of the Blueber team Silent Hill 2 Resurrection is a tale of two games: on the one hand, it's a remake of a classic survival horror game that obviously pays great respect to the source material. At its most honest, Silent Hill 2 dances on the precipice of brilliance. but in the process of expanding and modernizing the original experience. Some new elements are introduced that contradict the spirit of the 2001 masterpiece. The two aspects are intertwined. And the end result is an interesting, albeit messy, return to the city of Silent Hill.
For those who have been living under a rock for the past twenty years, Silent Hill 2 is a survival horror game with a focus on psychology. It is set in a distorted world that exists both as a physical space. But it is also a metaphorical space. The characters trapped inside are all haunted by their pasts, with James Sunderland The characters you have collected are leaders among them.
The Bloober team has nailed the look of Silent Hill itself. The classic locations are a joy to wander through in high fidelity. And the unique fog has been superbly recreated. Obscuring your surroundings and disorientating as you wander the barren streets of the titular city. I often find myself stopping just to take it all in and join in a little Silent Hill tour if you will.
It's a shame that Silent Hill 2's new animation hasn't received the same level of love and attention. James couldn't swing his baton. To watch him attack is to experience a strange valley in motion. His elbow was tucked in for too long. He didn't twist his hips enough. His shoulders were still abnormally stiff. Everything just felt…off. And you get to see some of his weird and quirky behavior throughout the campaign. James is a normal friend. So I don't think he'll swing the bat two-for-four like Shohei did. Otani hit the bat. But even the most uncoordinated humans were better at swinging weapons than James. Sunderland A friend must forget his dead wife and learn how to swing a log.
This also extends to the rest of his animations. James generally wouldn't open the door. He gestured in the general direction. His running is strong and robotic. and when switching between melee weapons and firearms The weapon magically transforms in his hand. Enemies seem to move well. So it's a shame that Bloober didn't fix the inconsistencies with James' animation, because it feels cheap and dirty.
This uneven performance extends to the sound design as well. The atmospheric soundtrack, courtesy of returning composer Akira Yamaoko, is intense, though. But a cacophony of screams, rumbles, cries, and the creak of rusted metal And Silent Hill's signature brand of still images can ruin that vibe from time to time.
This all adds up to 11 points, and the excess doesn't always match the atmosphere of the game. This emphasis on corrosive loudness is also front and center in its most unfortunate inclusion: jump scares. The original had one or two cheap thrills, though. But the remake takes these matters too seriously. You can look forward to a multitude of evils popping up and screaming at you continuously.
The more you remake, the better. The better the sound design will be. When the world deteriorates and the environment becomes more surreal. The world is starting to be more beneficial to your environment. As the game progresses The game will use silence more effectively. Instead of burying your voice all the time The old insulated pipe cracks that expand and contract in the later prison grounds are more effective because they feel like they belong. It gives the feeling of a place you can't escape. And in that survival horror game That kind of feeling is the most important thing.
I highly recommend lowering the music volume in the options menu. I'd like to hear Yamaoka's notes too, but the presets are too obnoxious. While in the settings menu, remove the nonsense “Low Health Vignette” and “Splatter Vignette”.
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On the other hand, the voice acting is an unmitigated success. Although I'm sure it won't be everyone's bag. But all the lines are conveyed in a dream-like manner. This all looked a little uncomfortable. But it's the best way possible. The show is better than the original while still maintaining the same surreal Lynchian qualities. Favored by many hardcore fans, Silent Hill is, to some degree, a twisted dream. These performances really help sell this aspect of Silent Hill. You never know what's real and what's not. And delivering that might be the remake's greatest success.
All of the performances really help preserve the spirit of the game's original story. But my favorite performance is probably Eddie, his actor nailing the atmosphere of underlying resentment while also sounding completely unrelated.
Unfortunately, Silent Hill 2 is weakened by leaving the fixed camera angles of the original behind. Instead, it opts for a third-person perspective akin to Dead Space, Resident Evil 4, or other triple-A horror games from the past decade.
I don't fault the remake in this direction. Whether it's right or wrong Fixed camera angles are also seen as antiquated. But the result is Gone are the original's cinematic framing and confusing sense of direction. And the same goes for the sound design too. damage the atmosphere
In addition to the new camera view James also turned out to be a much more capable fighter. Encountering monsters in Silent Hill 2 is more fun now. But James' new maneuver grants shocking invulnerability. I tend to feel comfortable meeting most living things face-to-face. Maybe a little too casual for a horror game.
Silent Hill 2 also decided to take inspiration from Resident Evil 4 and have you jump over waist-high walls. This gives you more options for creating distance when you need to heal or separate groups of enemies. All of these changes ended up being a lack of noticeable danger, which didn't bode well for the atmosphere of the game. I wanted to feel insecure and unsure of what lay ahead for me. But often I can get rid of them without too much trouble.
Although you can set the combat difficulty to hard. But it usually results in longer and more protracted encounters. Not a more difficult encounter. I recommend sticking with normal difficulty for battles.
As already mentioned The boss battles deserve praise. They weren't much more terrifying, though. But it's a lot more fun, with more phases and more variety of attacks. Some of them even add to the fun. Where you once fought monsters in an enclosed space. You are now being chased through a hallway that creatures are tearing apart with their attacks. Although the confrontation is definitely more silly and ripe. But it was all memorable.
Puzzles throughout the game are also welcome, and it's nice to see Silent Hill 2 often remix the original's puzzles. By adding new elements and strikes a good balance between familiarity and novelty.
A number of new puzzles and enemy encounters have been added. So Silent Hill 2 purists won't be able to get through the remake with their eyes closed.
The new puzzles are different from the other additions. It's there to enhance the final product and make it feel like you're actually part of it. Especially for fans who have been together for a long time, this is little This is true of the puzzles once you lower the difficulty to something other than hard. All of which feel like walking on the street.
But what about the story? Can Team Bloober capture its essence? Rather… the original script was almost untouched. But it didn't have a caregiver. There are also many additional scenes that, while not too bad, are distracting. But it's not very helpful in improving the story. It feels like these additions are being added to drag out the runtime. While also winning players over with its established theme, it's unlike the original Silent Hill 2, which is the most subtle story ever. Therefore, repeating this kind of story is not fair.
One new scene has Maria tell James about the folklore behind the statue. Which ends with James annoyed wondering why they were wasting time talking about legends. I will give one thing to this new section. I have never felt more in tune with James than in that moment. When talking about Maria Her addition had the disastrous effect of making her too much of a touch. Maria's seductiveness has always been one of her main qualities. But now it has been cranked up several levels. Do we really need to see her coming at James while caressing a stripper pole? Subtle, your name is. no Blue number team.
The funny thing is that much of the original Silent Hill 2 is buried within this remake. And often not too much beneath the surface either. Team Bloober's version of Silent Hill 2 often feels like a highly accurate version of the original. Complete with remixed puzzles and item locations. The combat is reasonably satisfying. Boss encounters have been improved. But what is essentially a great horror game is partially undermined by its over-the-top sound design. jump scare injection and a general lack of restraint.
same as james Sunderland We have returned to Silent Hill, but what was once our special place has changed. Fortunately, enough of what made it special remains and is likely to warm the cockles of nostalgic hearts and newcomers alike. Although you'll have to overlook some fancy new additions in the process.