Silent Hill 2is one of the best survival horror games of all time. When it first released in 2001, it was ahead of its time with a nuanced take on the genre that expanded the formula of its predecessor in bold and unexpected ways. It asked big questions with its narrative and allowed players to come to their own conclusions, while its characters were deep and flawed in ways that few others were at the time.
It’s hard to believe it came out when it did, and aside from some janky combat and a flawed camera held back by technological constraints, it’s still an extraordinary game. It has gone down in gaming history to such an extent that it can be easy to assume that every gamer you know has already played it, and knows all of its twists and turns inside out. That just isn’t true though, and the recently released remake is going to be the first time millions will experience James Sunderland’s miserable journey to find his dead wife.
In My Restless Twitter Feed, I See Those Spoilers
There are a lot of reasons for this presumption. Silent Hill 2 is a legendary game, and has long sat on a survival horror pedestal that few have been able to reach. Whenever a horror game comes close, we compare it to Silent Hill 2. Whenever a game explores psychological themes, we’ll compare it to Silent Hill 2. Whenever a game takes inspiration from Silent Hill 2, as many do, we compare it to Silent Hill 2. You can see where I’m going with this. Silent Hill 2 is brought up in discussions so often and with such reverence that its many twists and turns have become a source of presumed knowledge among gamers all over the world.
Hell, before I played it myself I was already aware of its biggest twists and some of the grim fates that await its characters, partly thanks to sequels I played before that tried to mimic its greatness or excellent critique from the press and YouTubers alike. We eventually enter a weird new territory where spoilers simply aren’t a factor anymore, and that sucks for fresh players who don’t want their experience sullied by a legacy they have no first-hand knowledge of.
We saw this with theFinal Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy. Aerith’s death has become an iconic part of gaming history, and one of the first moments where a video game was known for introducing a key character, having us level them up and learn to love them, then taking them away. Suddenly the medium wasn’t stuck in a constant state of permanence, it could tell stories that made us happy, angry, and, in the case of Aerith’s sudden demise, make us cry.
The remake made me cry too.
Fans seemed to forget that this would be the first time so many others would experience this story, and thus Aerith’s death became a point of discussion before the first game had arrived. Is there a chance thatSquare Enixmight reverse one of the biggest twists in gaming history, or would we be forced to relive this loss all over again? The end result is more complicated, and doesn’t really matter in the context or whether it was right for us to spoil it in what is essentially a remake intended not just for hardcore audiences, but for newcomers as well.
Spoilers Beware, You’re In For A Scare
This brings us back to Silent Hill 2, and how the eventual revelation around James and his wife, and the true nature of the titular town and the monsters that roam it were being talked about long before release in a way that was clear for all to see. The game was once old enough that spoilers were fair game, but now it’s brand-new again.
Not to me, but to enough people that I’ll want to be careful about what I say and when I say it. I’m playing through the remake with a few friends watching on curiously, and I find myself blurting out spoilers with a naive assumption that they were in the know about exactly why James came to this town and where it would lead him.
In this echo chamber of my own making, spoilers are no longer a factor, but they should be. So, if you see people in your life on your timeline playing Silent Hill 2 for the first time, try to embrace their sense of shock and surprise and avoid discussing spoilers that you may see as harmless. To others, they are anything but.
Silent Hill 2
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 SoundWith 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 EnvironmentsExplore 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 CameraThe 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 GameplayFamiliar 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.
