Silent Hill 2 Remake Review: A Love Letter to a Video Game Monument

Expected with as much fear as excitement, the remake of Silent Hill 2 is soon available on console and PC. We were able to test it exclusively before its release.

To say that the Silent Hill saga has made a crossing of the desert is a bit of an understatement. After four games developed by the Japanese team Team Silent under the aegis of the Konami studio, the horror series has been lost from one small hand to another without ever really managing to rediscover the old charm of the first games released between 1999 and 2004.

Oscillating between cancelled projects (Silent Hills in 2015) and attempts with mixed critical reception (“Silent Hill: Homecoming” in 2008 and “Silent Hill: Downpour” in 2012), the series finally hit rock bottom during its move to PS Vita with a Hack’N’Slash title clearly designed to exploit the license without really respecting it. The final nail in the saga's coffin will be hammered home in 2023 with “Silent Hill: Ascension”, an interactive web series released in 2023 that ends up being widely mocked and reviled by critics and fans of the saga.

It is in this very tense context that the remake of “Silent Hill 2” is coming out this year. The original being considered by many as one of the greatest video games of all time, the project was entrusted to the Bloober Team studio, known in particular for several more or less successful horror games.

We were able to try out the remake exclusively Silent Hill 2 Remake before its official release and we offer you our full review of the game.

Editor's note: this review was entirely carried out using a PS5 code sent by the publisher. The latter had no right to review our review before publication.

A mastered story and narration

Let's start with an important piece of information: “Silent Hill 2” is not a sequel to the first game. It is therefore entirely possible to embark on this adventure without any knowledge of the first Silent Hill.

“Silent Hill 2” invites us to play as James Sunderland, a man distraught following the death of his wife Mary three years earlier. However, James recently received a letter from her inviting him to come to the town of Silent Hill where she is waiting for him. Could Mary be alive after all ? James goes to this mysterious town surrounded by an eternal fog to make sure.

Our character, James Sunderland, goes to Silent Hill to find his supposedly deceased wife. © Konami/Bloober

If “Silent Hill 2” is considered by many players as a classic of the Video Game, it is largely for its story. We will therefore not be so horrified as to spoil the latter, but know that this remake takes up the entirety of the plot of the original game, adding here and there a few small additions.

The latter, while they first allow you to collect a few additional objects, also allow you to discover more stories about the town of Silent Hill, its inhabitants and the characters you will meet during your adventure. The Remake does not add any new encounters compared to the original opus, but the characters encountered have a few additional scenes that allow them to gain depth. Nothing too extravagant, but we feel that Bloober Studio did not want to offer useless new features that might anger already-worried fans. very tense about the state of their favorite saga.

The new scenes of “Silent Hill 2 Remake” add some interactions with certain characters. © Konami/Bloober

However, the cinematics of “Silent Hill 2 Remake” wonderfully respect the original material. Whether it is already known and iconic content or the small new features implemented in the remake, we feel the respect of the Bloober Team for the license and their desire to produce a game that they love and want to make (re)discover. This is felt even more towards the end of the game where “Silent Hill 2 Remake” is endowed with longer levels than the original, but also some sublime staging ideas that perfectly depict the mental state of James Sunderland and the player as they approach the truth.

The characters encountered during the adventure are few in number, but each of them is remarkable because of their story that we discover throughout the game, but also the interpretation of the actors. The cult cinematics of the original game are obviously preserved, but also more readable although we sometimes lose in staging. We also regret that some facial animations are rather messy during some crucial passages of the game and that some of the most violent themes are not directly pronounced (Angela's tragic story is, in particular, approached in a less “direct” way than in the original opus).

The cult scenes from the original game are preserved. © Konami/Bloober

Improved graphics, but some bad feelings

The remake of Silent Hill 2 is being developed at using the Unreal Engine 5 game engine. The latter allows to enhance the settings and characters of the original game, some of which have slightly different faces compared to the original title and which can sometimes be quite strange.

The result of Unreal Engine 5 is however more than convincing: the streets of Silent Hill have never seemed so beautiful to discover. During the night passages, the reflections of the lights on the ground and the physics of the rain are even more beautiful to observe while the creatures are ignobly fascinating to observe. The fog, a characteristic element of the saga, is very thick and may displease some fans. It does, however, allow transitions between gameplay passages and game cinematics.

The town of Silent Hill has never been so beautiful. Or so gloomy depending on your point of view. © Konami/Bloober

"Silent Hill 2 Remake" also offers several options for the game's display. While classic mode will be preferred for an optimal experience, long-time fans can opt for the "retro" or "old CRT TV" look for more immersion, but at the expense of readability on certain actions at due to the grain applied.

Level design: Silent Hill abandoned, but Silent Hill also sublimated

“Silent Hill 2” on Playstation 2 “was a very “corridor” game. Understand that freedom of movement was very limited and that we were often content to go from point A to point B with a few deviations to solve certain puzzles. “Silent Hill 2 Remake” expands the playing area somewhat, especially outdoors.

First of all, the town of Silent Hill is more open than in the original game. Where the latter is mostly in a straight line, “Silent Hill 2 Remake” adds a few small areas where wander around and divert from the main story of the game. These areas allow you to find some useful objects for the rest, but above all to obtain some original story elements around the town of Silent Hill, its inhabitants and the different protagonists that you will meet during the game.

