With the remake of Silent Hill 2 releasing this October, there’s no better time to hop into the original and get lost in the fog.
If you’ve never played Silent Hill 2, the game is about James Sunderland; a widower who receives a letter from his deceased wife, beckoning him to come to Silent Hill, their “special place”. It’s a story that’s full of twists and turns that’ll keep you guessing long after everything is wrapped up.
The game was released in 2001, developed by 50 people at Konami. The small team included legendary series composer Akira Yamaoka, art director and creature designer Masahiro Ito and game director Masashi Tsuboyama.
Silent Hill 2’s legendary status is one that’s well-deserved in the survival horror genre. But in some areas it shows its age.
Fog covered nightmare
Image credit: Konami
When booting up the game, an eerie AMV plays, displaying cutscenes that occur throughout, backed by the incredible Theme of Laura. This opening gives the player a taste of the horror they are in for.
There’s something ethereal about Silent Hill 2. Whilst its graphics are low poly and old looking, the atmosphere is built through it. The dense fog hides the poor graphics, but it also adds a mood that’s unparalleled by subsequent entries in the series. A lot of this mood is built around Akira Yamaoka’s iconic score and sound design. Inspired by Trip-Hop and the growing industrial scene in the 90s, Akira crafted a soundscape full of metallic sharpness and gorgeous distorted electric guitars.
The game opens with the protagonist James Sunderland staring at himself in the mirror, dragging his hand across his face, it’s clear from the beginning that there’s something wrong with James. James is a deeply complex character, and his original voice actor Guy Cihi helps with this. Cihi’s line delivery sounds stunted at times. But this actually helps to add to the mystery that is James Sunderland. In the 2012 HD Collection remaster of the game, Troy Baker (The Last of Us, BioShock Infinite) voices James. Sadly his line delivery doesn’t carry the same weight as Cihi’s.
Silent Hill 2 isn’t just the story of James Sunderland. We may see the titular town through his eyes, but the supporting cast are going through their own versions of hell alongside him. Characters like Maria, a woman who looks the double of James’ late wife, and Angela, a struggling young woman that’s unsure if she can trust James, further the themes of the story and hint at the truth behind James façade.
The truth behind the monsters
Image credit: Konami
Creature designer Masahiro Ito is rightfully credited for his extraordinary work on the monsters of Silent Hill 2. From the shambling Lying Figures to the series’ most iconic entity, the towering Red Pyramid Thing (Pyramid Head for short).
Ito uses body horror for all of the monsters throughout James journey. Each one drawing on aspects of James’ fears and buried emotions, some more obvious than others. Explaining what each monster symbolises would ruin the surprise when you eventually figure out what it all means.
As previously mentioned, Pyramid Head is iconic. Maybe more iconic than the series name itself, but its importance to the story and James makes it a far more terrifying adversary than it first may seem. Similar to other “Stalker” enemies in Survival Horror games, Pyramid Head cannot be killed. At multiple points it will appear out of nowhere, forcing the player to think on their feet.
This mostly boils down to two options, shoot at it till it leaves, or run for your life, the latter option being far more entertaining. However the Pyramid Head chase scene is brought down slightly by the games stiff controls.
Since Silent Hill 2 was made over twenty years ago, camera controls are less than stellar. The game uses a mix of fixed camera angles and dynamic camera work, allowing the player partial control of the camera. Not knowing what’s round a corner is part of the fear the game builds, but when you’re trying to navigate cramped corridors quickly and the camera keeps breaking, some of that fear is replaced with frustration.
Controlling James is cumbersome at best, but if you ask me, that’s a good a thing. James isn’t a highly trained, special agent tasked with taking down Bio-Weapons like Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield from Resident Evil. He’s a completely ordinary guy who’s likely never been in a fight. He shows this in how he swings the iconic spiked wooden post. He takes ages to wind up the swing before clumsily following through, it makes every attack feel weak, but it also forces the player to learn how to time attacks.
Combat is a minor part of the game but is talked about often. Like other Survival Horror games, James is given a fair arsenal of weapons to aid him on his journey through the town. Ranging from the aforementioned spiked wooden post, to a range of firearms. None are particularly powerful, but they provide a false sense of security that makes the player feel a wee bit safe before they are brought crashing back down to reality.
No rest for the wicked
Image credit: Konami
As mentioned, Silent Hill 2’s monsters are a big part of what makes the game such a terrifying, and enduring classic. But some monsters stand out as particularly harrowing.
Though James’ vision of the town is different from the other characters, there are some nightmares that transcend one characters nightmare and become entangled into James’ hell. One of these nightmares being the horrifying Abstract Daddy. The name alone is gross, but after the player uncovers the truth behind it, the monster becomes far worse than you could ever imagine.
Depending on how you play the game and treat James throughout his journey, the game will offer up different endings. There are six in total. Two of which are played for laughs, but the other four are all as equally disturbing as each other. The four core endings are titled; “Leave”, “In Water”, “Maria” and “Rebirth”. None of the ending have ever been confirmed to be canon to the story. But if you ask me, the “In Water” ending seems like the most likely ending.
Getting each ending depends on what you do, if you play the game like you would any other survival horror, you’ll likely get the “Leave” ending. If you keep James at low health frequently and inspect certain items often, you’ll receive the “In Water” ending. There’s debate online about how to get each ending, here’s hoping the remake will clear up some of the misconceptions.
Another huge part of Silent Hill 2 is puzzles. Many make almost no sense. One in particular involves a box of fizzy juice had me stumped for hours when I first played the game. Other puzzles have fairly obvious clues. However what makes them so fun is the players decision to either make puzzles more simple, or more difficult depending on the Puzzle Difficulty you choose when starting the game. Some puzzles near the end of the game require a lot of brain power to get through on the higher difficulties.
Nightmare of your own design
Image credit: Konami
Silent Hill 2 has aged fairly poorly in terms of game-play. But its story and the importance it has had on both the gaming landscape and psychological-horror is incalculable. Whilst it was inspired by films like Jacob’s Ladder and the works of David Lynch, Team Silent were able to take their inspirations and craft a disturbing and memorable story. It’s been haunting fans for decades.
The discourse around the upcoming remake has been truly mixed. Many fans hate that it even exists and that it’s bound to be different in some areas. Whereas others, like myself, are just excited to have an updated, and easier to acquire version of the game coming out.
Much of the hate for the HD: Collection is valid. However, it’s also the easiest way to pick up the original version of Silent Hill 2. It can be buggy and is missing textures in many areas. But the story remains just as good and it usually goes on deal on XBOX frequently.
Whilst it’s not going to everybody’s cup of tea horror wise, if you’re a fan of body horror, psychological-horror, or just want to be scared this spooky season, the fog covered streets of Silent Hill 2 are waiting for you.
Featured image credit: Konami
Third year Film and journalism student
Gaming and Tech editor
Horror fanatic
