We recently started watching a short YouTube video by NakeyJakey on Resident Evil Requiem (the newest Resident Evil game). I say started, because several minutes into the video Caitlin had decided that we needed to purchase the game based on his endorsement. Unfortunately new PS5 games are over $100 and when you know they are going to drop 50% in a year it’s a hard sell. But it was an Easter long weekend and I had to purchase something fast or Caitlin would lose interest. A quick scan of my watchlist identified Silent Hill 2 as on sale. I knew Silent Hill 2 was a strongly atmospheric narrative driven game and it had been on my list for a while, so moved quickly. Thank god we did.
Silent Hill 2 is an action/adventure/horror game set in the eponymous town of Silent Hill. You play as James, a man following instructions in a letter from his dead wife, Mary, wherein she called him to the town. As you progress through the town looking for her, you uncover increasing personal horrors that gradually reveal the backstory behind James and Mary.
The core of the game is pretty simple. You enter a medium sized area (apartment building, section of town, death prison underneath the lake), explore it, kill some monsters, find some puzzles that require more exploring, repeat this two or three times and then leave the area to go to the next one. It’s a simple formula and all three elements (explore, fight and puzzle) work well. The game is short (15 hours start to finish) and that helps keep all of these elements enjoyable. They all build in difficulty nicely keeping you engaged throughout.
However the functional bare bones gameplay is not the reason people celebrate this game. It’s the story and specifically the characters that make this resonate. Pretty quickly you can tell there is more going on with James and his relationship with Mary. You can tell something deeper and not entirely wholesome is there and the game gradually and satisfying reveals the truth over its length.
The game has just the right amount of depth to its story. It’s not overly vague so as to leave everything infuriatingly open, but avoids being explicit for key motives. It lets the player look for their own interpretation and encourages a deeper consideration. Caitlin and I spent at least a few hours after completion discussing most of the game. There are a lot of sections that benefit from a second thought and you can see earlier parts of the game in new light once you know more. The story is dark, but not gratuitous and I would consider it to be one of the most fully-formed and meaningful narratives in a game I have played.
This is actually a remake of a PS2 game. I played some of the original on PC, but couldn’t tell you specific differences. It plays very well, but still retains certain quirky gameplay mechanics and the distinct Japanese peculiar feel that I believe are a critical part of helping make games like this and Nier: Automata feel so captivating. There was one major scene near the end (with a videotape) that we believe was changed in the remake for the worse, but otherwise all the changes seem generally for the better.
The music is good. It’s not overstated, but the songs are distinctly part of the game and are recognisable outside of the game as part of Silent Hill 2 (a critical part in my opinion of a good videogame soundtrack). They never try to steal the show, but form part of a great supporting cast.
https://youtu.be/2EANn3yNh4A?si=wt2Qx2MraS-ea2NN – Eerie, but not uncomfortable. It’s a really distinctive sound that conveys more the unsettling nature of Silent Hill instead of abject horror.
https://youtu.be/GmPPhUFPPLY?si=qJ3FI2QUjYkPacmh – Songs are used very effectively as motifs. Consistently appearing with certain characters and emotions.
The enjoyment of games, like all media, is intrinsically linked to the context in which it was experienced. I had the good fortune of having Caitlin very engaged with this game which greatly enhanced my own time with it. Silent Hill 2 is interesting to analyse and reflect on with someone who also enjoyed it. I don’t know if that increased my final score, but regardless you can tell why this game is considered one of the all time greats.
Rating: 7/7 horrors of my repressed guilt beating me with their limbs
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