4/5 Stars
“Lynchian surrealism meets Kubrickian horror in this remade masterpiece.”
Ten years ago, the Silent Hill franchise was dead. Remnants of it remained in PT; a free teaser made by Metal Gear director Hideo Kojima, which was equally terrifying and exciting with the promise of a new Silent Hill. But that promise was sadly buried. Now, one decade later, we return with a new retelling of the original 2004 PS2 game, entirely remade for a new generation.
Renowned for pushing the horror genre away from the campiness of Capcom’s Resident Evil games, the Silent Hill franchise is more akin to a psychological horror rather than a straightforward cheap zombie flick. The remake is no exception. Here, you play as James Sunderland, who returns to the mysterious town of Silent Hill after receiving a note from his dead wife of 3 years telling him to meet her there. Throughout his journey, he uncovers horrific revelations about those he meets, the town, and himself.
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While most game stories focus on the horrors of its setting, Silent Hill 2 does the exact opposite. The town is left shrouded in mystery, as are the enemies you fight. The first few hours of the game slowly introduce you to its mechanics, resembling a more stripped-down Resident Evil 2 remake (2019), even from the 3rd person shooter perspective. What differentiates the two is the pace. Where the RE2 remake wastes no time with the action and scares, Silent Hill 2 forces you to slowly traverse its setting section by section, the story piecing itself together like a jigsaw puzzle. When one answer is promised at least five more questions rear their ugly heads. Even by the game’s conclusion, the story is still left purposefully vague in true Lynchian style.
What strikes me the most about Silent Hill 2 is its foreboding atmosphere. Every aspect of the game is designed to scare the player, and it succeeds. Doors are left open slightly ajar, corridors purposefully narrow, and monsters horrifically deformed and twisted in grossly impossible ways all to make the player uncomfortable. Furthermore, your only means of defence is a pathetic metal pipe and a small handful of firearms. As the player, you’re almost entirely powerless to the horrors that surround you making for an even more chilling experience.
The game is not without its flaws, however. As good as some sections are (the hospital and prison sections specifically I found most unnerving), they tend to drag themselves out. The puzzle-solving elements of the game whilst fun, especially the various riddles, are sometimes especially tedious. Even the combat can be monotonous when you just want to surpass a section that has vastly overstayed its welcome. Subjectively, James is also perhaps not the most compelling protagonist on a surface level, despite a withheld performance from Luke Roberts.
Ultimately, Silent Hill 2 remains the scariest game I’ve played all year and a true horror masterpiece that has enough scares to keep players coming back for more.