Series started on PlayStation first of the name, in 1999, with a unanimous opus, Silent Hill quickly became one of the centerpieces of horror on consoles. Along with Forbidden Siren and Project Zero, it will even form one side of the Trinity of Survival Horror to Japanese PlayStation 2. And it's of course with Silent Hill 2, real monument of the video game, that the franchise will definitely sit at the table of giants. An imperfect title, of course, but which, in 2001, made the entire Western press agree: it was no more than a masterpiece. That being said, after being shot back on this classic PS2 and finishing his remake, I get to a little flattering observation.
Blood Book
We have not gone far from never seeing again Silent Hill, after the cancellation of an opus hatted by Kojima particularly ambitious and expected, but also a ton of disappointments passed the exit of HomecomingA rather mediocre episode. And it's not obvious how we got there since, from 2001 to 2007, the Konami series has no real rivals. Yes, Forbidden Siren and Project Zero are to be placed in the same category, and they also deserve their religious status. But, no, no one, not even those two excellent series, was able to make shade to Silent Hill, despite a Fourth episode It's pretty average. Even when exporting on portable console, the franchise achieves a memorable result, with the very good Origins which remains one of the most beautiful and immersive games of the PSP, succeeding in moreover the feat of frightening on this medium hardly lending to it at first sight. Yet, Silent Hill 2 It is not what one can call a resounding success in mercantile terms, and its singular words, coupled with a challenge not necessarily obvious to understand, do not finally allow it to shine among the general public, despite the extremely positive criticisms.
Thus, if he has succeeded in becoming a true cult work over time, Silent Hill 2 However, it is not of these games that it is easy to restart today. Personally, I will even tend to believe that it is necessary to have lived at the time to be able to withstand its pitfalls and wrinkles being added over, especially since a remake is available, improving everything that could be. Because if there is no lack of good ideas, praiseworthy intentions, Silent Hill 2 However, there are failures. As with his camera, for example, which remains fairly close to what the first shutter was trying to do at the fixed angles, but still leaves it aside in terms of freedom. The trouble is that, although it is indeed possible to manoeuvre to put our vision back in the way that suits us best, at least most of the time, it is unfortunately done in a particularly heavy and soft way. This adds to the tension that the game knows to make feel naturally, but nevertheless represents a real frustration at times, especially when enemies are within reach but you simply cannot see them.
In addition to this, unstoppable battles are added, first to the body-to-body with an approximate targeting of enemies and a very heavy gameplay, allowing to move on the side via the triggers R1 and L1, but not when the hero is ready to attack; Then to the gun, since the camera angles sometimes forcing us to fire on what one hears happening do not always allow us to see exactly what is being played. The problem is all the more visible in the face of the bosses, another black spot in the title, who are most often placed in pieces far too small for their good. Little thought for the first fight against Pyramid Head, which is abominable. So of course, at the time it's less embarrassing, especially because it comes out of four years of Resident Evil PlayStation first of name, series that suffered from the same problems, all without mobile camera. But this point of detail helps to make this game more temporal, as opposed to timeless, yet still cult. More than the remake the first opus of Capcom's franchise on Gamecube, appearing the same year. Yes, he was pardoned at the time; But no, discovering it today is not without success. I would like it to be otherwise, and a part of me sincerely suffers by writing these lines that pay little homage to this game that I love from the deepest of my soul. May God forgive me to castigate a work that did not ask for anything.
When the darkness comes
Having said that, I also think that this point of view is necessary to understand the benefits of remake, and highlights even more the genius emerging from the narrative aspect of the original game. Since his gameplay is not what makes Silent Hill 2 memorable, so where does its so singular aura come from? Well, everything else. Starting with its ambiance, which first goes through two distinct aspects, but joining in their way of being portrayed: fog and shadow. The first minutes spent in a Delabrated Silent Hill and emptied of all life are quite striking at this level, since it is quickly assailed by a thick purée of weight, through which it is difficult to distinguish what surrounds us, scenery as enemies. While this specific aspect was significant in the first part, although it was also thought to be a misery cache in the face of the limited technical capabilities of the PlayStation, it is the second that will definitely check the fog in the array of chromosomes inherent in the DNA of the series. When it disappears, it is to make way for an equally opaque shadow, just as organic. Both in its indoor environments enjoying memorable light games, thanks to a beautifully used flashlight, as well as outside, on the occasion of a rather oppressive sequence.
