Silent Hill 2is still the industry standard for psychological horror over two decades after its release.Silent Hill 2immediately grips the player with an unnerving narrative and unsettling ambiance which is unmatched to this day. So, when Konami announced a remake for the next-gen consoles, die-hard fans and the newer generation of players unfamiliar with the dormant horror powerhouse were cautiously excited about what the end product could be.Silent Hill 2is a masterpiece, doing it justice whilst attracting modern audiences is a massive undertaking handed down to the Bloober Team.
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Fortunately for them, Capcom has been in the business of remaking its own horror franchise,Resident Evil.Resident Evil 2andResident Evil 3 Remakeshave both succeeded at re-inventing the franchise for modern audiences whilst keeping the games’ core identity intact. Both games have had their share of critical and commercial success and stumbling points. With that in mind here are a few lessons theSilent Hill 2 Remakecan learn from Capcom’s efforts.
7Stick To The Game’s Roots
BothResident EvilRemakes, like the upcomingSilent Hill 2 Remakepivoted to a third-person over-the-shoulder camera angle. This is a huge change and if done wrong could have alienated hardcore fans. Fortunately, it was executed to near perfection, and more importantly, neither remake changes much else from the core gameplay. Capcom kept intact and brought to the spotlight what makesResident Evila survival horror.
TheSilent Hill 2remake, having changed camera angles, shouldn’t try to change too much. With this being the first installment in the series for over a decade, Konami and Bloober shouldn’t get carried away.Silent Hill 2was a success, graphical overhauls and slight changes are all it needs.
6Keep The Atmospheric Horror In The Spotlight
Capcom’s recent iterations ofResident Evilhave delved deep into atmospheric horror, filling the player with dread and fear at a slow burn and then slowly ramping it up. Cracking windows, whispers of the undead, and ominous breathing follow the player’s every step and make for quality horror.
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Silent Hill 2was similarly known for its atmospheric horror. The game would fill players with dread for hours on end. The dense fog was sinister, following James Sunderland’s every move and teetering on the verge of suffocation, there was no way to know what waited around the corner. With modern technology, developers should focus on building this atmosphere to a new level rather than sacrificing it for realism.
5Keep The Multiple Endings
Silent Hill 2had a total of 6 possible endings, with three available in the first playthrough and a further three unlocked through subsequent replays with specific requirements.This added to the game’s replayability, allowing players to trudge through the town ofSilent Hillmultiple times, exploring new avenues and changing their play style to get specific endings.
Each ending was unique and added to the game’s rich narrative.Resident Evil 3 Remakeshelved its own multiple endings, much to the dismay of fans and critics alike, with multiple reviews focusing on this shortcoming.Silent Hillneed not keepallthe endings, but it should at least have some of them.
4Enemy Variety
Silent Hill 2has a host of iconic monsters and bosses including the famed Pyramid Head and the horrifying nurses and mannequins. But in terms of variety, it didn’t have much, there was only a handful of different bosses and monster types. While they still did the trick, it wouldn’t hurt to add in a few more that keep with thetheme of the game.
Critically, enemy types should not be removed from the game. This was a mistake both recentResident Evilremakes made and were criticized for. Removing iconic enemies and filtering the variety can potentially lead to the game falling into a pattern and getting repetitive, this was especially apparent in the second half of theResident Evil 3 Remake.
3Polished Gameplay
With the new over-the-shoulder camera angles gameplay defects are easily noticed and visible. Considering the game is over 20 years oldthe gameplay is dated, and Konami’s lastSilent Hillrelease,Silent Hill: Downpourwas criticized for the clunky and lackluster combat mechanics, this would be an area to focus on heavily.
TheResident Evilremakes were able to streamline their shooting and defensive combat and added variations to aim accuracy to reflect in-game situations. Similar adaptations and polishing for the upcoming remake would be very welcome.
2Don’t Lean Into Scripted Gameplay Moments
Scripted gameplay moments are one of the newer videogame crazes, they see massive success in action-packed series likeUnchartedandGod of War. However, they feel out of place and arguably lazy in a horror game.
TheResident Evil 3 Remakefeatured several of these, and they added nothing to it. WhilstSilent Hilldoesn’t have a reputationfor including scripted gameplay moments, the new remake would do well to not follow in the footsteps of its rival franchise in this regard.
1Sound
This is more of a matter of reassurance if anything,Silent Hillas a franchise is known for its bone-chilling music that leaves players on edge. The original game had one of the best soundtracks in the genre.
As the recentResident Evilgames have shown, however, the sound design goes beyond that. TheSilent Hill 2remakewould do well to focus on all types of sound: music, voice-acting, the groans the monsters make, the pattering of the rain, and the breaking of windows, etc. All of these minute details add up and can make or break a game.
Silent Hill 2 Remakeis currently in development.
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