It is October and that means we can finally archive one of the most anticipated games of 2024. Silent Hill 2 is such a beloved title by all and to me personally it is the best horror game ever made. Not necessarily the scariest, but the best in overal atmosphere, story and motives. Every character is layered and every enemy functions as a metaphor to deepen the story.
Therefore I was very excited when it was revealed that they would remake the game after so many years. It was up to Bloober Team to do this and I think that was a great choice. I love Layers of Fear and especially Observer is fantastic. Unfortunately there was some critique leading up to the release which I thought was kind of ridiculous. People stumbled apparently about the look of some of the characters, but it was never the look of the characters that defined if the classic Silent Hill 2 was good or not. It were the character's stories, the plot twists, the creepy imagery and memorable soundtrack.
I am happy to say that this remake has succeeded in paying tribute to the original and even, dare I say, do some things better! Two things that come to mind that this game does better are the exploration of Silent Hill itself and the boss battles all have improved.
The game is a lot longer than the original and that gives the world room and time to breathe. You can now visit and explore various buildings that you could never enter in the original. And all the bosses are present, but with new mechanics and new enviroments to make them more exciting.
Because even though the classic Silent Hill 2 is fantastic, its combat is very clunky and that especially shows in the boss battles. They all come down to moving around in a small room and then standing still and go through a clunky animation where James fires his weapon.
All the main areas you get to visit are also massively expanded and the puzzles that you have to solve are fantastic and feel very reminiscent of those old school horror games from the 90's and early 2000's.
It even pays homage to those of us who played the original many times by showcasing familiar areas and a sound effect to acknowledge that we have experienced that before.
I also loved that you had way more interactions with certain characters like Maria. It adds more depth to her fascinating character and I also think the portrayal of Angela and Eddie are great.
All in all I am so happy that this remake turned out so great and I think it can stand tall next to its original big brother. I've heard some people who played it complain about the backtracking with certain puzzles or if you find a key item, but that is what oldschool horror survival was all about.
I honestly did not really have any complaints. Maybe a line delivery here or there could have been better, but its just an absolute fantastic product and a labor of love.
Well done, Bloober Team. You managed to bring Silent Hill 2 home.

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