Chris InglisSilent Hill 2 is a modern reimagining of the iconic 2001 horror game developed by Bloober Team and published by Konami and launches on October 8 on PlayStation and Steam. Building upon the original’s psychological terror and atmospheric storytelling, the remake leverages the PlayStation 5’s advanced hardware to deliver an immersive and chilling experience. One of the standout features is the seamless integration of haptic feedback, which significantly enhances the game’s tension and atmosphere.
Silent Hill 2 and 3 were my first introductions to horror games on the PC in 2003. I only had a PC at home and none of my mates had PlayStations, so the Director’s Cut of Silent Hill 2 was the first game to really scare me with its atmosphere and all-round creepiness. Other games had jump scares but nothing that was as intense and close to life-like as Silent Hill. Later, I loved the F.E.A.R series and have played some Resident Evil games but not all of them, but when in the right frame of mind, I do love me a great atmospheric and scary experience when they come along.
For those that may not have played the original game before, the second instalment in the Silent Hill series follows James Sunderland as he searches for his deceased wife in Silent Hill after receiving a letter from her, informing him that she is waiting for him there. What he finds is a ghost town, prowled by disturbing monsters and cloaked in deep fog. After searching and exploring the town, he ultimately realises the true nature of her death. While exploring, there’s puzzles to solve and monsters to take down, meeting other interesting characters along the way, and multiple endings depending on your decisions.
This remake was an even better experience for me playing on the PlayStation 5 due to haptic feedback in the controller, which provides physical sensations through vibrations and sounds. Your health is shown by the lights around the pad ranging from green to yellow, orange and pulsing red when you’re low on health. But it was the radio static that had me scared every single time. As you get in the vicinity of monsters, a radio that James carries I would be slowly walking forward into the misty streets or dark corridors of buildings and the radio static would start.
I would freeze, checking if it was getting closer or not and as the sound got louder, it meant the monsters were closer. If I couldn’t immediately see one in my surroundings, I would move from cover to cover trying to find it, with the sound getting more intense. Low and behold, many of these times it was just a bloody bug running around my feet that I couldn’t see. Either that or it was a creeping monster moving along the ground. There were times where I was playing late at night, and I had to turn the game off as the sound was just getting too intense to be able to sleep properly.
Beyond the haptic feedback, Silent Hill 2 offers updated controls to be more responsive and intuitive, and the environments are beautifully rendered with stunning detail. The game faithfully recreates the original’s iconic locations, characters, and story, while also introducing modern improvements. The characters are impeccably detailed, right down to sweat and stubble on James, and the atmosphere of the fog-filled streets was so immersive.
Another aspect I found interesting was the remake moves from the original game’s fixed-camera viewpoints to an over-the-shoulder perspective. This is one of the complaints I had when playing Bloober team’s The Medium, so it was great to have a better camera angle and movement. This puts you closer to what James sees, for a more thrilling, more immersive experience as you explore the town and come face-to-face with monsters. The first instance of seeing a mannequin monster gave me such a fright, also taking into consideration it’s the first time you come across the flashlight which was much needed in those dark apartments.
Armed with a nail-filled wood plank and later a handgun, the combat system has been enhanced to allow you to carefully time dodging away from monsters. I learned to use this much more when I realised the scarcity of health items and ammunition. This makes monster encounters more engaging and thrilling, especially when fighting multiple monsters at once, against spitting monsters, or in close quarters.
I did find there was a fair bit of backtracking, but as you find more clues, James fills in details on the area map which I came to rely on. A squiggle to show a blocked road and named buildings that indicated there was something to explore. Once you cleared a building, it is crossed off so if you were stuck for what to do next, you refer to the map to see if any buildings hadn’t been crossed yet, or if James has scribbled new notes to follow. Once you learn the map layouts, traversal becomes quicker with sprinting, but the spark of static on the radio will remind you that danger is ever present.
Overall, Silent Hill 2 blew me away with the updated atmospheric graphics and the haptic feedback on the PlayStation 5, making the experience more intense and immersive. Whether you’re a seasoned Silent Hill veteran or a newcomer to the series, this remake is a haunting journey that stays true to the original game while adding more depth to combat and areas to explore, modifying the gameplay enough to make it memorable and well worth playing through.
This review utilised a PlayStation 5 key provided by Five Star Games and Silent Hill 2 is available October 8 on PlayStation and Steam.
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