Silent Hill 2 Remake is one of the most compelling and brutal games that has ever been made. 

The survival horror genre has a very rich history with its rise in the late 1990s and its later fall in the late 2000’s. Major series like Resident Evil broke into massive popularity. While they’d lose their quality after the 2000s, they have made a comeback in recent years.

Silent Hill was a series very akin to Resident Evil but with a more psychological take to its horror. Its second game, Silent Hill Two, is the darling of the franchise being a game that has ingrained itself in pop culture since its original release in 2001. But it has since come back in the form of a remake in 2024, with a slew of new upgrades, stories and secrets for both new and old players to enjoy.

One of the biggest pluses of the game is its setting and how it drags you into the story. The game is set in a desolate place that, if in better condition, could be found on any road in the middle of nowhere. 

The small town starts to grotesquely contort itself into what can only be described as a hellscape as the player slowly ventures further and further into the town, deeper and deeper into its story. 

The atmosphere of dread is crushing. Every turn is a jump where you don’t know what is going to meet you. This dread builds and builds throughout the game, surrounded by dense fog and some of the most immaculate sound design ever done.  

The story in this town is also haunting. James Sunderland (Luke Roberts) is our playable character. He has come to Silent Hill on a search to find Mary (Salóme Gunnarsdóttir), his wife who he claims has been dead for three years. James had received a letter from Mary saying that she was waiting for him in Silent Hill. 

As you slowly peel back the layers and find out why he is searching for Mary and what the town represents to him, a story of grief, trauma and the darkness of humanity is revealed—with one of the most gut wrenching third act twists ever made. 

The side characters are also very interesting and bring their own stories that fit in with the games themes. Maria (Salóme Gunnarsdóttir), Angela (Gianna Kiehl) and Eddie (Danny Kirrane) are all unique characters that you meet throughout the journey in Silent Hill and each have a major impact both on James and you, the player. 

Every decision you make on your journey influences how the game ends for. If you talk to a character a couple times, if you inspect items, kill the enemies, how you manage your health—they all have an impact on how the story ends.  

The game isn’t without its flaws though. Combat can be tiresome in certain stretches of the game. James encounters nightmarish monsters throughout his time in Silent Hill from which the player can flee or fight. 

A melee weapon and three guns are all you’re given throughout the game. The guns come with very limited ammo, and if you want to find more, you have to scavenge. This is the bread and butter of survival horror games, but at some times, the combat loop can feel boring. 

The combat is very blunt. You can’t make any glamorous moves, and it takes a while to kill anything without wasting some precious ammo of the stronger guns.  

It can be argued this is by design. James is just a regular guy; he’s not a super secret special agent that can kick off heads and punch boulders like the protagonists of the Resident Evil series.  

This combat loop works for the most part throughout the game, but in later sections like the prison, fights are a bit of a bothersome annoyance than an actual scary encounter. Boss fights are difficult, but those felt grueling and sluggish by design. 

This game also feels like it goes on forever. The original on average is only supposed to take 8 hours while this game can easily reach 15 plus hours. There are some interesting things that have been expanded on, but there’s some filler in between major beats of the game. 

Silent Hill 2 remake is a special game. It’s the type of game you remember and that sticks with you. My main tip is that you bring a fog lamp when you come to visit.

Rating: 4.5/5 

Emerson Reynolds can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].