In our Silent Hill 2 Remake review article, we take a closer look at the fearful streets of Silent Hill and James’ unfinished story.
After a very long wait, Silent Hill 2 Remake is here. Before its official launch, we got early access to the game thanks to the company. Silent Hill 2 Remake review We prepared our article. In this review, we will share all our experiences while playing the new version of Silent Hill 2.
Silent Hill 2 Remake Review / PC
The story develops around a character named James Sunderland, who lost his wife 3 years ago. At the beginning, James receives a letter from his wife, saying that she is waiting for him in their “special place”. The story begins next to James’ car as we delve deeper into Silent Hill, hoping to find James’ dead wife.
Just like in the original game, we meet the same characters, learn their stories, and along the way search for James’ wife. The characters we meet in the story are Angela, Eddie, Maria and Laura. Angela is looking for someone just like James. He is also looking for his mother. We encounter him in various places throughout our adventure. We also meet Eddie in various places, but he is a different character from Angela. He is uncomfortable with how people look at him because of his weight. James warns him not to be struck by how people look at him. Eddie is a different character, but he eventually becomes a boss fight throughout the story.
Maria is a very strange character. Because she looks just like Mary, but in a fancier way. We meet Maria at Rosewater Park and she keeps us company for a while. There is a lot to talk about Maria, but we will leave this part for later.
The last character we meet is Laura, who is Mary’s friend and is also looking for Mary. In the beginning, Laura always runs away from us because she thinks James will hurt her, but actually James and Maria are trying to help her because Silent Hill is a “dangerous” place.
Silent Hill 2 Remake Gameplay
Silent Hill 2 Remake has atmospheric and tense gameplay. The town of Silent Hill is already filled with fog, so you can’t see what’s in front of you unless you get really close, as the fog obscures everything around it. The town is a big place, but when you play, most places are empty or a dead end. There are certain places you need to visit to advance your game.
Just like in the original game, you have your map updated every time you enter a room or check a door and see if it’s open. If you encounter specific puzzles that need solving, this will also be updated on your map. This feature is very helpful in advancing your game because in some areas, like Woodside Apartments and Brookhaven Hospital, it’s hard to keep track of which door you’ve explored and which you haven’t. This feature is found in almost all Silent Hill games.
In Silent Hill 2 Remake, you can find weapons such as Handgun, Shotgun, Rifle and other close-range weapons such as Chainsaw and Steel Pipe. If you want to save on ammo, you can opt for close-range weapons, but keep in mind that close-range weapons can be dangerous against some enemies that spit at you. In these situations, you need to use your dodge move. When your enemy attacks you, you can use your dodge option to avoid taking any damage. This feature can sometimes be used to become more mobile and move around enemies quickly. If you’re surrounded by multiple enemies, the dodge button can save your life.
Puzzles are a big part of the game. Some of them can be solved easily, if you already know the safe code, you can just enter the code and get the item inside. In Silent Hill 2 Remake, some puzzles don’t always need to be solved, while others you have to solve in order to progress.
Defeating enemies is sometimes easy, sometimes annoying. In some areas, enemies can easily stagger you and you cannot defeat them without taking even a little damage. There are three types of enemies.
- The first is mannequins, mannequins can sometimes blend into the environment, especially in dark places. They’re hard to spot, so you’re likely to take damage every time you see them. Mannequins can also walk on walls and ceilings. If they start walking on the ceiling, it is better not to try to shoot them because they move faster, saving ammo is very important.
- The second is nurses. Nurses can carry a variety of weapons such as knives and steel pipes. Nurses with knives are more dangerous because they have chain attacks. You can be easily stunned and lose most of your healing items.
- The third is enemies that can spit on you and shoot you from afar. These enemies can also crawl quickly, which is annoying to shoot with ranged weapons. If they are crawling, it would be better to hit them with a steel pipe.
When fighting creatures, it is more enjoyable to fight against them with close-range weapons. You can dodge their attacks, crush them and save your ammunition, but close range attacks are always dangerous. Enemies are aggressive to fight at close range, but dodging their attacks and learning their attack patterns is the key.
Differences Between Original and Remake
There are a few differences between the original Silent Hill 2 and the Remake. The first is gameplay changes. Inventory management and camera angle are different from the original game. This is because the developers want to make the game playable for all players. Some actors can’t keep up with the original camera angle. TPS is the most preferred angle for this type of games.
The second is gameplay changes. Although the general gameplay is almost the same, some new puzzles and levels have been added. If you play the original game normally, you can complete it in about six hours. It takes approximately ten hours to complete the remake. Some new cinematics and dialogue have also been added, so the game takes longer to complete.
The third is the character designs. They are almost all the same, but Maria has a new outfit in the Remake version. The developers probably wanted to give him a new look, different from the original, since he is one of the key characters in the story.
Symbolism in Silent Hill 2 and Its Explanation
Note: This chapter may contain some spoilers. If you haven’t played the game and want to avoid spoilers, be warned.
The story of Silent Hill 2 explains what’s going on in James’ mind. He takes care of his sick wife for a while. After his condition got worse, he doesn’t want to see her like this. He endures a lot of pain. One day, when James couldn’t stand it anymore, he smothered her with a pillow and ended her pain. Then he takes her body and goes to Silent Hill, to his “special places”.
Silent Hill has an effect on people that turns bad memories and desires into reality, or rather, Silent Hill is shaped around that person’s subconscious. In James’ subconscious, his wife has been sick for a while and they cannot live a normal life. Maria is equivalent to Mary because she is unable to care for herself due to her illness. Compared to Mary, Maria is very beautiful and well-groomed. James wanted to see Mary like this, so Silent Hill created Maria for him.
The mannequins are the sexual equivalent of Mary and James. Mannequins have four legs and no heads. If you stand too close to them, they may grab your head and bite your head, similar to a sexual act.
There are also enemies like nurses, this is because they spent a lot of time in the hospital during Mary’s illness, talking to nurses and so on.
The most important thing is Pyramid Head, who is responsible for judging James. So he chases her throughout the entire play and judges her by killing Maria several times. When Pyramid Head kills Maria for the last time, James surrenders, saying that he has already been punished enough. That’s when the town of Silent Hill becomes convinced that James has been through too much and this lesson is enough for him. After this, the two Pyramid Heads kill themselves.
General Thoughts About Silent Hill 2 Remake
Silent Hill 2 Remake is a faithful remake of the original game. Some changes have been made to the game and even some sections have been added to the game. Multiple endings such as Dog and Ufo endings are also available in the game. However, the Born from a Wish content that allows us to play as Maria has not been added to the game. The Bloober Team is probably preparing this content and it will be much longer than the original.
Collaborating with Bloober Team, Konami brings the Silent Hill series back to life. And we think Silent Hill 2 Remake is a successful and faithful remake. Bloober Team has made changes, but they are all necessary and well done.
If you are a Silent Hill fan and have played Silent Hill 2 at least once, you will enjoy this remake very much. With newly recorded music, new designs and much more modern gameplay, Silent Hill 2 Remake is a great adventure. Even if you haven’t played any Silent Hill games or don’t like horror games, you can try the game. Once you get used to the game, you won’t want it to end.
Putting aside the performance issues that could have been resolved on the first day of release, Silent Hill 2 Remake is a great experience for all players. We thank the developers for sharing it with us and allowing us to prepare this Silent Hill 2 Remake review. We hope to see Remakes for other Silent Hill games and new entries in the series as well.