Very few expected Bloober Team's handling of Silent Hill to be as masterful as it was. The creative success of the Silent Hill 2 remake was surprising not only because of the Polish developer's shoddy track record, especially in terms of mature storytelling, but also because of Konami's mishandling of the Silent Hill series following Silent Hill 3 (or Silent Hill 4, depending on who's asked).
With the Silent Hill 2 remake being as good as it is, it would appear that the Silent Hill franchise could be entering a new age of greatness. Of course, one would have hoped that this age of greatness would be helmed by a new entry in the series rather than a remake of its best-received one, but it's better than nothing. Even before Silent Hill 2 astounded with its fresh take on the classic story, it was assumed by many players that Konami wouldn't stop the remake train from rolling, unless, perhaps, the Silent Hill 2 remake flopped. The flames of speculation have been fanned by two major sources in 2024, and while the following conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt, they definitely seem reasonable.
Silent Hill 1 and 3 Remakes Are in Development, According to Rumors
Planeta_Geek_'s Recent Twitter Leaks About Silent Hill
Last month, speculation about a remake of Silent Hill 3 was reignited by a tweet from Planeta_Geek_, who claimed to have insider knowledge about the goings-on of Konami and Bloober. According to their post, the remake is being developed under the code name Project H, will follow the style of the Silent Hill 2 remake, and will "have a greater focus on survival horror." It must be noted that, while this tweet has gained a not-insignificant amount of attention, Planeta_Geek_ doesn't appear to have any credentials, bona fides, or sources to back up their claims. Having said that, such claims aren't very hard to believe.
Bloober Team's Own Statements Could Suggest More Silent Hill Remakes
Back in 2023, Bloober Team released a document entitled "Strategic Plan for 2023-2027." In it, the company details its broad-strokes goals while also confirming that it had seven games in development (presumably just six now that Silent Hill 2 has been released). Among these games is one called Project H, which of course corresponds with Planeta_Geek_'s claims about the Silent Hill 3 remake.
Project H appears to be preceded by Projects C and G. Project C is most likely Cronos: The New Dawn, which wasn't announced at the time of the Strategic Plan's release. The Plan states that Project C would release in 2025 at the earliest, while G and H were in pre-production. Assuming that the code names were conceptualized based upon alphabetical order (C before G, G before H, and so on), then Project H could conceivably be a Silent Hill 3 remake, as Planeta_Geek_ claims. An interesting Reddit theory posits that Project G could be a remake of Silent Hill 1, since G and H are the only directly adjacent letter-based code names in the Strategic Plan.
An alternate explanation would be that G and H are the first letters of these upcoming projects' titles, which would track with Project C correlating to Cronos: The New Dawn.
More Bloober Team Silent Hill Games Seem Like a No-Brainer
The speculative points mentioned above vary in terms of plausibility, but it's definitely not much of a reach to suggest that Konami would be interested in making more Silent Hill remakes with Bloober. Even without the success of the Silent Hill 2 remake, Silent Hill is one of Konami's most valuable properties, and it simply wouldn't make sense to abandon the remake path without sufficient reason. Of course, with the Silent Hill 2 remake, Bloober and Konami teaming up for other Silent Hill remakes seems even more likely.
Silent Hill 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- October 8, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bloober Team
- Publisher(s)
- Konami
WHERE TO PLAY
Investigating a letter from his late wife, James returns to where they made so many memories - Silent Hill. What he finds is a ghost town, prowled by disturbing monsters and cloaked in deep fog. Confront the monsters, solve puzzles, and search for traces of your wife in this remake of SILENT HILL 2.
High-end Graphics and Sound
With ray tracing and other cutting-edge technical enhancements, the world of SILENT HILL and its unsettling ambiance is even realer than before.And with the inclusion of new, immersive soundscapes, you'll feel like you're standing in the thick of it.
Larger Environments
Explore locations and buildings that were once inaccessible, or are newly added in the remake. Enjoy the same acclaimed story, even while you experience the town of Silent Hill with fresh eyes across an expanded map.
Over-the-shoulder Camera
The remake moves from the original's fixed-camera viewpoints to an over-the-shoulder perspective, putting you closer to what James sees, for a more thrilling, more immersive experience as you explore the town and come face-to-face with monsters.
Evolved Combat Gameplay
Familiar weapons like the steel pipe and handgun make their return, but now with an updated combat system. Avoid attacks with carefully timed dodges, aim down sights, and more, making monster encounters more engaging and nerve-wracking than ever.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Prequel(s)
- Silent Hill
- Franchise
- Silent Hill
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
- PC Release Date
- October 8, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 8, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- How Long To Beat
- 15 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
