Silent Hill 2

October is the perfect month for horror games, with Halloween just around the corner.So it's no surprise that Sony Interactive Entertainment recently released the remake of Until Dawn. There's also a remake of a classic on the horizon: a remake of one of the best horror games of all time, Silent Hill 2.

The Silent Hill franchise from Konami has been dormant for a long time, with the last major installment being Silent Hill: Downpour (2012). But now, with the remake of Silent Hill 2 (2001; PS2 & Xbox), the series is back with a big bang. The remake revisits main protagonist James Sunderland and his search for clues in the town of the same name regarding a mysterious letter from his long-dead wife Mary. "Experience the guilt, grief and existential horror of James Sunderland as he explores the town of Silent Hill - the special place he and his late wife Mary used to visit - a symbolic backdrop now shrouded in fog", Konami said.

The most obvious change from the original is the perspective. Instead of the fixed camera angles of the original game, the remake uses an over-the-shoulder perspective. This change in perspective has already made for a completely new, immersive gaming experience in the Resident Evil 2 (2019) remake. Many other remakes have followed, and it's possible that Konami is hoping for the same kind of success as its Japanese counterparts at Capcom. Especially as Konami continues to focus on remakes and remasters anyway. The in-house developed Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars will be released on 6 March 2025, while Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater does not have a release date yet. Btw. in 2022, film writer-director and producer Christophe Gans revealed working on "Return to Silent Hill" as his next film.

Back to Silent Hill: The combat system has also been completely overhauled, although familiar weapons such as the steel pipe and pistol have made a comeback. The accuracy of weapon aiming also benefits greatly from the new perspective. Bloober Team is also using the Unreal Engine 5, which allows for elaborate character models, detailed environments and ray tracing, not to mention the incredible soundscape. Creature designer Masahiro Ito and original composer Akira Yamaoka were also involved in the creation of the remake. In addition, the development team is sticking as close to the original as possible, but has also added some previously inaccessible locations and buildings. They vaguely refer to an "expanded map" and new cutscenes, meaning that returning players will also find new things to discover and experience.

Konami's intense psychological horror masterpiece Silent Hill 2 is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC Steam. Developed by Bloober Team, composer Akira Yamaoka and artist Masahiro Ito the unsettling town shrouded in the brooding fog will be remade with enhanced visuals, sounds and gameplay. - Konami PR

The remake of Silent Hill 2 was developed by Bloober Team from Poland, who have already proven their expertise in the psychological horror genre in recent years with The Medium, Observer: System Redux, Blair Witch or their franchise Layers of Fear. The Krakow-based independent game development studio was founded in 2008 and employs over 250 people. The Silent Hill 2 remake is by far their biggest project to date.

In June 2021, the studio signed a strategic partnership with Konami to jointly develop technology and video games, and a few months later Tencent acquired a nearly 22 per cent stake in the Polish company. And although rumours of a Silent Hill remake had been circulating for several months, the game was not officially announced until October 2022. In an interview (DreadXP), the developers revealed that they were invited by Konami to pitch their idea for a remake among other studios. The remake of Silent Hill 2, the original widely considered to be the best entry in the series after the first, is based on Unreal Engine 5 and will be a console-exclusive release on PlayStation 5, with a simultaneous release on Windows via Steam.

Additionally, the Bloober team was working with Take-Two's Private Division on another horror game, with Private Division ending the collaboration in mid-2024. It can be assumed that they will either publish the game themselves or look for another publisher. There is also an unannounced game in development based on a Skybound IP, which is scheduled for release in 2025. This could be a game from The Walking Dead universe, but this is speculation.

Silent Hill 2 (Remake) will be released on 8 October 2024 for PC and PlayStation 5. The PS5 version will also be available in retail stores.

Conclusion

A technically sophisticated remake of a classic game, with expanded gameplay and content. This is what a remake should be.

Features

• New third-person perspective deepens immersion
• Significant additions and enhancements
• Enormously intense atmosphere thanks to powerful visuals (with ray-tracing) and sound design

Order tip

AAA