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- In an era where video games are getting needless remakes, Silent Hill 2 is a necessary one, revitalizing James Sunderland’s story with modern gameplay and enhanced storytelling.
- The game’s combat and gameplay elements have been entirely reworked to fit new gameplay standards.
- New locations, updated cutscenes, and additional endings expand the original’s narrative for a fresh, immersive take.
Konami’s work on the Silent Hill franchise has been hailed as one of the greatest, and the same storytelling and gameplay excel with Silent Hill 2‘s Remake, which is just a start for the franchise’s renaissance.
Silent Hill 2 Remake’s storytelling has somehow been enhanced and is a fresh way to experience James Sunderland’s story once again but with a different twist this time. Fans of the original game will feel a sense of familiarity but, simultaneously will get a glimpse of an entire new game.
This is because the original game was severely outdated and wasn’t translated well to today’s gaming standards of a remake. Bloober Team takes some creative liberty to enhance the game while preserving every aspect of what made the game unique in the first place.
Why It Matters: Silent Hill 2 is a remake that was needed to retell the original game’s story as to why it was so special in the first place, unlike other games that are getting remade despite not even having outdated formulas or being that old.
Major Gameplay Overhaul
Being a remake, Silent Hill 2 adapts perfectly to the new gameplay standards. The very first part of the game that you’ll notice has significantly changed is the camera angle, which has gone from free-moving to a fixed-person shooter-esque design.
A 23-year-old is evident to have a significant graphic overhaul, but Bloober Team does best to preserve the original game’s environments, art style, and horrorcore.
That said, the developers have also expanded their creative liberty to the game’s cast, completely changing their appearances in some context. Starting with the main protagonist, James looks quite different from the original and draws much inspiration from Leon Kennedy’s design from Resident Evil 4.
Outfits have seen a lot of changes, with the main one being Marie’s, who seem to wear much fuller clothes with the same color and style as the original games.
The game’s main priority with the remake is its combat which has been completely transformed from the base game. Having played the original Silent Hill 2, combat wasn’t a main aspect of the game, and with the free-roam camera, I’d tend to avoid fighting enemies.
The same enemies now have a massive change in attack variety, and they genuinely feel intimidating and scarier than ever. Combat has been emphasized in the remake, and James has a new set of attack varieties to challenge these enemies this time.
The last significant improvement to the game might be the puzzle sequences, which, frankly, I didn’t enjoy from the base game. In the remake, however, they have been updated with new sequences, and some annoying ones have been removed altogether, prioritizing player experience rather than copy-pasting.
Silent Hill 2 Remake Reworks A Lot Of Plot Changes From The Original Game
Silent Hill 2 brings a fresh experience to players of the original game, even if they have engraved the plot in their minds altogether. The story has been significantly reworked, making it an even better experience and more of a visual novel that will keep players entertained during their 17-hour runtime, almost double the original game.
This is mainly because the game has entirely new locations, which helps make the foggy Silent Hill town lived in at a time before. Backyards, Post Office, and the Lakeside Diner are some of the few additions in Silent Hill town.
Much of the dialogue work has been overhauled, with additions of the new lines and recorded voice acting. This voice delivery perfectly complements new facial expressions and cinematics, enhancing them.
A lot of the cutscenes have even changed altogether. For example, Eddie’s cutscenes appear in a theatre rather than a bowling alley this time, which fits the characters’ lore and the story’s context.
The game’s endings have seen a few changes, too, with the addition of two new endings, which I won’t ruin, but they can be unlocked with NG+. Different narrative themes are fully explored with these endings, and they’re even reworked to some extent, adding a sense of personalization for the characters.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@old.tech4gamers.com
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