Rumors about the Silent Hill 2 remake have faded into the fog, and it has become a reality. The classic title is considered by most to be one of the best horror games of all time, and now it is getting a complete remake. Unlike the disappointment that was the HD Collection, the game will be fully recreated from the ground up for modern hardware. Still, with such a beloved game and Konami’s troubling track record in recent years, fans may have more concern about this announcement than immediate excitement.
Aside from a new graphical overhaul, remakes can mean many different things. For Silent Hill 2, the question of exactly what will be — and more importantly, won’t be — changed is on the minds of the dedicated fan base that holds the original in such high esteem. While Konami didn’t fully clear the fog on what Silent Hill 2 will be this time around, we turned on our radios, checked every locked door, and managed to come out alive with everything you need to know about the Silent Hill 2 remake.
Release date window
There hasn’t been a solid release date listed for this remake, but Silent Hill 2 was quietly featured in an official Sony video previewing 2024 releases. Pending any delays, it sounds like we’ll get to replay this all-time great horror title this year.
Platforms
Silent Hill 2 remake was revealed as a true current-generation exclusive and a console exclusive for the PlayStation 5. PC players will also get to experience the game on launch, whenever that may be, but Xbox players will have to wait until the exclusivity deal runs out, which could be as short as six months or as long as a year.
Trailers
The announcement trailer for the Silent Hill 2 remake is technically a teaser since there’s no actual in-game footage, but it still gives us a nice, long look at the creepy town of Silent Hill.
It opens in the same dingy bathroom as the original game, only this time, James looks far more distraught. He looks at himself in the mirror and asks himself if Mary could really be there waiting for him, knowing that she has already passed away from “that damn disease three years ago.”
James steps outside, passes by the familiar map of the town by a diner, and heads down a street as Mary’s voice comes in with the iconic line, “In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill.”
We cut to the disturbing scene where James first witnesses Pyramid Head in the apartments, as well as sees Laura outside the hospital. Even some late-game scenes, such as with the noose, are shown.
What appears to be a new cutscene of James attacking a nurse only plays for a moment but may indicate more additional scenes such as that.
Before the title drop, we see the meeting of James and Maria and Pyramid Head walking in from the rain.
Much more was revealed thanks to a PlayStation Blog post with Konami producer Motoi Okamoto and the creative director and lead designer at Bloober Team. It was mentioned in the trailer but reiterated that both Masahiro Ito and Akira Yamaoka, the original creature designer and composer, respectively, will join Bloober Team in developing this remake. Many attribute much of the original game’s success as a lasting horror masterpiece to the original Team Silent, so having two of those members involved may put some fans’ minds at ease.
The primary goal for Bloober Team with the Silent Hill 2 remake is to “preserve the atmosphere that made Silent Hill 2 so exceptional while also modernizing many aspects of the game’s overall gameplay.”
While they don’t explicitly mention how they will or will not be changing the story, that is probably the part most fans are curious about. While some shots do appear new, we will have to wait to see if any substantial changes are coming in that department.
The combat reveal trailer showed a few familiar cutscenes, puzzles, and locations, but nothing diverging in terms of the original narrative.
Gameplay
The initial trailer showed no gameplay, but again, the blog sheds light on how they intended to modernize Silent Hill 2.
The original Silent Hill 2 used a semi-fixed camera that would track and pan as you dynamically moved through environments. You had some control over it, but it was mostly meant to frame things in a specific way.
With the Silent Hill 2 remake, the team has decided to adopt a more traditional third-person, over-the-shoulder style, in a similar way that Resident Evil 2 Remake shifted from the fixed cameras of the original. This change is intended to make the game more immersive and visceral, which leads to a new combat system.
The original had a clunky (perhaps intentionally so) melee combat system and basic gunplay. We don’t know how much will be mechanically different, only that the team says they intend to use the new perspective and combat system to rebuild set pieces and ways to keep the player immersed.
The team also points out that the Silent Hill 2 remake will run on Unreal Engine 5, and they specifically point out the Lumen and Nanite features. Lumen is their dynamic illumination system that makes light interact with the environments in realistic ways to allow for more natural lighting. Nanite, meanwhile, is what was used to create highly detailed environments and levels.
Being a PS5 console exclusive, there will also be features that take advantage of that specific hardware. 3D audio was highlighted as a way to bring players deeper into the titular town, as well as utilize the controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
The full Combat Reveal trailer finally showed the game in action. James will be doing heavy, deliberate swings from the new third-person perspective, plus have some QTE elements, such as after being grabbed. Shooting appeared to have no aiming reticule, but otherwise, it was very reminiscent of the Resident Evil 2 Remake system.
Preorder
The Silent Hill 2 remake is a long way off. While we’d love to tell you how to reserve a place in this quaint resort town, it isn’t quite ready yet. As soon as preorder information goes live, we will update you with all the gory details.
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