Silent Hill 2 Remake Review: Back into the fog

Bloober Team honours the classic in all the right ways.

Silent Hill 2 is a PS2 classic, first published in 2001 and forming part of survival horror’s peak alongside Capcom’s Resident Evil 2. While Capcom and Silent Hill publisher Konami have continually re-released their iconic games, Silent Hill 2 was decidedly late when it came to a proper, slightly re-imagined remake. That time is now, however, and Layers of Fear‘s Bloober Team is the developer responsible for it.

The last time we saw Silent Hill 2 was part of 2012’s Silent Hill HD Collection, which was a straight-up remastering (well, more or less) of the original title. This time around, Bloober Team has rebuilt the classic tale in Resident Evil 2 remake-style, ditching fixed camera angles and placing you over-the-shoulder of protagonist James Sunderland.

The results are, frankly, spectacular. Much like Resident Evil 2 remake, Silent Hill 2 remake is familiar but not, leaning into its old storyline and tropes but mixing things up enough that it will feel fresh to players new and old. Unlike Sony’s Until Dawn remake, this one is necessary and honours the title that came before it. Throughout this review, you’ll notice we’ll pair screenshots from Silent Hill HD Collection (left), as sourced via backwards compatibility on Xbox Series X, alongside shots from the remake itself (right).

It’s here we should note that if you’re on Xbox, the HD Collection will be the closest you’ll get to this title for the next year; there’s a one-year period of console exclusivity thanks to a deal between Konami and Sony. As always, boo to that nonsense.

With all that out of the way, Silent Hill 2 is a standalone entry in the long-running franchise — and, unlike the connected Silent Hill and Silent Hill 3, the probable reason why Konami skipped ahead with remakes. It follows the aforementioned James Sunderland as he travels to the sleepy town of Silent Hill on the quest to find his wife.

The problem is, James knows that his wife died three years prior.

Entering the town, James is immediately aware that something is wrong. A thick fog blankets the barren town, and scraps of paper left by locals describe a horrible tragedy that’s taken place. Not long after, James encounters armless, almost shapeless blobs that spit acid as they attempt to hunt him down.

One point where Bloober Team has really shaken things up is the way that it engages in combat. While the normal staple of a survival horror title is to avoid enemies and run away as much as possible, Bloober intentionally pits James against foes in close-quarters, confined spaces. 

Combat is intentionally frustrating to boot (Alan Wake‘s original huffy-puffy, everyday normal man mechanics say hello), but this is quickly done away with once you realise it’s almost always best to simply use your melee weapon once and then immediately dodge. Rince, repeat.

In case you don’t click with combat, you can dial it up and down individually — and the same is true for puzzles found within. On default settings, both are quite manageable and nothing too difficult. I personally made things a little harder for myself when I played things thinking of the 2001 original and forgot to go with Bloober’s new flow.

Silent Hill — the town that is — looks positively gorgeous as a result of the remake, as do those within it. There’s the usual Bloober jank that’s lingering like fog as you play, but it strangely ties things back to Silent Hill‘s roots and actually works in this package’s favour.

Bloober Team can be quite hit and miss, but I’d argue that this shows they can add some truly terrifying spins on established work. Perhaps this is where Bloober should be pointed in the future, sticking with established IP rather than going it alone.

That said, this isn’t just a by-the-numbers affair; it’s fantastic to see enough new content in the mix so Bloober can place its own spin on things. At some points, though, there’s already a feeling of padding to elongate proceedings. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this title — unlike Silent Hill HD Collection back in 2012, which we said paid a “lack of respect to the original source material… [as] a bug riddled release” at the time.

Bloober Team may have disappointed some with the likes of Layers of Fear 2 or even The Medium, but it has certainly succeeded with Silent Hill 2. It’s close enough to the source material for fans, yet modern enough for those who have not played it before. It’s a great way to honour the 2001 original.

Expect Silent Hill 2 from 8 October on Windows PC and PS5.

Silent Hill 2 was reviewed using a promotional code on PS5, provided by the publisher after the title’s embargo date for reviews. Click here to learn more about Stevivor’s scoring scale.