Konami’s insistence on remaining bafflingly silent about the Silent Hill 2 remake has been a source of frustration for many for what has felt like forever, but at long last, the company has now pulled back the curtain and revealed extensive new details on the long-awaited Bloober Team-developed remake. Along with announcing that it will be out this October, Konami has also revealed new gameplay footage and details on the game’s story, gameplay and tech enhancements, and more, thanks to a showing at Sony’s recent State of Play presentation, as well as an even more extensive deep dive in a separate, subsequent stream. Here, we’re going to go over all of those key details.
CHARACTERS
Silent Hill 2’s story isn’t populated with a big crowd of characters by any means, but it does boast a handful of memorable personalities, several of whom were shown in the game’s recent extensive gameplay showing. For starters, we obviously saw a great deal of protagonist James Sutherland, who explores the foggy town of Silent Hill in search of his wife. Speaking of whom, his wife, Mary, was aso shown for a brief section during the gameplay showing, while we also got a look at the young girl named Laura, who is also in search of Mary.
ENEMIES
It’s fair to say that Silent Hill 2’s incredible roster of enemies and their unforgettable designs are chief among the reasons that it’s held in the high regard by so many people that it is, and we got a good look at a couple of those instantly recognizable enemies as well. In the opening section of the demo, we saw James taking on a couple of Lying Figures, while later on in the gameplay showcase, we see much creepier encounters in dimly lit corridors against the bone-chilling Nurses. Past trailers have, of course, given us glimpses of the remake’s take on Silent Hill 2’s iconic monsters as well (including Pyramid Head, of course), and it’s fair to say following this most recent showing that they’re continuing to look impressive.
GAMEPLAY SHOWING DETAILS
At over 13 minutes in length, the aforementioned gameplay showing for Silent Hill 2 at the recent Silent Hill Transmission was by far the longest look we’ve had at the remake so far, so naturally, there was plenty to dive into. For starters, it’s fair to say that everything is looking significantly better than the trailer we saw earlier this year, even if the weapons and combat still don’t look quite as impactful as they should. In the opening section of the gameplay showing, we also saw James walking through the creepy, foggy streets and back alleys of the town of Silent Hill, and in terms of the atmosphere, it’s fair to say that things are shaping up well.
BROOKHAVEN HOSPITAL
A good chunk of the gameplay showcase was focused on Brookhaven Hospital, a location that fans of the original game will recognize all too well. This section sees James exploring the hospital in search of Laura, and it’s here that we see the game’s strong atmosphere in full effect, with James slowly making his way through creepy, dimly lit, claustrophobic corridors. We see bits and pieces of gunplay and melee combat against Nurses, we see exploration and scavenging, with James finding everything from health items to key items for puzzles to even a shotgun, and more.
STORY AND ATMOSPHERE
Remaking a game as beloved as Silent Hill 2 is always a risky venture, because anytime you even slightly change the tiniest detail, chances are fans are going to be up in arms about it. In some areas, then, developer Bloober Team is looking to leave things as untouched as possible. Though there will obviously be radical changes to how every single thing looks and sounds, Bloober Team and Konami say the Silent Hill 2 remake is a very faithful recreation of the original in terms of the story and the atmosphere. In those departments, the developers have tried to tinker with the original game and its content as little as possible.
MODERNIZED GAMEPLAY
The area where the Silent Hill 2 remake does allow itself to be ambitious with the changes it makes is the gameplay- which is no surprise, given the fact that the original game is over two decades old. The remake is, of course, a third-person game, without the original’s fixed cameras, and Bloober Team says that means it delivers overhauled combat, remixed design, and more. Meanwhile, new technology means other gameplay aspects are also impacted, from how the fog affects gameplay to how the visual fidelity improves combat animations. Speaking of which…
COMBAT
Combat obviously isn’t what you come to Silent Hill for, but it is still a pretty important part of the original Silent Hill 2. So how is it shaping up in the remake? In its recent gameplay showcase, we saw plenty of combat, both melee and gunplay, and it’s safe to say that it still doesn’t quite have the sort of weight and impact that we’ve come to expect from other similar horror games like Dead Space and Resident Evil. Then again, maybe it feels better to play than it does to look at. Beyond that, in terms of the actual mechanics, players will also have access to a dodge mechanic, which should make melee encounters a bit more involved as well.
PERFORMANCE CAPTURE
Storytelling is what Silent Hill 2 is supposed to be focused on first and foremost, and sure enough, it looks like Bloober Team and Konami are pulling out all the stops in that area. For instance, it’s been confirmed that the entire game uses performance capture for all of its cutscenes, which, according to series producer Motoi Okamoto, will allow for more detailed and nuanced acting performances for all the characters. And what exactly should we expect from the game on that front? Well, that brings us to our next point…
ACTORS
Given the legacy of Silent Hill 2 and its story, it’s fair to say that the actors bringing its characters to life in the remake will have monumental expectations to live up to- so who exactly are these actors going to be? While the full cast has yet to be unveiled, Bloober Team and Konami have announced that protagonist James Sutherland will be played by Luke Roberts (who is best known for his role as Woodes Rogers in Black Sails), while Mary/Maria will be played by Salóme Gunnarsdóttir, who is known for her roles in Pennyworth and The Lazarus Project.
LAUNCH DETAILS
So when exactly is Silent Hill 2 going to launch? The remake releases for PS5 and PC on October 8, and as confirmed by Konami, pre-orders are live now on all platforms. A Deluxe Edition is also available, and comes with an exclusive art book and OST. Meanwhile, pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition also nets you with two days of early access. There’s also a couple of cosmetics involved for those pre-ordering any edition of the game on any platforming, including an exclusive one for PS5 players.
