Silent Hill 2
A fun but flawed take on a flawless gem
The puzzles are fresh enough to make the game feel new, yet familiar.
© KONAMI OF AMERICA
WE DON’T ENVY BLOOBER TEAM.
Nobody actually wants the difficult task of updating something as nuanced, emotionally sensitive, and revered as Silent Hill 2. The original has been praised for decades, and picked apart by fans eager to understand every last detail for just as long. It’s a game where every strange texture and odd room decoration means something, the game’s unforgettable atmosphere held together by the finest of threads.
This modern remake of that legendary tale gets off to a great start, offering an extensive range of graphical settings and accessibility options. It doesn’t take long to tweak the game into a smoothly running ray-traced beauty, or to adjust the controls and their behavior so they’re just the way you like them. A personal favorite is the option to swap the standard "mash to get monsters off me" action for a simple button hold instead—a small gesture that allowed us to concentrate on the horrors around us instead of being distracted by an aching thumb.