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Silent Hill 2 Review

Experience the chilling remake of Silent Hill 2 with enhanced combat, terrifying environments, and immersive audio in this survival horror classic.

After several remakes of Resident Evil, the return of Dead Space, and even Alone in the Dark making a comeback earlier this year, it’s about time that Silent Hill 2 gets a modern update. The Bloober Team, known for psychological horror games like Layers of Fear and Observer, is in charge of bringing this classic from the PlayStation 2 era to life again. As a fan of the original, I’m pleased to say Silent Hill 2 remake is a dark, eerie experience filled with new puzzles, upgraded boss fights and modern combat that made revisiting Silent Hill thrilling and intense.

Since Silent Hill 2 was released over 20 years ago, you might not know why it was so impactful. Unlike other survival horror games of its time, it didn’t just focus on fighting monsters—it also explored personal demons. Set in creepy small town like something from Stephen King novel, game follows James Sunderland, ordinary man drawn to the town by chance to reconnect with his late wife, Mary. He’s not a tough zombie-fighting soldier but someone dealing with guilt and trauma which makes both his character and the horrors around him feel more real and meaningful.

Silent Hill 2’s Disturbing Yet Captivating World

In the remake, James and the other characters he meets have been recast with better voice actors but quirky, sometimes awkward dialogue remains mostly same. This keeps the strange, David Lynch-like vibe of the original, though it can feel a bit out of place compared to the higher storytelling standards of recent horror games. While I enjoyed the eccentric characters, I wasn’t as emotionally invested in them as I was with characters from games like The Last of Us or Alan Wake II. Still, the mystery of Mary’s fate was enough to keep me engaged throughout Silent Hill 2.

Nightmare in Fogtown

Remake of Silent Hill 2 looks and feels completely different from the original 2001 version. Town’s eerie atmosphere is striking with heavy fog covering the streets and rich details like missing persons posters fluttering on telephone poles. The dimly lit buildings show clear signs of decay and walls crack and splinter from the shocks of tense chase scenes. Cockroaches scatter when your flashlight shines on them as you navigate through increasingly nightmarish paths. The environment is both unsettling and strangely captivating like a scab you can’t help but pick at.

Enemies have also been redesigned to look even more disturbing. The Lying Figure, a common enemy, appears to be wrapped in a straightjacket made from its own skin and glistens with a gross sheen. It moves smoothly from a two-legged stagger to crawling on the ground, ready to surprise you. There are also the twitchy Bubble Head Nurses, who now come armed with pipes or knives and iconic Pyramid Head, whose sharp skull adds a new layer of terror. He remains one of horror’s most chilling figures, now even more frightening with details like realistic rust and dark goo covering his powerful frame.

You can only see the enhanced enemies and environments when the darkness allows it, as Silent Hill 2 is often very dark. James’ flashlight barely lights up a few feet in front of him, making it hard to see and creating a claustrophobic feeling. This leaves you vulnerable to surprises from creepy Mannequin enemies that stand still in corners like ominous decorations.

During these tense moments, the unsettling audio design really shines. Familiar radio static grows louder near danger and you can hear distant shrieks and unsettling whispers. Discordant sounds create a constant feeling of dread. Exploring Silent Hill 2 left my nerves frayed like a wild guitar solo.

Chaos in Foggy Streets

In Silent Hill 2, when the action heats up, you’re much better prepared to fight back. Clunky auto-target shooting and slow weapon swapping from the original are gone. Now, combat feels more fluid and modern, similar to what you’d expect from survival horror games after Resident Evil 4. You can target enemies manually from a behind-the-back view, quickly switch weapons with a button press and dodge attacks to evade dangerous foes. You can also use melee attacks to break through glass and collect health drinks or ammo or to smash through weak walls and discover hidden areas.

While you have more control over your shots, the game stays true to the original with a limited weapon selection. James has access to only a few melee weapons, a handgun, a shotgun and a rifle, with no upgrades available. I found myself using whatever weapon had the most ammo. According to my play stats, I ended up favoring the lead pipe, partly because ammo was rare but mainly because it felt satisfying to smash enemies down and keep hitting them until they were defeated.

Even though Silent Hill 2 doesn’t offer as many weapon options as games like Resident Evil 4 or Dead Space, the developers have added new enemy types to keep the combat interesting. For instance in the Toluca Prison, I encountered a new type of Mannequin that scuttled up walls like a spider. It was a challenge to deal with them, especially from a distance.

Revamped combat truly shines during boss battles. Some encounters like the first fight with Pyramid Head, feel similar to the original but are enhanced by the new viewpoint and better graphics. Other battles have been significantly improved. For example one late-game fight that was quite simple in the original has been reworked into a tense cat-and-mouse game inside a meat locker, turning a weak boss fight into one of the highlights.

Many of the original puzzles return like quirky point-and-click challenges and clever brainteasers. Some puzzles have been expanded with additional steps to keep them fresh, preventing predictability for those familiar with the original. Overall, variety of puzzles is engaging, and you can adjust their difficulty in menu to suit your preferences.

However, some of the simpler puzzles have been made unnecessarily complicated. For example one early puzzle that originally just needed a riddle to wind a clock now requires gathering multiple parts while dealing with enemies and solving extra puzzles. This added complexity can slow down story progression, and at times, I wished the character would just leave a spare key under the welcome mat instead of making me jump through hoops to unlock a door.

Stretching the Story

New Silent Hill 2 is significantly longer than the original due to expanded puzzles and combat sections, even though it follows the same storyline. 2001 version takes about eight hours to complete, while my playthrough of the 2024 remake took just over 15 hours. Although it’s nearly twice as long, I don’t think it’s necessarily better. The remake is excellent at times, especially in the tense final third but there are moments early on that feel padded.

This length also affects my interest in replaying the game to unlock its eight different endings which is two more than the original’s six. I’m not eager to replay it anytime soon because of the extended playtime. Although there are extra weapons and graphics modes to explore in New Game+, plus various secrets and easter eggs to find, I don’t feel a strong urge to dive back into the fog.

Despite not being a perfect upgrade like Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 remakes, Silent Hill 2 is still a high-quality reimagining that improves on the original in many ways. I appreciate how it uses light and sound to guide you without cluttering the HUD with markers. James automatically updates his map with any puzzles or locked doors which reduces unnecessary backtracking that was common in the original game. Developer Bloober Team has effectively built tension like timer-based light switches in Toluca Prison, which created panic as I rushed to search before plunging back into darkness. These elements add to the fear and intensity of the game.

Conclusion

Silent Hill 2 is great modernization of a classic survival horror game. It improves original’s combat and makes eerie environments feel even scarier and more intense. Boss battles have become much more engaging and unsettling audio design constantly reminds you that danger lurks around every foggy corner.

While some parts of game feel a bit stretched out, I wish Bloober Team had simplified some puzzles to keep the story flowing better. Overall, despite a few pacing issues, Silent Hill 2 is an excellent way to experience or re-experience one of most chilling settings in survival horror history.

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