Silent Hill 2 review

Exceptional

by BloodScorchedSun

Bloober Team's track record is kind of meh. There is a lot of stuff I like about there games and a lot I don't. The sound design in the Layers of Fear remake is incredible, some of the best ambience I've ever heard. The gameplay however, in most of their FPS games is just bad. Literally spinning in a circle waiting for something to change. Thankfully they have come a long way from that type of game. With Silent Hill 2 they have a framework to build off of and they do an incredible job. The atmosphere is always what I loved about the SH franchise and this remake weaponizes it. The darkness is so ominous that it becomes an enemy unto itself. I love when a game creeps me out so much that I second guess heading down a hallway or opening a door. They completely nailed the tone for this. On top of that the sound design is incredible. That music remains great, the ambience is haunting and unsettling. The first time I heard one of the gasps I was looking around for the source wondering what was going on. It's also not used too much as to lose the effect, almost like by the time you've put it out of mind it happens again. The enemies are what you'd expect but the standout is the mannequins. I can't think of a more effect enemy. By the time you see them they are usually lunging at you. It can really shake up your approach to confronting enemies. The spider variant is also used to great effect. The gameplay is fine, I think the newer RE games play better but it's fine. The desperation in James' melee attacks and stomps is very well done. I love the story and the characters working through their trauma. I really liked the voice actor for James, he just seemed very believable. I think this is a great remake of the original that retains the most important elements of the game. The only negative thing I will say is it runs a little long. By the time you reach the prison it seems like things should be wrapping up and then you still got a ways to go.