Silent Hill 2

Welcome back Silent hill you were missed terribly.
(Spoilers below. You've been warned)

Silent hill is a franchise that's very special to me they sort of were an introduction for me in the horror gaming community since I was a child. My friends would judge me for loving these games. I still have my immaculate condition Silent hill 1 copy on the ps1 and all my Silent Hill games including yes...Shattered Memories. Not trynna flex but yes I do have a nice collection. Moving on.

Man this game felt like a breath of fresh air, while yes still honouring the terrifying atmosphere of the original masterpiece, as we decent down through the madness of James' psych as he goes through Silent hill. I love a lot about this game, the graphics, the scares, the creepy atmosphere, the boss designs. I love the symbolism behind the Creatures even in this remake. Pyramid head is from the executioners of silent hill in the past. In the historical society there is a painting of this executioner. Its theorised that whilst James was in silent hill he saw this painting. and conjured him up with his desire for self punishment. The main enemies in the game are pale and grotesque constantly being sick, much like Mary’s illness. I think that's perfect attention to detail if I do say so myself.
James' cowardness and bitterness towards Mary and her illness didn't help their relationship at the end considering he murdered her and that would send him in a nice trip of self pity, guilt and deluluness 🤷🏻‍♂️

You also got the nurses. The suffocation that the Nurses experience is also representative of James's subconscious memory of smothering Mary with a pillow. The red squares covering the mouths give me vibes of roaring rage, particularly Mary's anger and verbal abuse against James.

You also got The monster in the cage in the hospital when Laura locks you in, to my interpretations it feels like symbolism of Mary badmouthing James in her last days...since the bed has a mouth. Anywho you get what I mean there is so much more that could be said that wouldn't fit here but yea. Also Maria looks amazing. James you hoe!. If I have to critique about something...the way James runs is underwhelming and artifical I wish they would have done more to make it feel realistic. But other than that almost perfect game.👌🏻

Could be one of the best remakes of all time. Silent Hill is back.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the lord my soul to take.

The story of James Sunderland has always been one that deeply impacted me on an emotional and psychological level. It changed how I see many things in life, how I see myself, and my own personality. And now, with the remake, it brought all those feelings back in a truly amazing way.

Even though there were many issues with the remake—like engine problems, frequent stutters, and strange glitches—I'm grateful to Bloober Team for their courage to take on the challenge of remaking a game that’s been almost sacred and untouchable for the gaming community for 20 years. For a long time, many of us believed that a masterpiece like this shouldn’t be altered, and I was one of those people, honestly. I had a lot of worries about this point, but Bloober Team proved me wrong. They added so many beautiful touches to the story, like new endings and small tweaks to some plot points, all while showing great respect for the original content. The scene direction is so well-done, probably some of the best in video game history, from the animation down to the facial expressions that tell their own stories if you pay attention. And then there’s the music—Akira’s original soundtrack was already a masterpiece, and this remake gave him the chance to revive it with new additions that made the music even better.

Thank you, Team Silent, for this masterpiece again, this time through Bloober Team, who I’m sure has a lot more to offer as an independent studio.

This game could've been a 10 out of 10 but first I've got something to say,

The story is purely philosophical.
This game isn't about the protagonist who is walking and killing monsters along the way looking for his wifo no, you really need to deeply understand what's happening and the story behind every character especially james Sunderland its darker than you think, and you also need to pay attention to every detail in that game to solve your puzzles + believe me you don't wanna miss something cuz it's gonna make a difference in your ending, i dived into the game and got addicted to it, spent hours everyday on it because of the atmosphere and the city, they really did an amazing job writing the story and the characters Which made me didn't care at all about the flaws, the game actually have many flaws like aiming and controls aren't smooth, optimization is terrible and buggy .. despite that, The game ia immersive, i underestimated this remake when i watched the first gameplay trailer, but once it's released and i tried it, i completely changed my mind, ngl every time i spent on this game i burn most of my calories because of how damn scary the jump scares are, the ascending music makes you very nervous with the footsteps and the noises you hear everywhere you go i was actually scared all the time so The level of horror is very high.
I really hope we can get more remakes like this with more improvements

A TRUE MASTAPEECE

How Silence turns fog into fear.
Every sound,even for monsters has a meaning (dev diaries).
Bloober team knocked it out of the park,its a fantastic remake.
23 years into wait and it redeemed that trust to it's fans.
Story true to original,Atmosphere nailed,Fog damn,ambience made so good,heart throbbing sound design,the spookiness jesus,a real scare,no change of music,excellent voice acting, outstanding puzzle design,astonishing visual design and bam,the modern survival combat,GTFO here man.
Psychological experience redefined.
This is how reimagining is done,a work done beautifully.
Highly recommendation game of this year.
It will move you,like for real.
Especially that True ost from Akira yamaoka 💜
In my restless dreams,I see nothing :(
I need to find my mama.

