When a remake of any game is announced there is usually a section of the fans that are happy and a section who are at the very least skeptical. I usually fall on the skeptic side with any remake that doesn’t have to do with a certain zombie laced franchise. You know the one.
Anyone who’s been reading my articles or listening to the website’s podcast knows I’m a fan of the Silent Hill games. For better and sometimes worse I’ve at least played every single Silent Hill game ever released by Konami. I love the first 3 and like the 4th. After that things can get a bit mixed.
Without getting into the details, Konami has a lot to make up for with the way they’ve treated a lot of their IP, and for me, Silent Hill sits at the very top of the list. When I found out Bloober Team was handling this game, I raised an eye brow. “The Blair Witch dev’s?” I thought to myself. I’ve enjoyed some of their titles, but this is Silent Hill. Regardless of my knee-jerk reaction, I was willing to see what they were going to offer me. At the very least, it would be better than Book Of Memories. So, the question I’m here to answer is, does this live up to the Silent Hill name? Well, let’s get into that.
Clik here to view.
So What’s Going On?
For those unfamiliar with Silent Hill 2, you will play as James. You receive a letter from your currently dead wife, Mary, telling you she’s in your guys’ “Special place” in Silent Hill. While traveling Silent Hill, you’re going to run into some interesting characters. The first of these will be seen in the Graveyard. Her name is Angela, and while she has found her dad and brother, she can’t seem to find her mom. If things seem a bit “off” about her, well, get used to this feeling. Every time you meet someone new in Silent Hill, keep in mind this town doesn’t attract the emotionally stable type.
One of the first things you’ll notice as you make your way from the graveyard and into the town is the atmosphere. To the credit of Bloober Team, they did a great job with the atmosphere and sound design of this game. The intense sound of the wind, the crashing glass, and the brilliant recreation of the signature electronic stutter will make you feel like you’re in Silent Hill (highly recommend headphones). You might even get some cryptic message written to you in what feels like random places from time to time.
Clik here to view.
Making your way through the town looking for that “special place,” you’ll run into creatures born of a twisted guilt that seem to be created from the darkest place in the human mind. In order to keep going in this setting, you’re going to need to get used to being uncomfortable and frightened as you hear the blood curdling scream of whatever may be stalking you. These work as a metaphor for the pain James is experiencing, the details of which will become more clear the later you get into the game.
Eventually, you’ll run into a woman named Maria, who is going to have striking resemblance to Mary, the dead wife who you received a letter from and the person you’re here to find. Who is she, and why does she look like your dead wife? These are questions I could answer, but I have to leave some reason for you to actually play the game, don’t I?
Gameplay
I was elated to see that at the start of the Silent Hill 2 remake, you’re able to choose the combat and puzzle difficulty of the game independently of each other. I’ve always thought this was one the more unique things about the original and the series as a whole. If you want brutal combat but don’t care for puzzles, the game has to be covered. If you want it to be a thinking mans experience but don’t care to throw your controller across the room, you can do that too.
If you’re the type of person that plays these games for puzzles you won’t be disappointed here. They’re here in abundance and the game doesn’t apologize for it in the least. You’re going to need to pay attention to whats been going on in town through notes, posters and such if you want to solve all of these mind bending mystery’s.
Recently, I bought a PlayStation 5 controller and decided to pop its cherry with this game. I have mixed feelings on the controller, but the haptic feed back when it’s raining, or you break a window or hit an enemy, is absolutely next level. Since this game, I’ve tried the controller in other games, and it hasn’t felt the same as in this game. The way it’s implemented it is epic, and I highly recommend trying it out.
Clik here to view.
The combat is a combination of Resident Evil 2 remake with some slight jank from the original Silent Hill 2. This manages to bring Silent Hill 2 into the modern era of gaming while still making you feel helpless enough to add to the frightening nature of the game. You’re not going to feel like a badass playing this game, and as far as most Silent Hill games are concerned, that’s always sort of been the point.
As far as weapons go you’ll basically be served with the basics of the series. The first one you’ll be served is a piece of wood with a nail in it. Later on you’ll pick up a few different guns that never really like there’s enough ammo for (at least on the medium combat). Let me be clear. In survival horror this isn’t a bad thing in the least. Definitely adds to the feeling of helplessness.
Boss fights were a concern of mine. I’ve played and enjoyed some of Bloober Teams’ other games, but the one thing you don’t really get in there game’s is boss fights. I’m happy to report that not only did they handle Abstract Daddy, Pyramid Head and Silent Hill’s other demonic residents well, in the case of some of them they’ve actually improved on the fights, expanding on fights by adding boss stages and changing the fight setting entirely in some cases.
Performance
Unfortunately, I had one issue while playing this game, and it lies here. This game was made in Unreal Engine 5. On PC, this can be an issue. Perhaps you’ve heard of something called the “Unreal 5 stutter.” Well, it’s here. Now, after what I’ll call “Act 1” the problem wasn’t as prevalent, and in the entire second half of the game, it was near non-existent. This could be as simple as a shatter compilation issue as I’ve started a second play through, and the stutter isn’t nearly as aggressive. There also was a patch 1.003 pushed out, and maybe that addressed something with this issue, but there are no patch notes. However, it has been reported that it fixed an Italian translation issue. Other than that, there are not and real details, so I’m not sure what went on besides that. I recently upgraded to a Radeon 7800xt GPU, and I’m still running with the Intel i9900k CPU. These sorta of things tend to vary a bit depending on setup, so it’s worth noting.
The stutter was the only black mark on the game’s performance. After the first quarter of the game, everything ran at around 80 FPS and about sometimes. I ran the game at 1440p with everything set to high, aside from motion blur, which I always just turn off.
Steam Deck
I’m going to keep this pretty short. This game is not ranked as verified or playable on the Steam Deck at the time of this review, and for good reason. I played it on Deck for maybe 20 minutes and couldn’t get the game to hold much over 20 fps even with everything turned down as far as possible. Given the minimum GPU and CPU specs, I wouldn’t be holding my breath on this game getting Steam Deck verified.
Conclusion
A few people have asked me if Konami is back. I can’t answer that yet. That has nothing to do with Bloober Team or this game and everything to do with Konami has a lot to make up for, particularly with this IP. What I can say is this is a big leap in the right direction.
Clik here to view.
The game’s most iconic moments are kept intact and, in some ways even improved. I had originally said that this game needed to be a one for one remake, and honestly, I was wrong. While the puzzles and boss fights are similar in many ways to the 2001 one release, it’s different enough to almost feel like a different game at times. I’m actually in the middle of a new game plus which I think helps speak to how I feel both about the series as a whole and this remake in general.
Before I get to the score, I need to say something a bit out of character for my writing on this site. I try so stay away from politics on this site cause it just divides people, however what I will say is if you are choosing not to play this game because of who was involved, you are robbing yourself of one of the best gaming experiences in 2024 and a retelling of one of the greatest stories in gaming.
Nothing is ever going to take away from or replace my love for the original. It came out at a time when I hadn’t played anything like it at the time, so it made an impact that will never be recreated. Normally, I take some points off performance, and maybe I should here too, but in this case, it didn’t seem to take away from my enjoyment. I told you I’d try to answer if it lives up the Silent Hill name. Yes, yes, it does. I’ll probably be labeled a fan boy for that, but there are certainly worse things. Facts are facts, and this was the best new game I’ve played all year.
Clik here to view.
Silent Hill 2 remake was reviewed on PC via the Steam store. The game released on the 8th of October 2024 for PS5 and PC.
The post Silent Hill 2 Remake Review appeared first on Gamer Social Club.