Silent Hill. The very name brings to mind dark, foggy streets, and deep psychological terror. Today, I’m stealing Graham’s idea and putting my own spooky spin on things.
Anyone who knows me will know that Silent Hill 2 is one of my all-time favourite games. From the intense, dark plot, to the well-designed monsters (all hail Pyramid Head), it is horror gaming at its finest. Don’t get me wrong, I love the series as a whole, but if I had to pick just ONE for a remake, it would be the second entry. Not a shadow of a doubt there. Yes, I know there are rumours of new Silent Hill games coming. Trust me, I have heard. But a modern take on this classic would be well worth it (I hope).
The Game Itself
Silent Hill 2 is a psychological horror game, set in the titular town. We follow James Sunderland, who believes that Silent Hill is harbouring his dead wife. This time, we explore a different area of the town from the first entry to the series. The town is fairly dilapidated and gloriously filled with enemies. Three years previous to the game, James lost his wife due to an illness. Again, we’re back solving puzzles to advance through areas. However, one of the strongest points of this game is the enemies. Silent Hill 2 is the only game in the series thus far to bring in Pyramid Head, Granted, there is a deeper, darker meaning to his presence, but I digress.
This entry to the Silent Hill series brought so many new enemies to light and even gave some older ones a fresh look. Thank god this time, there are no crotch goblins. Anyone who saw me streaming the first game knows what I’m on about… Damn crotch goblins. Ruining my running… ANYWAYS! We’re about to go into full horror nerd mode, so maybe it’s time to talk about why this game, in particular, deserves a remake.
What makes Silent Hill 2 deserving of a remake?
Horror can be so very hit or miss. It’s a genre that’s been around for over a hundred years with only so much you can do. There are only so many paths one can travel. Silent Hill was not afraid to start pushing boundaries with what horror could do. Although yes, we have the monsters, there is a much deeper level of pure psychological terror entwined throughout.
Silent Hill 2 takes that style even further. While avoiding spoilers, I’m going to quickly sum this up. Each enemy has some means of being sexualised in one way or another. On a visible stance, the nurses take the cake on that. Action-wise though? Hello, Mr Pyramid Head! This game took that dark road down and managed to create a whole atmosphere that was NOT built around fan-service. Each character design represents a different element of James’s psyche. Games just don’t do it like that anymore, not in a way that’s not some form of fan-service. With this horror classic, we are given an intricate plot with so many twists and turns. Although it does have a remaster, the game hasn’t aged overly well in some ways. The controls still get to me.
But the bottom line is that this game is a genuine masterpiece! We’re getting more and more remakes lately or rumoured remakes. It’s time one of those remakes was a true psychological horror classic! Also, never forget… The dog ending.
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