Break the glass,Break the glass,Break the glass,Break the glass,Break the glass,Break the glass,heal,Break the glass,Break the glass,Break the glass,Break the glass,Break the glass,Break the glass.

🇬🇧 English review at the bottom

🇪🇸
Este es mi primer Silencio Gil de la historia.

Este es el primer juego que juego íntegramente con mando (Exceptuando los FF7 y alguna que otra cosa suelta pero era por comodidad, este es el primer juego "serio") y no me ha gustado nada, así que asumo habrá influenciado un poco en la nota final.

Me parece un quiero y no puedo de juego, me lo esperaba bastante mejor de lo que me ha acabado pareciendo, pare empezar ya me sabía mucho de la historia por lo que esto obviamente ha afectado.

En caso de que hayas vivido debajo de una piedra, el juego trata sobre James, un hombre que se dirige al misterioso pueblo de Silent Hill tras recibir una carta de su esposa, Mary. Lo curioso (y perturbador) es que Mary lleva muerta tres años, así que el simple hecho de recibir esa carta ya deja claro que algo no cuadra. En la carta, Mary le dice que lo estará esperando en su "lugar especial", lo cual arrastra a James a adentrarse en el pueblo envuelto en niebla, monstruos y recuerdos rotos.

Nada más llegar al pueblo, James se encuentra con Ángela, una joven claramente inestable que dice estar buscando a su madre en Silent Hill. afectada. Desde el primer momento se nota que arrastra una historia personal bastante turbia, aunque el juego se toma su tiempo en revelarla (y me jode una barbaridad porque me parece el mejor personaje del juego).

Después de Ángela, James se cruza con Laura, una niña pequeña que parece moverse por el pueblo como si nada y que los monstruos parecen ignorar. Esta niña le tiene un miedo irracional a James por (motivo).

Más adelante aparece Eddie, un tipo que está claramente al borde. Dice que no ha hecho nada malo, pero su actitud y sus palabras lo delatan. Come pizza en medio del caos como si no pasara nada, pero a medida que avanza el juego, se vuelve cada vez más violento y paranoico. Me gustaría poder contar más sobre estos personajes, pero sinceramente, lo que viene después entra de lleno en terreno de spoilers bastante importantes.

Siguiendo con la historia, James llega a diferentes localizaciones emblemáticas del juego: el complejo de apartamentos Wood Side, el hospital Brookhaven, el parque de atracciones y el hotel Lakeview. Cada uno de estos lugares está cargado de simbolismo que me parece bastante buen acierto al plasmar sus recuerdos reprimidos, recuerdos que cada vez lo ponen más congestionado.

En el hospital, por ejemplo, es donde la tensión alcanza uno de sus puntos más altos. Aquí es donde conoce más a fondo a María, un personaje que físicamente es idéntica a Mary, pero con una personalidad muy distinta: coqueta, emocionalmente dependiente, más “viva” de lo que Mary parecía al final de su vida. La presencia de María hace que James comience a cuestionarse qué es real, qué está imaginando y por qué Silent Hill le muestra todo esto.

A lo largo del juego, James empieza a descubrir que el pueblo actúa como una especie de espejo de su psique, mostrándole no solo lo que teme, sino lo que ha reprimido y no quiere aceptar. Cada monstruo, cada personaje, incluso cada área, está relacionada con algún aspecto de su culpa, su pérdida o su pasado. Silent Hill no es simplemente un lugar físico: es una manifestación de la culpa y el dolor de quienes lo visitan.

