With Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 Remake just around the corner, many gamers are wondering if they should play the original first or wait for the remake.
What makes the original so great?
Most experienced survival horror fans will tell you to experience the original first. No wonder – Silent Hill 2 is not just a good game, but a staple of the genre that has inspired countless other survival horror games and continues to be listed as one of the greatest games of all time.
Silent Hill 2 is the complete package – a horror where the scares come not from cheap jump scares, but from a carefully crafted atmosphere.
From the eerie sound design and music to the signature fog and oppressive interiors, every element of the game works together to support the nightmarish tone of the game.
And how can we talk about Silent Hill 2 without mentioning its amazing, if incredibly heavy, story with some of the best character development in games?
Many would argue that a title like this deserves to be experienced as the artists who created it intended – and that can only be achieved by playing the original.
So why a remake?
While the original still holds up well despite being 23 years old, there’s no denying that some of its aspects are dated and can potentially alienate those who have never played it before and aren’t looking at it through nostalgia-tinted glasses.
For instance, the graphics and controls of the 2001 game can feel a little clunky to a new player.
The creators of the remake promise a more modern and responsive experience with an updated combat system.
As for the exploration part of the game, the fixed camera angles have been removed in favour of an over-the-shoulder camera, and the transitions between areas will no longer require immersion-breaking loading screens.
Is the remake any good?
Bloober Team reassured the fanbase by saying that they only intended to change the more cosmetic elements of the game to make it more palatable to a modern player while honouring the spirit and story of the original.
For a long time, this seemed like an empty promise to fans who weren’t happy with what they’d seen in the early trailers, and even before it was released, Silent Hill 2 Remake was already being compared negatively to the original.
This was exacerbated by Konami’s approach to the franchise for some time now. Silent Hill has been reduced to pachinko games over the past few years, and there’s been a feeling that the publisher hasn’t taken the title seriously – or even understood what it’s all about.
With Bloober Team’s reputation for making double-A/triple-I horror walking simulators, to say that the fanbase was not optimistic about the remake would be an understatement.
That perception began to change as we got closer to release, and more optimistic reviews began to appear. Reviewers who have had the chance to spend some time with the game seem confident that the remake will please existing fans and create new ones.
Reports claim that despite the cosmetic changes, the remake is very faithful to the original and the team behind it are clearly treating it with the reverence the classic title deserves.
It seems that despite its attempts to modernise the game, the remake doesn’t speed up the original’s slow pace or add jump scares to turn Silent Hill 2 into a generic horror game of the 2020s, which is a good sign that the developers understand what makes Silent Hill 2 what it is.
This has pleasantly surprised some of the sceptics, leading parts of the fanbase to believe that the remake at least deserves the benefit of the doubt.
So which one should you play?
What does this all mean for newcomers to the Silent Hill franchise, or more specifically, Silent Hill 2? Should you play the original first, or wait for the remake? Ultimately, this is a question you have to answer for yourself.
If you’re worried that the dated game design and graphics will ruin your experience, I’d recommend waiting for the remake. If the reports are true and it’s as faithful to the original as the developers and early reviewers claim, you’ll get to experience the classic story without some of the more frustrating elements that come with its age.
If you want to see what all the fuss is about and why Silent Hill 2 is considered an absolute must-play classic – and aren’t afraid of some clunkiness in the controls department – then experiencing the original might be a better option.
Then, if you enjoy it – and I’m sure you will – why not compare it to the remake and weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of each?
Whatever you decide, don’t miss out on this amazing experience, whether it’s the original or the updated version that’s coming out on 8 October 2024.