As a kid, I remember going over to a friend’s house to play games on his PS1, and every now and then, he would throw on his dad’s ‘game that we weren’t supposed to play.’ We would wander around in the darkness for a few minutes before dying and bouncing off to play the Phantom Menace film tie-in, uneasy but not sure what to make of the experience. Although I’m now well-versed in horror games, having played dozens of titles through the years, I somehow managed to never truly play a Silent Hill game until now. I’ve recently finished the SH2 remake, so I thought I would share my thoughts on it as a fan of horror games, Bloober, and a newcomer to the series. I also won’t be commenting on the original or HD collection, or how the remake compares to those; my thoughts here are strictly about the merits of SH2R as a standalone game.
While I’m aware of Silent Hill’s stature and influence on many of the games I’ve enjoyed in the horror genre, I was blind to its story, themes, and gameplay. I’ve always had the perception that it was the countershade of Resident Evil - the verdigris side of the same coin. Whereas Resident Evil was always about temporal fears, Silent Hill delved into the primal and the subconscious. I found this largely to be the case in my time with SH2R. At its core, every RE entry is a fun game to play. I’m not sure I can say the same for Silent Hill, but I don’t mean that as a criticism of its design or technical state. If anything, that is a testament to how suffocating the world is, the constant state of unease it puts the player in, and how far the story goes to torment its characters.
Nothing you do in this game feels like a victory. SH2R’s combat is just janky enough to make you feel like you're lucky to have survived each encounter - RE4 this is not. Solving a puzzle or navigating a labyrinth does not bring the usual satisfaction found in other games, but serves only to lead the player further down James’s hellish spiral. This is all in service to one of the best examples of holistic story-telling I’ve ever seen in a game. The plot itself is engaging, at times reminiscent of Memento, the Book of Job, David Lynch’s works, and Crime and Punishment. But none of it would work without the intricately detailed dilapidated environments, terrifying audio design, or haunting soundtrack. I will also say, without having ever played the original, the voice acting here is superb. I thought Luke Roberts gave one of the all-time great performances here as James. So much of the story rests on his uncertainty and inner conflict, and I don’t think you could ask for a richer line delivery to convey these themes.
While this is entirely subjective, I will say that SH2R was one of the most genuinely scary games I’ve ever played, even as a jaded horror vet. I would put it roughly in the same ballpark as RE7 or Alien Isolation for scares, but Silent Hill has a Twin Peaks otherworldliness that adds to the terror. Although there are plenty of great jumpscares and traditional horror elements here, the game as a whole goes far beyond simply what’s scary. I’m generally not sure how I feel about content (trigger) warnings before any piece of media, but I think it was justified in SH2R’s case. As I said before, this is a holistic experience, and the game goes to some very dark places outside of formulaic scary monsters. Throughout my time playing, I went through a constant cycle of scared, uneasy, depressed, and despair. From an outsider’s view, this might not make the game seem appealing at all, but I think it shows what makes Silent Hill appealing as a totally engrossing horror experience. If somehow, like me, you’re a horror gamer that hasn’t played the series before, I strongly recommend playing through this tragically beautiful and deeply disturbing masterpiece.
Bloober did a great job overall. My only real problems with the game were that I felt the enemies acted too predictably, and some sections were way too long (mainly the hospital and the prison). I thought they nailed the atmosphere though, and the more natural voice acting worked really well
If I had a criticism of the game, this would be it. Some sections felt incredibly long with a little too much combat. It can become a bit of an endurance test. I would rather have a game be too long than short though, that's how I've always felt about Alien: Isolation, another game that's often criticized for being too long.
I feel the opposite, I’d rather a game finish early than outstay their welcome. The game would have been amazing had the otherworld sections be reduced heavily to fix the pacing issues.
I'm the same way. I'd rather be left feeling hungry for more than sick and tired and just wanting it to be over already.
Crazy, I thought the last level, the hotel was too long. I felt like the tension was building up and up and the Labyrinth level was a mindfuck and then we get to the hotel and everytbing grinds to a halt. The story doesn't progress and seeing mannequins and nurses in the garden in broad daylight seemed silly.
I want to play this because the aesthetic and tone are what I would crave if they were applied to a television series or novel. However, there is something about playing horror video games that makes me very nervous. I've watched Let's Plays of most Resident Evil games, Alien Isolation and even Outlast 2 (1 was too much for me to even watch second-hand), but I can't pull the trigger on playing one myself. I bought Alan Wake in the recent Playstation sale, as a bit of a test-run since I've heard it's more supernatural thriller than straight-up horror. We'll see.
There is something uniquely terrifying about horror games to me because it's you, the player, having to actively partake in the experience rather than observing someone else do it. Alan Wake is a great place to start if you're interested in the genre, then maybe RE 2 or 4. As great as SH2R is, I do think it's significantly scarier than all the games you listed (Alien: Isolation is close) so I would build up to it. But you should stick with it, there's tons of great horror games!
