Silent Hill 2: What We Know So Far
It's been a decade since the last "Silent Hill" game, "Silent Hill: Book of Memories," came out for the PS Vita in 2012, and more than twenty years have passed since the Konami-published series first launched in 1999. The "Silent Hill" games vary wildly in quality, from the critically panned to some of the greatest horror games of all time. Of all the games in the series, none is more beloved (and praised) as "Silent Hill 2."
In a highly-anticipated reveal on Oct. 19, 2022, Konami announced three projects in the works for the long-dormant series — starting with the long-awaited remake of "Silent Hill 2." Two new titles, "Silent Hill: Ascension" and "Silent Hill F" were also announced alongside a movie, "Return To Silent Hill." A remake of "Silent Hill 2" has long been rumored, and these rumors were practically confirmed hours before the reveal, as Konami accidentally included the game's title in its stream description. Now that full details are available, here's what we know so far about the "Silent Hill 2" remake.
Is there a release date for the Silent Hill 2 Remake?
The "Silent Hill 2" remake will be exclusive to the PlayStation 5 for a year after its launch before being available on other consoles. However, Konami's "Silent Hill 2" announcement did not reveal a specific date for the remake's launch — it didn't even give a year. The series has been all but dead for about a decade, though, and some fans are in such disbelief that the franchise is back that they won't be satisfied until the "Silent Hill 2" remake is in their PS5.
However, we do know the approximate release date of two of the other projects. "Silent Hill: Ascension" releases sometime in 2023, and in an interview with French outlet Jeux Video, returning "Silent Hill" director Christophe Gans revealed his new movie would also release sometime in 2023. "Silent Hill F," the final new game teased in the reveal, was not given a release date, either.
Is there a trailer for the Silent Hill 2 remake?
The trailer for the "Silent Hill 2" remake debuted at the very beginning of Konami's Oct. 19 reveal stream. The new trailer doesn't follow the same beats as the old one, but some of the same scenes appear in both. In the new "Silent Hill 2" remake trailer, for example, we see James look in the mirror early on, whereas in the original trailer he is seen looking in a mirror after a few other scenes go by.
Without spoiling too much more of the trailer, there are a few other scenes that can be compared to the old game, and it's a remarkable improvement. After all, "Silent Hill 2" was a 2001 title for the PlayStation 2 originally, so there's a lot of room for graphical improvement. After the trailer itself, a large part of Konami's initial reveal for the "Silent Hill 2" remake revealed more details on the project from developers and others involved in the game's creation.
What is the gameplay like in the Silent Hill 2 remake?
The "Silent Hill 2" remake is being headed by Poland-based development studio Bloober Team, whose previous work includes plenty of horror games like the 2019 "Blair Witch" game, "Layers of Fear," and "Observer." Piotr Babieno said that "Silent Hill" is the game that made much of Bloober Team "fall in love with horror games," and went on to describe how that passion translates into the updated designs and modernized gameplay of the "Silent Hill 2" remake — but it won't all be different. According to lead producer Maciej Glomb, Bloober Team is "working closely with the original creators" to ensure that the game is as authentic to the original as possible.
Player expectations evolve over time and the team made some changes to achieve the same feelings the original created. One of the changes mentioned in the reveal is the camera; "Silent Hill 2" originally played from a behind-the-character point of view, but in the remake, the camera will be positioned over the shoulder instead for better immersion. The team hinted at other alterations to the original game, but no specifics on these other changes were given. Given the team's dedication to "recreate everything that made the game a timeless classic," these gameplay changes aim to modernize "Silent Hill 2" rather than change it fundamentally.