El clímax de la historia llega cuando James finalmente enfrenta la verdad sobre Mary, su enfermedad y lo que realmente sucedió el día que murió. El impacto de este momento depende muchísimo de lo que el jugador haya hecho durante la partida, ya que el juego cuenta con varios finales posibles, todos ellos reflejando el estado emocional y moral de James. En mi caso, me salió el final de “irse”, donde James, enfrentando su culpa, decide dejar atrás el pasado y seguir adelante, una especie de redención personal, tras saber como funcionan el resto de finales este me parece el más "canon" por como me ha parecido que James está construído.

En resumen, Silent Hill 2 es mucho más que un juego de terror. Es un viaje psicológico por la mente de un hombre roto, lleno de simbolismo, culpa y redención. Aunque personalmente no ha sido una experiencia que me haya encantado por sus mecánicas o ritmo, sí reconozco que a nivel narrativo y atmosférico es una obra muy bien pensada.
Lo bueno:

✅Ambientación brutal, el juego te mantiene sugestionado el 99% del tiempo por no saber que es lo que te vas a encontrar y además, sin necesidad de meter jumpscares te hace sobresaltarte cada vez que te encuentras con cualquier bicho, en más de una ocasión me he encontrado asustado de verdad.

✅Actuación de voz inigualable (pero escasa), todos los personajes tienen unos actores de voz brutales, las muy pocas veces que hay conversaciones (excluyendo el tramo con María) me han gustado muchos.

✅Muy buenos efectos de sonido, no recuerdo ni un solo sonido que me haya desentonado, todos dan grima, los cuerpos retorciéndose, la pistola disparando, cuando tienes que meter la mano en agujeros para buscar cosas etc..

✅Los mapeados están muy buen hechos, cosa que me molesta mucho porque el overworld está vacío, los interiores da gusto visitarlos, eso sí.

✅Bastante buen final (me ha tocado el de "Irme")

✅Buenos personajes, todos me han parecido bastante interesantes y me han hecho conectar con ellos (menos Eddie, que te jodan gordo cabrón)

Lo malo:

❌la cámara me parece que está muy pegada a James.

❌Me da una rabia increíble que cada vez que entras a un edificio se le ponga al juego una película de grano, la odio y siempre la desactivo en todos los juegos junto al motion blur, esta película, no te deja la opción a no ser que uses un mod.

❌El movimiento quizás un poco lento para mi gusto

❌Combate muy simple y fácil, no es un mal sistema de combate, pero he echado en falta más enemigos.

❌El mundo está vacío, quitando los sitios a los que obviamente tienes que entrar no hay casi nada fuera que no sean balas para la pistola (en serio, he acabado con 9 millones de balas)

❌La música del free roam al principio me parece atroz, es el punto en el que el jugador va a decidir quedarse o irse y yo tenía ganas de cerrar el juego y ponerme a jugar el inazuma eleven(spoiler).

Le he tirado bastante ponzoña pero no me parece un mal juego, simplemente no ha tenido ningún efecto sobre mí que no sea "miedo", controles un poco tediosos para alguien que no está acostumbrado, quizás una cantidad de enemigos un poco más abundante para mi gusto pero bueno, tampoco nada del otro mundo, hacían que no me durmiera explorando.

Me parece un juego recomendable? Sí, siempre y cuando no tengas ni idea de la historia de ante mano, cosa dificil a día de hoy.

Me lo volvería a jugar? No.

Esto es todo para esta entrega que me ha decepcionado un poco, como siempre, gracias por escucharme desvariar.



🇬🇧
This is my first ever Silent Hill.

This was the first game I’ve ever played entirely with a controller (excluding FF7 and a few one-offs, but those were just for convenience—this is the first “serious” game), and I didn’t like it at all, so I assume that influenced my final opinion a bit.

It feels like a game that wants to be something great but doesn’t quite make it. I expected a lot more from it than what I actually got. To be fair, I already knew a lot about the story, so that definitely affected the experience.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the game is about James, a man who travels to the mysterious town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his wife, Mary. The strange (and disturbing) part? Mary has been dead for three years, so the very fact that he gets this letter already makes it clear that something isn’t right. In the letter, Mary tells him she’ll be waiting for him in their “special place,” which pulls James into this fog-covered town full of monsters and broken memories.

As soon as he arrives in town, James meets Angela, a clearly unstable young woman who says she’s looking for her mother in Silent Hill. She’s emotionally affected and off from the start. It’s obvious she’s carrying some heavy, dark baggage, though the game takes its time revealing her full story (which honestly pisses me off because I think she’s the best character in the game).