If you are looking for something to watch, the first Silent Hill movie is decent. Also check out Jacob's Ladder and Twin Peaks for some similar vibes.
Interesting, I can handle horror games much better than movies, because I get to be an active part while playing. That being said, Silent Hill 2 Remake was pretty tense at times, the psychological horror is done very well.
Now imagine the same game, but the camera is an outside observer.
You see what the camera sees, but you do not decide where the camera goes. It is directed by a capable cinematographer, selecting the point of view of the town onto James depending on the scene and location.
The geography of the game world is not determined by a free roaming camera, and is therefore not forward-vistas-dominated, but exists within its own logic, and is then shot for mood, for obfuscation, for the idea of the unseen eye that knows you are there. You are not James looking at the town, you are the town looking at James.
That’s the original Silent Hill 2.
The only thing I’d add to your list is that the game sometimes gives you a life line. There’s moments of tranquility and peace. You see a friend in Maria as not being alone. But it’s snatched away from you halfway through and it’s the only thing keeping you going. Just for one more brief moment of peace. The music really adds to this and the best OST I have ever listened to in any media.
Never experienced a story like this. One of my most memorable scenes is just walking out of the stripclub and finally seeing sun glistening through the clouds. I felt the vitamin D, I swear!
Also, my ears were just constantly attacked with bass. I only realised how heavy the sound design was until I took my headphones off and could actually breath haha.
Closest thing for to this would be requiem for a dream, but I would say a couple endings are better than the film in terms of happiness.
I think our impression of Maria is very different, but I see where you're coming from hahaha I completely agree about the OST though, it was absolutely beautiful! I've been listening to it on repeat for the past few weeks. It really says a lot about the game that the fog soaked streets are the most tranquil moments you'll experience. I will say, without leaving spoilers, that I haven't seen every ending, so I would be interested to see how that changes my perception of the narrative.
Silent Hill 2 is one of the best horror games ever created. I'm playing through the remake for the first time but the OG is so good. There's so much subtext and the remake does a great job of not changing a whole lot. I think the newer games reusing pyramid Head ruined how terrifying he really was.
Worth checking out the original as well! I think it's better (but I also grew up with that). It's definitely enough of a different experience though the remake really gets everything it needs to correctly.
I'm a big fan of remaking old games like Resident Evil, System Shock, Dead Space, or Oblivion. While I think those remakes are objectively better than the originals I grew up with (minus RE3), I know exactly what you mean in this case. No matter how faithful, caring, or well made a remake is, you inevitably lose something in the translation. I definitely plan on playing the OG Silent Hill 2 in the future!
Agreed! Silent Hill feels a little different from some of those, as some of that jankiness helps make it a scarier thing. There are elements that are obviously more realized in the remake but there's a level of mood/atmosphere/unease that those original games really gel with. SH2 in particular just has a lot of stuff that was excised in the remake that just is fucking scary as shit. Excited to see what Bloober does with SH1R!
Also, full recommend on Silent Hill f also. That game does the atmosphere very well (mileage may vary with the combat but I thought it worked brilliantly). Also Alan Wake 2 (but you gotta do the first one there as well), that's a brilliant survival horror game too. They really understand how to dial up and release tension.
I actually really disliked it. So much so that I couldnt beat the game (gave it a good 6+ hours)
From someone completely new the the series and (has no idea whats going on) the story beats are wayyy to far apart. The pacing just didn't feel good.
It would basically be long drawn out spaces of repetitive combat, with a story beat that doesn't really reveal anything and usually left me more confused.
The combat and the enemies were very repetitive and eventually it just got annoying trying to fight them especially when it starts to throw like 4 of them at you at once.
Its a shame because the game gets an insane amount of praise, so I genuinely expected a masterpiece but it felt far from that.
It does have some pros: the puzzles werent baby mode. Like they were actually very hard which games seem too afraid to do nowadays. Alongside that, the atmosphere of the game was fantastic.
I just wish the game gave the player more story beats (that make sense and dont just feel weird) improved the pacing because it gets kinda boring from a gameplay perspective and maybe added more enemies types. Didnt like it and couldnt finish it.
That's fair, I don't think it's going to be everyone's cup of tea. I personally loved the story beats and how off they felt, but I'm also a big fan of David Lynch's work so I already like that uncanny feeling that's present here too.
I'm a big fan of the original, and I hated the remake too. It actively ruins a lot of things that made the original so good.
That's one of those things. You can beat the original in 7 hours on your first playthrough without rushing things.
I'm playing this one now myself. I'm at the prison. I only ever played SH1 before.
i just finished sh2r today what a journey it was damn