Summary
- Silent Hill 2 Remake by Bloober Team shows promise, staying true to the original while upgrading its visual fidelity.
- Remaking SH2 may pave the way for future titles like Silent Hill 3. Just like Resident Evil 3 built off of Resident Evil 2's remake, Bloober could re-use the same engine and resources.
- Despite potential criticism of atmospheric changes, a Silent Hill 3 remake releasing shortly after SH2 could keep the series relevant.
The upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober Team has continued to look more promising with every showcase since its initial reveal, as fan concerns over staying true to the spirit of the original have seemingly been acknowledged over time. Though it remains unknown whether this title will be able to live up to the legacy of the Konami classic that it's set to bring into the current generation of gaming, the jump in technical fidelity that it represents is undeniable. No matter how its release later this year actually pans out, the Silent Hill 2 remake could easily pave the way for its engine and resources to be the foundation for remaking the next entry in the series.
It may seem like an odd decision to focus on a title like the second Silent Hill game when the 1999 original has remained stuck in the style of the PS1 since its launch, but it's also true that SH2 is the most popular entry in the franchise. With existing hype likely serving as the motivation to give the journey of James Sunderland a new life, it stands to reason that this will be a major factor in choosing where to take a future effort. While there's a case to be made for remaking the weakest Silent Hill games after Bloober Team's current project, Silent Hill 3 would serve as a safer bet through its potential for following in the footsteps of another one of survival horror's biggest names.
Resident Evil's Remakes Made the Most of Their RE Engine Assets
Maintaining a Cohesive Style While Revisiting the Franchise and Streamlining Capcom's Development Cycles
The first Resident Evil remake from 2002 is still praised by fans to this day, so it's not surprising that Capcom chose to jump right into RE2 after the RE Engine became the company's signature tool. This obviously entailed a complete overhaul of the 1998 game's style and level of detail which went far beyond what RE1 received, but it's still seen as a huge success that captures aspects of the original's engaging sense of terror.
The RE3 remake which came in the following year was able to directly build upon this recreation of Resident Evil's Raccoon City to achieve an impressively fast turnaround, as it could be developed concurrently due to sharing so much within the same engine. It saw several bigger changes when compared to its original version, but these could be attributed to the extra time afforded to the developer in terms of rethinking creative decisions.
Remaking Silent Hill 3 Next Makes Perfect Sense
Balancing Continuity and Investment at Konami
With years having passed since a new Silent Hill game released, Bloober Team's remake will function as just as much as an update as a revival. With the resources that have been put into its realistic graphics and completely redesigned combat system, this over-the-shoulder experience will be something of an outlier against the tank controls and static camera angles of its roots. If another well received title like Silent Hill 3 gets a remake on the heels of Bloober's first attempt, however, this style could come to characterize an entirely new era of the IP.
Potential Regardless of Silent Hill 2's Reception
There are issues that players might end up having with the upcoming remake's take on the atmosphere of Silent Hill 2, which largely benefitted from the limitations of its hardware at the time, but even those sorts of complaints overpowering praise wouldn't make another attempt less viable. A completely different approach to the franchise's horror requiring new monsters and levels follows in Silent Hill 3, but the same fundamental remake engine being fine-tuned as its foundation could allow for a smooth transition with a far shorter production time. Just like with Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, a Silent Hill 3 remake could use assets from Bloober's current project to speed up its release and give fans two games with very similar feels.
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
- Franchise
- Silent Hill
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