After Angela, James comes across Laura, a little girl who moves through the town like nothing’s wrong, and the monsters seem to ignore her completely. She has this irrational fear of James because of (reason).

Later on, Eddie shows up—a guy who’s clearly on the edge. He claims he hasn’t done anything wrong, but everything about his attitude and words says otherwise. He’s casually eating pizza in the middle of all the chaos like it’s no big deal, but as the game goes on, he becomes increasingly violent and paranoid. I’d love to go deeper into these characters, but honestly, what comes next is deep in spoiler territory.

Moving along with the story, James visits several of the game’s most iconic locations: the Wood Side apartment complex, Brookhaven Hospital, the amusement park, and the Lakeview Hotel. Each of these places is packed with symbolism, which I think is a really solid way of expressing his repressed memories—memories that increasingly weigh him down and overwhelm him.

In the hospital, for example, the tension hits one of its highest points. This is where James gets to know Maria more intimately, a character who looks exactly like Mary but has a very different personality: flirtatious, emotionally needy, more “alive” than Mary ever seemed toward the end of her life. Maria’s presence causes James to question what’s real, what he’s imagining, and why Silent Hill is showing him all of this.

As the game progresses, James begins to realize that the town acts like a mirror of his psyche, showing him not just what he fears, but what he’s been suppressing and refusing to accept. Every monster, every character, even every location is tied to some aspect of his guilt, his loss, or his past. Silent Hill isn’t just a physical place—it’s a manifestation of the guilt and pain of those who enter it.

The story hits its climax when James finally confronts the truth about Mary, her illness, and what really happened the day she died. The impact of this moment depends heavily on the choices the player makes throughout the game, as there are multiple possible endings—all of which reflect James’ emotional and moral state. In my case, I got the “Leave” ending, where James, facing his guilt, chooses to move on and leave the past behind—a kind of personal redemption. After seeing how the other endings work, this one feels the most “canon” to me based on how James is written.

In short, Silent Hill 2 is much more than just a horror game. It’s a psychological journey through the mind of a broken man, full of symbolism, guilt, and redemption. While I personally didn’t love the experience due to its mechanics or pacing, I do admit that narratively and atmospherically, it’s a very well-thought-out piece of work.


The good:

✅ Incredible atmosphere. The game keeps you on edge 99% of the time because you never know what you’re going to run into. And without relying on jumpscares, it still manages to startle you every time you come across an enemy. I was genuinely scared on more than one occasion.

✅ Top-notch voice acting (though limited). Every character has amazing voice actors. The few conversations that do happen (excluding the stretch with Maria) really stuck with me.

✅ Great sound design. I can’t think of a single sound that felt off. Everything was disturbing in a good way—twisting bodies, gunshots, reaching into creepy holes... all of it.

✅ Well-designed maps. This actually frustrates me, because while the overworld feels empty, the interiors are really well crafted and enjoyable to explore.

✅ Pretty solid ending (I got the “Leave” ending).

✅ Interesting characters. I found all of them pretty compelling and easy to connect with... except Eddie. Screw you, you fat bastard.

The bad:

❌ The camera is way too close to James.

❌ It drives me absolutely nuts that every time you enter a building, the game adds a grainy film effect. I hate it. I always disable that and motion blur in every game. Here, you can’t turn it off unless you use a mod.

❌ Movement feels a bit too slow for my taste.

❌ Combat is very simple and easy. It’s not a bad system, but I wish there were more enemies overall.

❌ The world feels empty. Outside of the places you're clearly meant to enter, there’s basically nothing around, just pistol bullets everywhere (seriously, I ended the game with like 9 million rounds).

❌ The free roam music at the start is awful. That’s the point where a player decides whether to stick with the game or drop it, and I just wanted to close it and go play Inazuma Eleven instead (spoiler).

I’ve thrown a lot of shade here, but I don’t think it’s a bad game, it just didn’t really do anything for me beyond “scary.” The controls were kind of annoying for someone not used to them, and while I would've liked a bit more action, it wasn’t a dealbreaker. The enemies helped keep me from falling asleep while exploring, at least.

Would I recommend it? Yes, as long as you don’t already know the story, which is hard these days.

Would I play it again? Nope.