Silent Hill 2 is one of the most acclaimed survival-horror games of all time, standing out as the signature game of the series despite countless follow-ups and attempts to recapture that magic. Now, Konami is doing what we all knew was inevitable: a full Silent Hill 2 remake. Announced in late 2022, the game is coming to both PS5 and PC, introducing a horror masterpiece to a new generation of players. Here’s what we know about the Silent Hill 2 remake so far, including release information, the story, the development team, and more.
Release date
Konami has not yet announced a release date or even a release year for the Silent Hill 2 remake. From this, we can infer it is likely not going to be anytime soon. A 2023 release isn’t out of the question, but we’ll have to wait and see for the publisher to provide concrete details.
PlatformsOf course it’ll have Pyramid Head.
Unlike the other big upcoming horror remake, Resident Evil 4, Silent Hill 2 will be a PS5 console exclusive. The game will only be available on PS5 and PC (via Steam). Because it is being made in Unreal Engine 5, last-generation systems are out of the question, and it should be able to take better advantage of the newer system’s horsepower.
Story
Silent Hill 2’s remake will be a retelling of the story from the first version, which released back in 2001. Set in the titular town, Silent Hill 2 sees the writer James Sunderland searching for his long-dead wife after receiving a letter–ostensibly from her. There, James finds a number of ghastly horrors awaiting him, including famous enemies like Pyramid Head as well as the unhinged Eddie Dombrowski. Could there be some darker force at play here? Could a cult of Shiba Inu dogs actually be behind it all? You’ll have to play to find out.
Gameplay
Silent Hill 2 will remain a survival-horror game, with the development team consulting original developers Akira Yamaoka and Masahiro Ito throughout the process to ensure its essence is kept intact. However, it’s also being modernized to better fit modern expectations. Like the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, Silent Hill 2 will utilize an over-the-shoulder perspective rather than the zoomed-out view more common in horror games at the turn of the century.
The combat system, naturally, is getting a full overhaul as a result of the change, as are “certain set-pieces,” according to producer Motoi Okamoto and director Mateusz Lenart.
On PS5, you’ll be able to make use of 3D audio technology to determine where a sound came from, and there will be no loading screens due to the NVMe SSD. Haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support are included, as well, though the team is keeping their exact implementation a secret for now.
Trailers
Thus far, only the announcement trailer is available for Silent Hill 2. It shows James Sunderland staring into a mirror–an iconic shot also in the original game–and features some brief glimpses of the town itself as well as a few enemies. The trailer doesn’t include any combat, so we’ll have to wait to see how the over-the-shoulder perspective is implemented.
Development team
Though a select few members of the original Konami Silent Hill 2 team are working on the remake, the primary development studio is Bloober Team. The Polish studio has specialized in horror games over the last several years, having released games like Layers of Fear, The Medium, and Blair Witch. Silent Hill 2 will still be, by far, the highest-profile game Bloober Team has created to date, and it comes as the studio is also developing the reimagined Layers of Fears.
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