Besides, the game is very beautiful at its exit, partly due to its effects of lights, shadows and mist. It also enjoys rather clean textures, water management that honors, animations at the cutting edge for its time thanks to Motion Capture, and its cinematics are very successful. But it is obviously on the aesthetic level that Silent Hill 2 Marks the most minds at this level. The bestiary is memorable, thank you Masahiro Ito, and just distances itself from that of the first part to offer a clean identity. And say goodbye to those pterodactyl bitches who gangrene his adventure too. Excellent point, since this allows the action to remain close to the ground, sometimes even with enemies crawling there (for an even more powerful horrific effect), and to gain in ease what it loses in confusion. But it is mostly the city of Silent Hill itself that is the most retained. Fully rethought since the first part, it did not depart from this aspect. « small American village », but is nevertheless more credible. Despite the recurring presence of enemies, one appreciates sinking into its opaque mist and discovering its least corners, even though the experience remains very gridded and never allows long distance from the intended path.
Finally, of course, it was all its screenplay that made the most sense, and it does not take long to understand why. We embody James Sunderland, a man of two ages who seems, on paper, to be all the more common. His Character Design does not allow itself any fantasy, his dubbing is sober, and during all adventure the gentleman will say as little about him as possible, which makes him quite enigmatic. We learn from the first moments that he is here because he received a letter, signed by the name of his wife yet carried away three years earlier by an incurable disease, but never clearly mentioned. First strong theme, not obvious to deal with, which will accompany us throughout the history, with a climax that takes on the tripes, and which is not necessarily expected on the occasion of our first part. Silent Hill 2 speaks of illness, death, torn couple, guilt; but also incest, acceptance, harassment, suicide and murderous impulses. So many subjects which, still today, are not obvious to place in a videoludic work, a fortiori because the media did not easily dispose of its entertainment label. So imagine at the time, when history is mostly relegated to the background...
And that's all the genius of this horror game which, at first glance, is just an aesthetic sting. He dares, and dares to ask us about our own actions, about those of our entourage, or of course refers us to our past experiences. Death and disease are an integral part of our lives, and Silent Hill 2 treats them fairly, with contagious melancholy. When one wants to look away, he reminds us that these subjects are part of our lives, while avoiding foolishly trivializing them. Who at the time could sit in front of Team Silent, Konami's development team, and measure up to its screenplay ambitions? No one. Because, as said earlier, the script does not yet take on the importance that we know it today in our video works, and that few studioes pay real attention to it. The only franchise we finally think of is as close to Silent Hill it is possible to be, since it is Metal Gear Solidalso owned by Konami. In an extremely different genre, that said.
The future starts tomorrow
SIlent Hill 2 is imperfect. His fights are relatively unstoppable, and his mix of fixed and dynamic cameras has many failures. Its gameplay is heavy, and a few small shortcomings in its design do not facilitate the task, despite a very affordable difficulty. So many points make it difficult to discover today. However, in 2001 it struck very strongly with its unusual visual aspect, but above all with its scripting ambitions of another genre, of another time, which too few games have targeted since, and which even less managed to match.
All that to say what, finally? Because I threw arguments into the wind, all along this article, without ever really taking the time to explain where I was going. It's simple, rather than trying to convince the audience to try the title on PlayStation 2, at the risk of having such a bad time that he will completely eclipse the qualities of this yet memorable experience, I would like to ask you to give his remake a chance. Since Silent Hill 2 Remake reprints the subject of the original game, which he does not forget anything at a time when he almost expected to see some cuts there to avoid getting jasing, so it is the best way to discover this masterpiece of video game.
Of course, some of you could still launch the original opus and spend an excellent time there, maybe even take a slam as memorable as those who had the chance to discover it at the time (especially thanks to the divine and timeless work of Akira Yamaoka at the soundtrack). But this requires a relatively high degree of pain tolerance. Or simply be passionate about Survival Horror to the old. But, even to those, and despite all the love I have for the original product, I can only advise the version of the Bloomer Team, even if I later return to the version of Team Silent to compare the two experiences.
I'll start the remake tonight. The original game is so important to me... I am curious and feverish at the idea of diving head first in this rereading, but I also feel apprehension. We'll see!
Critique to come 🙂 I didn't read or look at this remake to keep me surprised and not be influenced.
Oh and I found your angle of approach really original for this glance."Cult is not synonymous with timelessl"). I'll take it into account in my review, because it's true that in video game we sometimes tend to magnify our memories.
Afterward, Silent Hill 2 I did it again last year and I still find it so sublime 😀 Then it must be said that I do not have any difficulty getting back into outdated gameplay mechanics. And I understand that it can detabilize more modern players, just as I find most NES games too dry!
I can't help but stay... Except if I (already) have the game, I still don't have the PS5 to play! Really on November 07th. 😀
Courage for waiting! At least the game will have here was patched here and there and you'll enjoy an even better gaming experience 🙂
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