As the years go by, it seems more and more classic horror game franchises are being remade. Dead Space's polished remake of its first title is only the most recent example. The Resident Evil franchise kicked off the trend with the stellar 2002 Resident Evil remake, and eventually began work on remaking the rest of its mainline entries. New to this trend is Silent Hill, with a Silent Hill 2 remake in the works at Bloober Team. The Silent Hill 2 project likely owes its life to the success of Resident Evil's remakes, though it remains to be seen if it can hold a torch to those titles' excellence.
So far, fans haven't seen much of the upcoming title, nor the other new Silent Hill entries announced alongside it. Even if reception to some of the projects was mixed, the fanbase has still been invigorated by the franchise’s revival, and the wide net its return has cast. Silent Hill 2 is the most traditional of the known games, revisiting the town of Silent Hill and covering James Sunderland’s journey through its twisting depths. However, it can't stay the same as the early-PS2 original, and many are curious to see how the gameplay will change.
Silent Hill 2’s Combat Can’t Be Trivialized
One of the original Silent Hill run's more controversial aspects was its combat. Despite being a psychological horror franchise embodying the subtle tenets of its genre, protagonists were still regularly expected to beat back otherworldly horrors. Doing so was rarely easy on a first playthrough, but fans accepted this due to their limited resources and stiff controls enhancing stressful situations.
This also initiated a cat-and-mouse approach to combat, where players would simply attack, backstep, attack—then rinse and repeat. Silent Hill 2's multiple endings also accounted for the player's health, so running whenever possible was encouraged.
Unfortunately, several of the design choices that made Silent Hill 2’s combat what it was aren't popular today. Tank controls and needing to ready attacks have either been replaced entirely or refined to the point of unfamiliarity, and that level of convenience would give the player a big advantage in classic Silent Hill. Nobody wants a return to the emphasized yet frustrating combat of later Silent Hill entries like Homecoming and Downpour, so the Silent Hill 2 remake needs to strike a careful balance between modern standards and the feel of engaging with its former self.
Resident Evil 2 Remake Adds Convenience Without Sacrificing Scares
When it was first revealed, veteran players had similar worries about the Resident Evil 2 remake's shift to an over-the-shoulder perspective like Resident Evil 4. It wasn't until gameplay came out that those fears were put to rest, along with any concerns over the game compromising its horror with accessibility. Zombies do not have consistent health pools, what would quickly kill them in the original RE2 often won’t, and it can take many resources to ensure they're down. That way, gunplay can still feel good while enemies retain as much, if not more, danger as in the original game.
Silent Hill 2's remake should strive to emulate this experience. Like Resident Evil 2, its guns should be able to stun or disable monsters, but killing them would be wasteful and time-consuming. Melee weapons should be low-power single-target tools for repelling enemies, and could also be regulated with limited inventory space or durability. The Silent Hill 2 remake should think twice before making the subdued Pyramid Head into a pursuer like Mr. X, but if it can copy the feel of RE2 Remake's regular combat, it should be able to recapture the satisfying struggles of its predecessor.
Silent Hill 2 is currently in development for PC and PS5.