela; her vary of feelings whereas expressing the character’s deep-seated trauma was carried out with excruciating element. Luke Roberts and Salóme Gunnarsdóttir, portraying James and Mary/Maria respectively, additionally ship excellent performances that deeply enrich the story.

“What drives this story ahead, in addition to the beautiful cutscenes and performances of its characters, is the completely good music by Akira Yamaoka.”

Silent Hill 2 was a daring sport for its time and, in additional methods than one, was a commentary on how folks endure and battle from numerous types of trauma and abuse. Due to expertly directed cutscenes and beautiful facial animations, the remake captures the essence of the unique’s themes, delivering the form of emotional impression that hits all the correct notes. The story stays devoted to the unique and in some ways I’m completely satisfied that Bloober didn’t modify it. You probably have performed the unique, you’ll admire that all the narrative parts are intact, whereas newcomers will probably be enthralled and shocked with the sport’s daring storytelling.

What drives this story ahead, in addition to the beautiful cutscenes and performances of its characters, is the completely good music by Akira Yamaoka. Quite a lot of previous tracks have been remade and new ones have been added, which helps in additional immersing the participant into the expertise. There is no such thing as a denying that the unique soundtrack stays excellent until date however the brand new mixes will undoubtedly have their very own followers. It’s troublesome to find out which is healthier. Personally, I nonetheless favor the unique. That mentioned, that is by no means a shot towards the improved tracks for the remake.

On the gameplay entrance, the unique Silent Hill 2 used a hard and fast digicam perspective, nonetheless, the remake options an over-the-shoulder perspective. I beloved how the unique used its mounted digicam angles to spotlight important moments within the story, however after experiencing the remake, I discover myself preferring the brand new digicam system. The brand new angle permits for extra participating exploration of the environments, making the expertise really feel recent.

“James may break by way of glass frames to find new areas, which can result in further objects like syringes and ammo.”

It additionally helped me admire the finer particulars that Bloober Crew has littered throughout the sport’s numerous environments. You possibly can, for example, additionally choose up objects of curiosity and look at them from completely different angles, and the eye to element right here is excellent. Operating on Unreal Engine 5, Silent Hill 2 Remake is nothing in need of a graphical powerhouse and a real current-gen visible showcase. Lined in a thick mist of fog, the sport’s setting immerses you in its dilapidated buildings, interiors which are crammed with grotesque imagery and unsettling sounds, and darkish hallways that may scare the residing daylights out of you. To see the unique tailored to such an intense degree of consideration to element is an astonishing expertise.

Silent Hill 2 Remake additionally retains its wonderful degree design and difficult puzzles. Staying true to its roots, a lot of its gameplay revolves round exploring the eerie corridors, discovering objects, preventing monsters, and uncovering the story. This makes Silent Hill 2 a slow-paced horror expertise that may check your endurance, particularly when in comparison with different franchises that bombard you with weapons. Given the advanced degree design, exploration turns into an enticing expertise, particularly with the noticeable expansions in a number of areas in comparison with the unique.

James may break by way of glass frames to find new areas, which can result in further objects like syringes and ammo. The expanded areas and the elevated give attention to exploration contribute to an extended operating time for the remake when in comparison with the unique. The 2001 model clocked in at round 8 to 10 hours; nonetheless the remake will take you round 20 hours. Thankfully, the remake maintains the unique’s tight pacing regardless of its longer runtime, and no sequence seems like a drag to play by way of.

“Whether or not you’re swinging a picket plank or stomping on a monster, melee fight feels extremely satisfying.”

The unique Silent Hill 2 wasn’t actually appreciated for its fight, and to be brutally sincere, it has now aged poorly. The remake, nonetheless, makes some noticeable enhancements on this division. The very very first thing you’ll discover is that James can now dodge. His melee assaults really feel impactful as you smack the hell out of the city’s grotesque monsters, which may additionally cleverly disguise themselves within the setting, virtually like they’re camouflaged.

Whether or not you’re swinging a picket plank or stomping on a monster, melee fight feels extremely satisfying. Gun fight, nonetheless, appears a tad underwhelming. I didn’t expertise the impression that often comes together with such weaponry. The weapons do their job and that’s about it.

Along with the modifications in fight and expanded areas, Bloober Crew has additionally revamped the boss fights. Whereas I gained’t go into a lot element, I can say that they’re a marked enchancment over the simple fights of the unique. The improved boss fights now incorporate a layer of technique, as an alternative of the unique’s strategy of mindlessly operating round in a small room and taking pictures each time potential.

“Silent Hill 2 Remake is a surprisingly wonderful remake.”

Silent Hill 2 Remake on the PS5 affords two graphical modes, with High quality and Efficiency. I skilled the sport on High quality mode, which will increase visible constancy and runs the sport at 30 frames per second. For probably the most half, efficiency was superb, though I did witness some body charge drops, however fortunately they had been extraordinarily uncommon. In the meantime, one other level to notice is that the sport doesn’t seamlessly transition from cutscenes to gameplay. Whereas this isn’t a dealbreaker, it’s a tad shocking that Bloober Crew neglected what’s a reasonably commonplace approach, particularly given how they nailed the remake’s immersion think about different areas.

Silent Hill 2 Remake is a surprisingly wonderful remake. I will probably be sincere, my expectations had been fairly low, given the developer’s monitor file and the way Konami has actually executed nothing with IP within the final decade. The remake sticks very near its supply materials, however it additionally adapts itself for a contemporary viewers, due to its consideration to element, performing performances, expanded areas, and stellar storytelling. It additionally manages to look completely beautiful.

Silent Hill 2 was a triumph for the survival horror style in 2001. Twenty-three years later, Bloober Crew’s remake is a triumph once more. Silent Hill is again, and I can’t wait to see what course the subsequent potential remake will take.

This sport was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.