The Silent Hill 2 remake is set to arrive on the PS5 and PC on October 8th of this year, it is as expected being published by Konami and this remake is being developed by Bloober Team. This company has an impressive resume to show off and may bring the horror style we’ve come to expect from the Silent Hill games. Before working on this remake they made Layers Of Fear and 2019’s Blair Witch.
The Original’s Legacy
The Silent Hill franchise is considered by many to be one of the best psychological horror series to date while there are some notable misses in portraying its complex horror there are also some great hits, one of the greatest hits is almost unanimously agreed upon is Silent Hill 2.
The original released in 2001 and was developed by Team Silent and was available for the PS2, Xbox and PC at the time, it quickly rose to high praises from various outlets praising its horror and graphic portrayal, overall tone and the story.
It’s a game that beautifully explores complex adult themes like loss and denial to marital woes and the addressing how one reacts when placed in difficult and life or death situations. This game follows a man named James Sunderland who comes to Silent hill after receiving a letter from his wife,except his wife had died 3 years ago.
Thus James starts investigating and meeting various other characters in Silent Hill along with fighting or escaping unsightly horrors that reveal themselves in dark corridors or tight spaces to find the origin of the letter and much more.
The Hesitation Around This Remake
People as always are complaining about this remake having a dodge function while the original didn’t and therefore it will be unplayable, or some character changes such as Maria looking much younger than she was portrayed in the original, some are even having problems about the over-the-shoulder view.
These criticisms feel nothing more than nitpicks, nothing of substance is being said about actual flaws. This isn’t to say the game is already a perfect masterpiece but some of the uproar on social media really boils down to being nothing. The original creators from Team Silent were contacted and consulted with so as to achieve the vision from 2001.
Other criticisms take aim at Bloober Team, people looking at their past work have doubts as to how mental illness will be portrayed, as some feel Blair Witch and Layers of Fear didn’t do a good enough job.
There may be possible changes in events and changes to narrative which was described as for a “modern audience”. These sorts of descriptions adds ambiguity, fuelling worry that leans towards the negative as fans start speculating on whether some iconic scenes or moments will be redone and it may not strike the chord as the original did.
The Trailers Look Great And Bloober Team Aren’t Slouches
There is some push back to these sorts of claims and worries as there are those pointing out that they are likely going to make some significant changes. It happened with the Resident Evil Remakes and now they are all the better for it.
People also point out that these criticisms would be suited more if it was called a “remaster” but this is a “remake” they are intending to change what the original game did. Flaws or mistakes in scenes, line delivery or gameplay mechanics that didn’t fit or weren’t able to be completed before launch.
The new trailer is already looking to flesh out James’ story and grief over the death of his wife Mary further with tapes of when they were together, before which a much younger version of his wife is shown talking to him, these scenes add more depth to James’ mental state and dealing with this loss of his love.
The voice overs of his wife have much better delivery and James’ lines aren’t muted and off putting like how it was in the original. The trailer is showcasing well designed characters and well done dialogue. It is an intriguing trailer showcasing more of the desire to keep investigating to find out about Mary regardless of what James has to face.
