Silent Hill 2 is a classic psychological/survival horror game and not without reason. It boasts a haunting story that has held its own while the enveloping Silent Hill franchise has delved into completely separate characters and occult ongoings; plus, multiple Western Silent Hill games since have tried and arguably failed to unapologetically replicate what Silent Hill 2 achieved down to its exact characters and imagery. As far as Bloober’s remake is concerned, there probably wouldn’t be a big upheaval if Silent Hill 2 was kept the same in nearly every way imaginable.
That said, Silent Hill 2’s remake won’t be one-to-one with the original due to its over-the-shoulder perspective alone and that’s already created changes in general gameplay. Save screens are now different in a peculiar way, for instance, and combat looks like it took more than a couple of notes from non-Team Silent Silent Hill titles, for better or for worse. However, while Silent Hill 2 has no shortage of ammunition lying around, it would be great if the remake doesn’t adapt that as faithfully and instead chooses to make whatever amount of combat is in the game a bit more strenuous or engaging than it is in the original.
Silent Hill 2’s Combat Changes Naturally Call for Other Ancillary Gameplay Changes
Now, the argument has been made countless times that Silent Hill 2 is not an action-oriented game and should not have needed combat to be remodeled or a focus in the remake. This still holds weight as it pertains to Bloober’s Silent Hill 2 remake, and yet because combat is indeed being altered in this reimagining it is clear that other features about it will need to be changed alongside it to accommodate that.
Animations being marginally better is hugely important for the remake, for example, but it has also imbued James Sunderland with the ability to side-step dodge and grapple enemies. Grappling was technically in the original, too, but the remake’s grapple includes a button-mashing QTE sequence and is perhaps more akin to the grapple in Silent Hill: Origins as a result, especially with Silent Hill 2 now bearing a red HUD filter when James is critically injured.
If there are more enemies in the remake—that players will be more or less forced to engage with, at least—it would make sense to also keep ammunition volumes as high as they were in the original, though there’s a case to be made that these resources should be pared down in order to make exploration and moment-to-moment gameplay more anxiety-inducing this time around.
Silent Hill 2’s Resources are Plentiful, and Maybe the Remake Should Deny That
If players reserve all of their accumulated firearm ammunition for Silent Hill 2’s bosses—which is not only wholly possible but ideal and optimal—there is a chance they’ll end the game with upwards of 100 handgun bullets and shotgun shells as well as a couple dozen rifle rounds.
On the one hand, it’s terrific that Silent Hill 2 doesn’t bother to punish players by policing resource management or restricting ammunition to make encounters more grueling, and it’s also up to players whether they wish to take the time to explore the town’s foggy sidewalks and shop entrances for additional ammo and healing items. But, on the other hand, having a massive surplus of ammo that players objectively don’t need if they’re even halfway conscientious about when to fire a gun can also trivialize Silent Hill 2’s already elementary combat.
The wooden plank and metal pipe will get players through 90% of the game as long as they aren’t caught in a corridor or room with more than one enemy, and as such it seems ironic and comical to have so much ammo left over when credits roll. How players decide to maneuver Silent Hill will obviously impact how efficiently they’re able to find and hang onto ammo, but the remake cutting down on ammo overall could help make each bullet feel more impactful and would go a long way in making resource management not feel wholly flippant.
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
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- Silent Hill
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
