Preview Silent Hill 2 Grows in the Right Ways for Anticipated Remake

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Bloober Team has asked fans of the PS2 classic Silent Hill 2 to give it a chance, as it looks to remake what's considered to be one of the greatest horror games ever made. The fanaticals' fears are based on the studio's previous titles (Layers of Fear, The Medium), where it's been accused of poorly handling sensitive themes the very game it's remaking revolve around. Those concerns are warranted, but having played three hours of the PS5 version's introductory sequence, the studio deserves the chance to make its case. Silent Hill 2 on PS5 is different to how it was 23 years ago, but that does not mean it's bad. It's quite the opposite in fact: Bloober Team and Konami have a new vision for the game, and the opening hours show a great deal of promise.

From the famous bathroom scene to the graveyard and then into Silent Hill itself, the PS5 remake commits to the broad strokes of how protagonist James Sunderland makes his way into town, but then deviates from set expectations in the right way: it adds and expands rather than taking anything away. In the original, James simply followed a very, very long path into Silent Hill, covered in fog. In the remake, the mammoth trek has been fleshed out with a sawmill and a garage; the latter acts as a tutorial for item and key usage.

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Having made it to town, James spots a strange figure off in the foggy distance in the same manner as the original, but instead of leading him to a tunnel underneath a bridge, he's taken into an apartment to fight the enemy with a 2x4. It is to Neely's Bar next, where a completely new puzzle based around a jukebox has you looking for vinyl and glue. This is how you obtain the key for the Wood Side Apartments, as opposed to the PS2 version which quite simply points you to its location on another street via a letter in the bar.

From there, our preview session guided us through Wood Side Apartments and Blue Creek Apartments, where the game introduces the Otherworld. Similar to the streets outside, the two main indoor sections have been expanded with fresh interactable items and files, more mechanics, and extra puzzles. The main brain teaser of the two apartments, the coin puzzle, has become more involved with different riddles and the ability to turn the coins over to the other side, meaning you have access to more options... and more wrong answers. Having made it to the Otherworld, our play session ended just before the first Pyramid Head boss encounter.

It's difficult to stop and smell the roses during preview opportunities, when you are under a limited time pressure, but the overriding feeling content-wise is that the Silent Hill 2 remake — just like Capcom's recent efforts with Resident Evil 4 in particular — is that same game you remember, but refined and expanded. At least in its first few hours, the biggest change is simply where you fight the first enemy. The PS5 remake even appears to acknowledge this with an interactive prompt placed next to a scene that looks just like the original location.

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The combat system has received similar treatment: it purposefully retains that slightly awkward and clunky nature while expanding your options a little with a dodge to avoid enemy attacks. There's no lock-on option, but you will swing melee weapons with R2, and aim and shoot guns the usual way (hold L2 and press R2). Health Drinks and Syringes are then mapped to the Triangle button — press to use the former and hold for the latter — and your overall HP is conveyed using blood splatters on the screen. The more intense they are, the closer you are to death. In the early exchanges, the 2x4 James finds will do most of the killing, needing roughly five hits to kill an enemy. The handgun found in the apartment complex is for those desperate situations on the verge of death, or boss battles.

What makes it all come together, though, is that Bloober Team hasn't turned the game into an action one. While we did once or twice have a surprising amount of handgun bullets, every individual enemy presents a genuine threat — they're particularly deadly in groups of two or even three. Retaining its survival horror roots, combat feels intuitive enough to where you can get by if you know what you're doing, but you'll never be in a position where enemies are no longer a threat. This balance from Bloober Team and Konami is on purpose, and the opening hours of the remake get it right. It flirts with both sides, providing tense battles and satisfying murders.

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What also remains lovingly archaic is the pause menu, where your items, notes, and weapons take up significant screen space just like the original version. The look wouldn't really fly nowadays if it were a brand new modern release, but that slightly odd, blocky nature is retained to make the homage a truly loving one. The map also acts the exact same way as it did in the original, as it fills in as you encounter dead ends, locked doors, and noteworthy puzzles. We even unlocked a Trophy during the play session for trying to open 50 locked doors, which was a nice touch.

Of course, the single biggest alteration for the PS5 remake is bringing the original's PS2 graphics into the modern age. It looks fantastic, though not quite on the same level as big-budget new releases. All the characters have been given a significant facelift, while the dark and decrepit environments of the shops and apartments have never looked so pixel-perfect. Silent Hill looks absolutely awful, which is a fantastic thing. Having spent roughly an hour of the preview on its streets, the thick fog is ever-present, blurring and blocking your view more than 10 feet ahead — a concern based on the trailers very much addressed.

Elsewhere, the camera has been changed from a dynamic perspective to one over-the-shoulder of James, allowing you complete control. It works a lot better and lends to the immersion, as you can get a better sense of the space and its contents, with the opportunity to admire even the most dilapidated of buildings in Silent Hill.

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There's another 10+ hours of game we're yet to see in Silent Hill 2 on PS5, but as long as what Bloober Team has done with its introduction carries through to the end, then its remake will go down as one with class, style, and respect for the original works. It's different, but it's different in a way where there's simply much more of it, rather than stripped back or having context removed. Still very much a survival horror experience, it plays brilliantly when it needs to and retains that clunky, blockier nature for the right moments.

While the remake has always been near the top of our most anticipated list for 2024, there were doubts it would come together correctly. Those have been comprehensively addressed by our preview session. Silent Hill 2 plays like a worthy, respectful remake of the PS2 classic, and that alone places it in the upper echelons of the industry. We just have to see the entire thing before we can commit to banging that drum.

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Silent Hill 2 launches for PS5 and PC on 8th October 2024. Are you happy to hear the remake is coming together nicely? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.