Summary
Remakes always carry with them the nostalgia and bias of their original counterpart’s reception, particularly if the original is a classic that has yet to be outdone.Silent Hill 2has this weight to carry as its remake is being developed by Bloober and already displays some tell-tale signs that the final product will be far from what the puristSilent Hillcommunity may have expected or wanted from it.
Bloober already has a reputation for its games not being incredibly diverse when it comes to mechanics or interactivity, but the State of Play gameplay reveal forSilent Hill 2unveiled an unusual problem on the opposite end of the spectrum. The gameplay demonstrated that Bloober has gone ahead and designed what looks like a competent combat system for James Sunderland to endlessly wail on nurses with planks of wood, for example, and while that may only be a slice of what the game’s experience will be, theSilent Hill 2remake’s direction might be worrying and deduct from how faithfully it adapts its source material.
Silent Hill 2’s ‘Combat’ is Lackluster at Best, Nonexistent at Worst
Silent Hill 2 Has Always Been Atmosphere First, Combat Second
The critical issue here is that whileSilent Hill 2arguably had an inferior combat system that was more tedious and absurd than anything, it also didn’t attempt to be an action game. Asa psychological-horror gameit included ‘combat’ for the sake of circumventing enemies, but its hit-and-run mechanics were hardly anything to remark on as anything remotely close to combat, regardless of how dated it is by standards today.
Boss fights were no better, leaving James to awkwardly exchange gunfire with Eddie or run to a corner of a room and fire upon Pyramid Head until he closed the distance, for instance.
It’s serviceable for the kind of game it’s in and that’s perhaps its only saving grace, even though it’s hardly ever been a gripe players have had withSilent Hill 2and it probably hasn’t prevented anyone from enjoying the game. The atmosphere and storytelling of theoriginalSilent Hillgamesis where they thrived, but Bloober has now put itself in a tough spot with the choices it’s made regardingSilent Hill 2over two decades later.
The Silent Hill 2 Remake Might Lean on Combat More Than It Should
Why ‘Good’ Combat in the Silent Hill 2 Remake is Controversial
Bloober’sSilent Hill 2leaning into combat is divisivefor several reasons. On the one hand, it’s terrific thatSilent Hill 2will have combat that iterates on that of the original because it could make encounters more immersive and hopefully relieve the tedium of the original’s combat. On the other hand, making combat a primary facet ofSilent Hill 2is a step in the wrong direction, when a step toward modern psychological-horror features would have been a better play.
The remake may still fulfill that and more gameplay could determine atmosphere as its true essence; however, while decent combat is better than inferior combat, it might’ve been better had Bloober avoided combat almost altogether. Instead, theSilent Hill 2remake’s James Sunderlandlooks as expertly trained in combat asResident Evil’s Leon Kennedy.
It’s debatable whether Bloober’s combat mechanics are a decent iteration since it’s usingQTE button-mashing prompts and enemies look much more lively and capable, rather than stumbling around as haunting figures. The truth is that there probably wasn’t any way Bloober could please everyone no matter how it decided to approach combat, but it’s easy to see both sides of why combat in general would always be controversial in theSilent Hill 2remake, and it’ll be interesting to see what details are learned about it in future gameplay reveals.
Silent Hill 2
WHERE TO PLAY
THE SILENCE IS BROKEN…James Sunderland’s life is shattered when his young wife Mary suffers a tragic death. Three years later, a mysterious letter arrives from Mary, beckoning him to return to their sanctuary of memories, the dark realm of Silent Hill.Now James must go back to that special place to uncover the truth, unaware that the answers he seeks require the ultimate sacrifice.• Return to Silent Hill in an entirely new adventure with all-new characters and monsters.• Battle horrifying creatures with a new arsenal of weapons and items.• Riveting storyline, stunning graphics and true-to-life CG movies leave you on the edge of your seat.• Atmospheric lighting and ambient 3D surround sound shift and change at each terrifying turn.• Dynamic camera angles, beautifully rendered environments, and real-time weather effects deliver a cinematic horror experience.
