Silent Hill 2 (Remake)

Not only does the remake faithfully and beautifully adapt Silent Hill 2, but it builds on it, meticulously crafting a new experience that accentuates the themes and atmosphere of the original.

Bloober has impressively modernized the journey, bringing us the most gorgeous and terrifying visual representation of silent hill yet, vastly improved combat mechanics, stunning art direction, unbelievable cinematography, amazing character models and voice acting that compliments the timeless/borderline poetic writing, and an excellent replication of that uniquely eerie silent hill ambience; but their most impressive feat is the way in which they’ve expanded the world and the experience, bringing us new scenes with our beloved characters that seamlessly meld into the story, new areas to explore and navigate, new puzzles, new terrifying takes on boss fights, new unsettling monster behaviors, and more. One of the new endings bloober has created is arguably superior to any ending from the original, and the emotionality and depth of James really radiates in a way beyond what the original was capable of conveying.

The original is irreplaceable, yes, and there are a few qualities I prefer in it, like the final letter reading, the haze of the ps2 graphics, and the fact that there’s a little less combat, but the remake is an excellent way (and, in many ways, an even better way) to experience the heartbreaking story and world Silent Hill 2 has to offer. A lot of love, care, and attention was put into this game, and the result speaks for itself.

Is It Worth Playing ?

A MUST play for anyone who even remotely enjoys deep storytelling and psychological horror, and anyone who enjoyed the original.