Review of the game Silent Hill 2 (2024). This remake is praised by the whole world for good reason

The long-awaited remake of Silent Hill 2 has finally been released.

The original game has already become a cult favorite and has gathered millions of loyal fans. More than one film was made based on this franchise, and it was able to become part of world culture.

The Bloober Team studio, responsible for the remake of Observer, Blair Witch and Layers of Fear, began creating a remake of Silent Hill 2. There was hope, because we had an experienced team. And the trailers inspired confidence.

We have already completed the new product and would like to share our impressions. Does SH2 Remake really have the highest ratings that foreign publications gave it? Spoiler: yes.

Everything is so familiar, but at the same time completely new.

Already with the footage, the leading developers made it clear to us that they treated the performance with attention and respect for the original source.

You’ve probably already seen a link online, like the ranch from the starting area, the nameplate hidden behind the textures. There are just a ton of Easter eggs like this in the game.

The plot itself has not changed much, but there is one more pleasant moment. It was greatly expanded, making the world more detailed and interesting. The game has almost doubled in size compared to the original, making it more interesting to play not only for dedicated fans who learned everything inside and out, but also for other gamers who have long wanted to try the franchise, but never got around to it.

For example, here they told much more about the episodic Angela Orozco and diluted the finales with third-party episodes. We won’t go into details to avoid any spoilers.

For those unfamiliar with the game:

What is the game about?: The main character James Sunderland received a letter from his wife Mary, who died 3 years before the start of the main events of the game. In it, she asks him to come to the resort town of Silent Hill, where they spent a lot of time in their time.

Having reached our destination, we met a mysterious one named Maria, an almost exact copy of his wife. Who is she and where is Mary? This is exactly what we have to find out.

The city itself greets players as inhospitably as possible: empty streets, open and not dissipated by thick fog, screams and sweaty external exclamations from the nooks and crannies, an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue, and lonely monsters roam between the houses. There’s not a soul in the city. Or rather, only four heroes, each of whom remains on his territory for his own reasons, and not only.

Well-known authors have not changed and raised the topics: housework, electrical vices, forbidden desires, mental anguish and much more.

The source material explored these issues well, and the remake made for an even better, significantly complementary story to the original.

The world of the game has changed, but there are no disadvantages

All locations in the game have become larger (thanks to modern capabilities). No, the open world was not brought here, and this would be a strange decision for a linear horror game. However, you feel how all the places connect with each other. They move through passages, and you feel yourself moving through this creepy city, holding back monsters and other threats.

Designed in this location with attention to detail. Literally everything around you is trying to scare you or maintain an atmosphere of constant anxiety. And the constantly wheezing radio in the background will only add to the suspense. As before, it helps you understand that there are enemies somewhere nearby, created by the gloomy “Ti Holhimm”.

And the way the locations transform after sunset only stresses you out more. True, my authors lost a little of this idea that the world becomes more dangerous after the sun goes down and the sirens go off. This is where she doesn’t help, when for the first time everything around her has changed. And only after the first meeting with Pyramid Head it began to sound, announcing the onset of daylight. Why is this so? I don’t really understand.

However, this is part of my quibble regarding the work of the ENT, the game and the desperation of the overall atmosphere.

The plot follows a simple and understandable game plan. We are given a series of cutscenes, then thrown at a fighter (more on him below), then move on to the next puzzle – and so on in a circle. What’s nice is that all the puzzles are different from each other.

None of them repeat almost any previous elements. Then you need to find a broken record and fix the music equipment to play it, open the safe in the hospital director’s room, get into another locked room in the hotel, closed with 100 locks.

They are all interconnected and do not look like puzzles for the sake of puzzles – you see the subtle connection between them all. And some here are even made so that you find another note, which not only leads you to another solution, but also gives you notes explaining what exactly happened here many years ago.

In general, solve such occult and not very interesting riddles. They not only give gamers the opportunity to undergo training, but also provide insight into the world of the game.

It’s interesting to fight here. And it’s hard

It’s difficult in terms of timing. They can be disrupted by opponents or players. Sometimes the next compression may not work on time, and sometimes the animation is late for some reason.

The combat system itself is quite simple. You have melee weapons and firearms. You start in the best traditions of survival horror – without everything, and then with a board with nails. This (and then the metal pipe) will be your most used tool, since ammo will always be in short supply. Special level of difficulty.

The same applies to healing drinks, which may not be needed much. And due to sometimes glitchy animations, you will slowly lose health. But you can get used to this too. Personally, I recommend using the remake on a difficulty level of at least high. Only then will real survival be discovered.

The opponents are not very diverse. Not even that, there are actually 3 types of them here. For two of them, the battle mechanics are almost identical – he was shot in the knee, he fell or crouched, and finished him off. The difference is already hidden in the details. One may begin to crawl quickly, the second will freeze, and then suddenly strike. And so on.

You get used to it, but there is still always an element of surprise.

Melee combat consists of only two actions: attack and dodge. It is simple and understandable to everyone. There are also not very many weapons, which increases the tension, because cartridges for them also need to be constantly looked for in different nooks and crannies. In this game, the developers made a clear emphasis on conducting locations, and it did its job. You are interested in breaking glass in cars (by the way, cool mechanics), shop windows, shops, crawling into regular open passages and crawling into strange holes in the walls.

Sound is a separate part that cannot be silent about. The composer defeated Akira Yamaoka again, and he did a flawless job. More industrial elements appeared in the city, and ominous soundtracks began to escalate the situation even more.

The characters themselves began to sound more expressive. You begin to worry about them even more than before.

Amazing remake

Did you think that only Capcom could perfectly remake their “cuts”? But that’s not the case.

Yes, I’m a little fed up with the lack of fresh ideas in modern game franchises. But when really handy developers take on the task of re-releasing the already truly strict conditions of a classic, you can’t tear yourself away from this game.

Silent Hill 2 Remake was able to meet all expectations. It not only expanded the plot, finalized the locations, limited the graphics, but also managed to preserve the very minimal atmosphere of the lost city.

You can buy Silent Hill 2 (2024) on Steam and on PlayStation 5. It costs about 4 thousand rubles, and this is the case when you don’t mind paying that kind of money for a remake, because it plays like a completely new game. There are Russian subtitles, and a well-known studio is raising money for professional dubbing.

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