Silent Hill 2

Third-person horror with elements of survival and adventure Silent Hill 2 is a remake of the cult classic from 2001. The new game largely follows the canon, retaining the original's storyline, characters, bestiary, and bosses, but also adds elements that enrich the world of Silent Hill. The creators of mid-tier horror games Layers of Fear, Observer, and The Medium from Bloober Team have unexpectedly delivered a worthy successor to the original, meeting players' expectations.

In the remake, all attention is still focused on the life and personality of the main character. James is an ordinary man who has experienced a family tragedy. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt, he cannot come to terms with the loss of his wife Mary and cope with the agonizing emptiness inside. Unexpectedly, James receives a letter from her, inviting him to Silent Hill. Doubting the reality of what is happening but driven by longing for his wife, James heads to the ominous town in hopes of finding answers and perhaps finding peace.

Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, the game has acquired realistic graphics and significantly more detailed environments. New high-quality textures convey the atmosphere of the original. Buildings have complex geometry and interiors with diverse designs that are intriguing to explore. The advanced lighting system realistically models light and shadows, supports ray tracing, and creates depth for absolute darkness, pierced only by the beam of a flashlight. New effects have appeared: glass shatters into small fragments, wind sways the tree canopies, and fog dynamically changes density, making it sometimes impossible to see more than a few meters ahead.

Rumors that Konami was planning to update the second part of Silent Hill had been circulating for a long time but were only confirmed in 2022. The result is not a simple re-release but a significantly enhanced game with new locations, storyline scenes, and content. The Bloober Team managed to stay true to the original locations, recreating them with high precision and preserving the spirit and atmosphere, albeit in a more modern style. The puzzle system, interaction with the environment, and key scenes recreated on the engine remain recognizable.

The soundtrack by composer Akira Yamaoka was re-recorded with slightly updated arrangements, ultimately conveying the same emotional strength and mood that prevailed in the original. The sound design keeps the player on edge: even in calm moments, footsteps, whispers from dark corners, and incomprehensible noises create a sense of constant threat.

James' appearance undergoes visual changes over time, becoming more worn and dirty as he progresses through Silent Hill. These details enhance realism and convey the city's impact on the character, visually demonstrating his internal changes.

The city is presented as a set of various-sized locations that need to be crossed to advance the storyline. Some locations only simulate a wide expanse. Others are full-fledged game levels with their own enemies, puzzles, secrets, and thrilling moments scattered across multiple floors. Most of the player's time will be spent in two interconnected residential complexes, as well as in the hospital, prison, and hotel on the lake's outskirts.

The remake includes limited backtracking. After running through a location, you can gather clues and notes that cannot be used immediately — you will have to return to the beginning of the level to explore everything more thoroughly. Here, the accumulated experience will be useful for finding secrets and solving puzzles. Moving to the next location closes the way back. Elements of verticality have been added — enemies can crawl on walls and hide in secluded corners to unexpectedly attack James from above.The otherworldly realm — a distorted and more malevolent version of the “ordinary” Silent Hill — has not been forgotten. Transitions there occur only through the storyline and are driven by specific events. In such moments, the environment becomes more frightening, the bestiary more hostile, and new or altered puzzles arise, requiring a special approach to solve.

All the major plot twists and key dialogues that left an indelible impression on players 20 years ago have been preserved. James's personal tragedy and his deep emotional torment have been transferred almost unchanged. Bloober Team did not aim to explain every aspect of the story but retained the metaphorical and symbolic nature of the original, adding another layer to the plot. Players can find answers to their questions themselves or discover them in the ending, where the game reveals all its cards. There are now eight endings, including two new ones.

The main script has not been left without improvements, making it more understandable and coherent, as well as smoothing out some inconsistencies of the original. For instance, the interactions between characters have been enhanced. New scenes and dialogues between James and Maria have made their relationship more complex and layered. The characters' personalities have remained the same, but the approach to revealing heroes through conversations and cutscenes has changed: James has become less naive, Maria more real, Angela more open, and Eddie immediately resembles a typical villain.

The cutscenes now have new direction. Besides the overall increase in quality, the staging with dramaturgy and facial expressions, the scenes, however, have become less emotionally intense. The fact is that the 2001 game conveyed tension and horror through fixed cameras, especially in moments with monsters. The authors themselves set such angles that worked for the horror component.

One of the key changes in the remake is the fixed camera behind the hero with over-the-shoulder aiming. This is better from an action perspective. Visibility has significantly improved, especially vertically, making it easier to navigate the space. Additionally, this compensates for the lack of auto-aiming, allowing for quicker switching to more dangerous enemies.

The combat system has undergone significant changes, becoming closer to modern standards. The protagonist can run and dodge, but there are no jumps or active defense. Controls have become more responsive, with no sluggish movements characteristic of the original. Damage only affects the health bar. There are no armor or stamina bars, nor are there upgrades or abilities. There's no need to rummage through the inventory anymore; all weapons are assigned to the D-pad, and a separate button is responsible for medkits. All keys are automatically taken from the inventory when interacting with a lock. Additionally, medkits can be used in real-time right in the middle of a fight.

Battles require the right balance between attacking and dodging enemy blows. Ammunition is limited, so it's necessary to tactically combine firearms and melee weapons. James's arsenal includes a pistol, shotgun, and rifle, with significant differences in their firepower, but the feedback is best felt on the DualSense gamepad. For melee combat, a pipe and a club are available.

The bestiary is not very diverse, consisting of four main types of monsters and their subtypes. Ordinary enemies have become more aggressive and dangerous, capable of pursuing the protagonist for a long time and even opening doors. They have various behavioral and visual features — they can pretend to be a hanger, crawl under a table, or fall dead, accumulating strength for the next attack. You can't do without finishing them off with kicks — a new feature of the remake. The game's difficulty is well-balanced: enemies become smarter, perform unpredictable attack combinations, and act together.

Bosses have been literally rebuilt from scratch, with updated visual design and several added phases. The boss fights themselves are staged differently: with one, the player can expect a cinematic chase, with another — a spectacular shootout. Arena interactivity has been introduced. For example, Eddie, after taking a certain amount of damage, shrouds the arena in fog and activates moving obstacles, forcing the player to listen and move.

The playthrough of Silent Hill 2 remains typical for survival games: we wander through levels, explore nooks and crannies, collect ammunition and medkits, search for notes and clues, and solve puzzles. The latter remain a hallmark of the series but have now been significantly refined and partially changed. The storyline tasks are quite simple — find the right key, arrange objects in the correct order, or activate a mechanism. However, puzzles leading to secrets require much more — attention, logic, and even math skills. If you get stuck, our guide will help you find the right solution.