Silent Hill 2 (2024) — Forgiving Oneself and Forgetting One’s Sins
All of the images are from my own playthroughs of Silent Hill 2. All rights to Konami and the respective owners.
Silent Hill 2, specifically the 2024 remake by Bloober Team, was a game I expected to dislike. I’ve played and seen a good chunk of Bloober’s catalogue prior to this point and wasn’t personally too fond of their work (there’s an eventual write-up for The Medium coming too).
I love Silent Hill as a series. I’ve played every game short of Shattered Memories and 4 (though I’m hoping to secure a copy of both at some point in the future). I appreciate all of the games. SH1 is a classic, SH2 (the original) is a masterpiece, SH3 (my favorite one) is amazing, SH Homecoming has some great elements despite its numerous flaws, SH Downpour is a moody, dark ride through a haunting ride (despite its lackluster monster designs), SH Origins has some wonderful little bits, and I even liked SH Book of Memories (yeah, yeah, kill me).
All of that is to say, I’ve played a lot of Silent Hill. It’s one of the biggest inspirations in my own writing, a pillar in my work as a whole. I love the series’ music, its lore, its key moments, and I love the town itself.
Meet Angela, one of the people James will encounter within Silent Hill.
,Silent Hill 2’s story focuses on one James Sunderland, a man who’s returned to the eponymous town following a letter he received from his wife. James confused and concerned, returns to the foggy lake-side town in search of their so-called “special place”. His trials are only beginning, however, as James will soon find himself exploring a rotting, forgotten world. James, for better and for worse, will meet several people on his journey.
Angela, a skittish and easily-scared young woman in search of her family (primarily her mother)
Eddie, a young man on the run who can’t seem to escape his pursuers
Marie, a woman James finds at Silent Hill’s Rosewater Park who looks oddly like a dolled-up and far more flirtatious version of James’ wife Mary
Laura, a little girl who seems to be equally as innocent as she is knowledgeable
James and the others are all on their own journeys, but all will be forced to repeatedly criss-cross as the town envelops them.
Judgement comes for everyone eventually, James.
I left one big detail out of the intro, though, and those who know about SH2’s story are already wondering why I neglected it.
See, James’ wife Mary is dead. She died — according to him at least — three years prior by some “damned disease” (some presume it’s cancer).
So James, widowed and depressed, returns to the town with the letter in tow and delves into its darkness without as much as a look back.
Ditto.
Story hook done! It’s a great premise, and a beautifully handled story. Bloober did an amazing job handling the countless sensitive topics SH2 has at play (everything ranging from bullying and suicide to sexual assault and violent, cathartic revenge). I want to sing the team’s praises here (and those of the Team Silent members who worked with them). You did a phenomenal job bringing an older game and its messages into the modern lens.
Monster designs, of course, are aced here. The more realistic depictions of SH2’s original Playstation 2 models look disgustingly well-made. The Red Pyramid is as imposing as ever; the lying figures are sickly and vile; the final boss is genuinely unsettling.
The game plays well too, controlling with enough weight for every gunshot and pipe hit to hurt, but not to a degree where the game feels bogged down.
My only major complaint with SH2 is that it overuses a specific enemy (a mannequin creature that loves to run and hide). These specific little bastards will hide in plain sight, almost to a comical degree. I’ve caught them hiding under a desk right in front of me or running into a room just to have a second one jump me around the corner. They’re overused, and what could have been a genuinely tense enemy becomes equal parts funny and frustrating.
I have to recommend Silent Hill 2. Seeing this series get a second wind and be treated with such intense respect has made me so happy. Give it a shot! Let the town call you in, and see where Silent Hill takes you.
