Silent Hill 2 review — Inner fears and restless dreams

The original Silent Hill 2 is often lauded as the best entry in the series, and sometimes even the best survival horror game of all time. Its influence can be seen in countless horror games and psychological thrillers that followed, and as such, a full blown remake of such a well beloved classic is no small task. When it was officially announced that a remake was under development back in 2022 by Bloober Team, known for their works on The Medium and Layers of Fear, plenty of fans were left skeptical about the quality of the work. After playing through the Silent Hill 2 remake, I’m confident that Bloober Team has crafted a visually stunning and atmospherically rich experience that captures the essence of the original while introducing thoughtful updates to gameplay and presentation.

If you played the original Silent Hill 2, you’ll already know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. On the surface, the game is simply about a man, James Sunderland, traveling to the mysterious town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his late wife Mary. But on a more intricate level, the game dives deep into the human psyche, exploring themes of guilt, grief, and the darker aspects of the human condition. Not only is this a survival horror experience, but also a psychological one that blurs the lines between reality and delusion. James’ perception of events is gradually revealed to be distorted, with the truth of his wife’s death unfolding in a series of gut-wrenching revelations. Every character he meets along the way also represents different faces of trauma and loss, intertwining with James’ own story.

Let’s talk about gameplay, as it’s the meat and potatoes of any game. Instead of a fixed camera perspective, there is now a third person over the shoulder point of view, similar to the modern Resident Evil remakes. There’s also now a dodge button, very similar to the one Jill has in the remake of Resident Evil 3, which allows you to evade enemy attacks and grabs. It might be a hot take, but I personally feel like the dodge trivializes many of the combat encounters as you can just mash it to get out of the way. James starts off with nothing, but eventually gets his hands on all the signature tools from the original: a flashlight, a steel pipe, a handgun, a shotgun, a hunting rifle, and a few other secret goodies as well. Unlike Resident Evil titles, your melee weapon does not break, so you can technically do a melee-only playthrough.

Exploration, a cornerstone of the Silent Hill experience, has been expanded and refined. The remake introduces seamless transitions between areas, eliminating loading screens completely. You can find useful ammo and health drinks in unsuspecting car windows and shops around town. Not every monster needs to be killed, as none of them drop anything, so fight your battles wisely. Much of the town’s backstory and history can also be found through pictures, documents, and left behind items, all of which you can collect and investigate later. The iconic hand-drawn map returns, serving as a crucial tool for navigation and preserving the sense of gradual discovery that made the original so engaging. Do note that the game does not pause when you inspect your map so be weary of your surroundings!

The other major aspect of gameplay is, of course, the puzzles, and there are lots of them. While many of the original brain teasers remain the same, such as the Creeper Room and the Trick or Treat Box, Bloober Team has introduced plenty of new challenges that seamlessly integrate with the environment and setting. You can toggle between puzzle difficulties when you start a new playthrough, but you cannot change it mid-game. I’ve definitely been stumped on some of the more obscure ones, but not so much that it prevented me from progressing forward. The town itself has been expanded, with new buildings and eerie shops to explore, such as Neely’s Bar, which serve as a hub to gather several items before solving an interconnected puzzle. Get ready to stick your hand in a nasty toilet again for a door code! If you know, you know.

The visuals have, obviously, undergone a complete overhaul, with Unreal Engine 5 serving as the foundation for the game’s haunting aesthetic. This remake not only captures the oppressive and depressing atmosphere of the original, but also enhances it with contemporary lighting techniques and volumetric fog that envelops the sleepy town. The grime and decay of Silent Hill that made the original so mesmerizing have been amplified twofold. Not only is James’ tortured visage now rendered in uncanny detail, but so are the monsters, such as the mannequins that now move in eerily menacing ways that the original technical limitations could not achieve. I’ll leave Pyramid Head and some of the spicier monsters for you to discover on your own. Bloober’s close collaboration with the original art director Masahiro Ito has ensured this remake retains the spirit of the original while reviving the experience through a modern lens.

Don’t even get me started on the auditory landscape, because the team blew it out of the park here, with dread and unease crawling down my spine with every corner I turn. Legendary Akira Yamoka makes his return as the composer, creating an emotional soundtrack that maintains the game’s iconic motifs while also wrapping the experience in new layers of dissonance, static, and synth. But the remake’s sound design extends beyond just music, as every creak, moan, and footstep brings an unsettling level of realism during gameplay. Silent Hill 2 makes incredible use of the DualSense as your controller will produce static crackling noises when danger is near, making you more scared with every step you take. As for voice actors, I for one think Luke J. Roberts did a fantastic job being the motion capture and voice for James Sunderland, as did the rest of the cast.

In terms of technical specs, Silent Hill 2 comes in at a beefy 50.54 gigabytes on the PlayStation 5. The game comes with Quality and Performance modes, with the former prioritizing graphical features in exchange for a lower frame rate and the latter prioritizing frame rates over the visual resolution. I played the game exclusively on the Performance mode, but even then, the game struggled to maintain a locked 60 frames per second. It would often drop to the low 50s and even 40s sometimes. The load times are also nothing to write home about, taking around 10-11 seconds to load in from the main menu. Aside from getting stuck in terrain once and forcing me to reload a previous checkpoint, I’ve run into no other glitches or game breaking bugs.

What I do want to highlight is the impressive number of accessibility options offered, which allows players from all backgrounds to be able to enjoy the game. You have the ability to change the in-game reticle, tweak icon sizes and visibility, turn on colorblind mode, and customize a robust suite of subtitle settings. You can also view the controller scheme at any time and even remap controls to your liking. Like I mentioned earlier in the audio section, the game makes immersive use of the DualSense controllers. In addition to the radio static, the controller also glows green, yellow, or red depending on your health conditions in game. And yes, aim assist and adaptive triggers are utilized as well! This is something I wish more games on the PS5 would do, and I’m glad that Bloober Team decided to make full use of the DualSense’s features.

I really think that Bloober Team did something special here with their remake of Silent Hill 2. It’s not perfect, but it’s a far cry from what skeptical fans assumed it would be when it was first announced. You have to keep in mind that the original Silent Hill 2 had clunky combat and controls that were constantly fighting against you. So go into this remake with an open mind and you’ll love it. You can expect a full playthrough to take you around 15-18 hours, depending on your skill level and how much you explore. There is a New Game Plus at launch and this remake features brand new endings whilst maintaining the original’s six endings. 

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