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Exploring the city will allow you to find more items needed for James' survival. © Konami/Bloober

In addition to the town of Silent Hill, this remake consists of five main areas to explore, including a hotel, a hospital and an apartment. These five locations constitute the “dungeons” of “Silent Hill 2 Remake” and will require you to solve several small puzzles to reach the other end. Like the original opus, these places are a series of small corridors where confrontation with enemies is more difficult and visibility is very reduced. The places are closed, gloomy and magnificently disturbing even if the original opus seemed to us more “dirty and tortured” than the remake for some settings.

A gameplay &much better than the original

As much as we love the original “Silent Hill 2”, we have to admit that the latter has some pretty… Bad gameplay to say the least. In the first game released on PS2, James Sunderland is cumbersome to control. His movements are slow, highly imprecise, and the slightest fight is more about luck in landing his shots than true strategy.

For “Silent Hill 2 Remake”, Blooper Studio decided to make James a little more agile. First of all, the latter now has a dodge button that proves crucial against certain melee enemies and especially against bosses. We might even tend to say that this dodge is a little too effective when managed well. Since the majority of enemies in the game have a pattern of hitting in a straight line in front of them, the slightest dodge to the side is a real asset to get out of it.

Ammo is scarce in “Silent Hill 2 Remake”. Should you really use it or dodge the game's monsters ? © Konami/Bloober

But most importantly, James is now able to aim normally with the weapons found in the game. Where the original opus allowed you to inflict more damage with firearms against enemies close to your character, this remake allows you to target your enemies' weak points to inflict critical damage. Enough to energize the game's combats and require a certain talent for aiming, even in critical situations as ammunition can be rare.

Like the original, “Silent Hill 2 Remake” features three difficulty levels for enemies and puzzles. The first affects the damage your enemies deal and the number of hits needed to complete them. The second makes the puzzles a little more difficult, but each in their own way. A code to find in a room ? Depending on the difficulty, the numbers will be harder to distinguish. A story to unravel ? In the difficulty mode “éelevée”, the metaphors will be more numerous and vague. Enough to give the best fighters a hard time, but also the greatest brains.

Some of the puzzles from the original opus are new present, but will require a little more thought. © Konami/Bloober

It's hard to talk about “Silent Hill” without mentioning the radio. This object, found very early in the game, allows you to make your PS5 controller crackle when monsters are nearby. An original mechanic and typical of the series that allows you to increase the pressure when the radio crackles but no enemies are visible nearby. However, it is possible to deactivate it if you want more difficulty. Also note that certain enemies and passages of the game temporarily deactivate your flashlight, leaving you only the faint sound of your radio to locate them. Some pretty rare moments, but really scary to experience.

The radio is both your best ally in the game, but also your greatest source of anxiety. © Konami/Bloober

Accessibility in a mess, but not only good ideas

“Silent Hill 2 Remake” also benefits from multiple accessibility options. Fans of the first hours will therefore be able to choose to find the original experience of the 2001 title which gave almost no indication concerning the objects to be collected and tips to be displayed. Conversely, it is entirely possible to display some indications, in particular the furniture that can be searched and objects to be inspected thanks to a contextual command displayed.

One of the new features included in the remake allows James' inventory to change color based on his health. As James gets injured, the screen turns red to represent the blood and damage taken. An original idea, but one that you'll quickly have to deactivate as it completely harms readability. in the menus.

“In red and black, I will exile my fear” © Konami/Bloober

Improved lifespan and new collectibles at find

The original 2001 version of “Silent Hill 2” took about ten hours to complete. It was even possible to complete it in 6 or 7 hours by running at full speed, as long as you knew the story and puzzles well.

Good news, “Silent Hill 2 Remake” is a little longer! Our first playthrough on normal difficulty (for combat and puzzles) took us about 15 hours. However, we stumbled a little while on a particular puzzle, so count on 14h if you're smarter than us. Our second playthrough on high difficulty took us about 16h, but we already knew the location of many enemies and paths to avoid.

“Silent Hill 2 Remake” does have a few collectibles to find (in addition to PS5/Steam trophies and achievements). These include photographs of the townspeople of Silent Hill, but also small scenes that sometimes reference elements from the original game, such as the iron puzzle. horse that was found in the 2001 opus, and which is now found as a collectible here.

The photographs are numerous and collectible. © Konami/Bloober

Finally, by finishing the game for the first time, you will also unlock new graphic styles to launch a “New Game +” in which you can find new objects and get a new level of reading on the plot now that you know the conclusion.

Our conclusion to the test of Silent Hill 2 Remake

Even if your favorite editor is a big fan of the license, this “Silent Hill 2 Remake” objectively has everything of an excellent game. Bloober studio has totally understood what the very essence of the cult PS2 title was and has managed to transcribe almost perfectly this atmosphere and this very particular charm that “Silent Hill 2” had at the time. The graphics and gameplay are pretty good, especially in the more confined levels where the slightest encounter with an enemy becomes a small moment of stress. The characters have been very accurately modeled and their features much more expressive than in the original opus. Some dialogues, a little too rigid at at the time, also ring truer in this remake and we greatly appreciate the few small additions that do not add artificial lifespan, but rather enrich the story of “Silent Hill 2”.

“Silent Hill 2 Remake” is not a perfect game, however. Some sequences (notably from the Other World) seem much smoother compared to their counterparts in the base game which were dirtier and more disturbed. Some facial expressions are also quite messed up during some cutscenes and we felt several FPS drops during some. Finally, if some boss fights are a little more open and gripping than in the original opus, the majority unfortunately remain quite simple in their unfolding and will only require running away from the monster and shooting at long range.

Fans of the original opus will however be in heaven rediscovering a cult title from the PS2, while newcomers will be able to experience one of the best horror adventures available in 2024.