Developer: Team Silent Publisher: Konami Release: 09/25/01 Genre: Horror
Of all of the survival horror titles that followed in the wake of Resident Evil Silent Hill had the biggest impact. Both cerebral and terrifying at the same time Silent Hill set itself apart from Capcom’s title and created its own identity. A mere two years later and Konami were back with Silent Hill 2 for the then new PlayStation 2. The quick turnaround meant nothing as the game is truly phenomenal and one of the greatest horror games of all time.
The story is full of mystery right from the start. James Sunderland is a depressed man who one day receives a letter from his wife Mary stating that she is waiting for him in their “special” place in Silent Hill. The problem is Mary died three years ago from an unnamed disease. Partly out of hope that it is true and also due to unresolved guilt James makes the trip to hopefully find Mary and see what this is all about.
Like the previous game Silent Hill 2 keeps its cast small. Despite that each has depth and through your interactions it becomes evident that almost everyone is dealing with personal demons of some kind. These are a deeply disturbed bunch and it is fascinating to learn how fucked up they are. In this respect Silent Hill 2 is a deeper dive into the nature of Silent Hill and how it affects each person differently. This is incredibly evident with James and his interactions with Maria. At first it is a seeming coincidence that she is a near duplicate of Mary. But as the game progresses and she reveals details about James and his wife that she shouldn’t it becomes apparent that all is not what it seems.
The psychological aspect of the game’s story is subtle but once you pick up on it will have you looking back on prior conversations in a new light. The game does not spell everything out; you must infer intent in many cases. But the clues are there you simply lack the necessary context to put them all together until the game’s conclusion. The narrative is only slightly tainted by some stilted vocal performances. But even with that in mind the awkwardness actually helps in some cases. This isn’t me making excuses, you will simply have to play it yourself to see.
James is just as awkward to control as Harry before him. The game sells the common man concept in his animations. He does not run very fast and gets winded quickly. He brandishes his weapons with the grace of an elephant. Combat exists and is functional but is not the point. If you do even a little exploration you can find more hand gun bullets than you know what to do with. Most of the changes are slight and mechanical. The game offers traditional controls or tank controls if you are a weirdo. James will focus on items in the environment making item scavenging easier. The map updates and highlights any doors that are locked or rooms that have important items of interest. I am glad the game avoids a lot of the jank inherit in the genre and for the most part is a smooth ride.
The game has separate difficulty settings for puzzles and action. On normal and below the game is incredibly generous with health drinks, first aid kits, and ammo. James can take a lot of punishment and combat feels like an afterthought. Hard mode becomes stingier with even a few hits leaving him near death. The puzzle difficulty is funny. I consider myself a reasonably smart man but the puzzles in the game are obtuse to an insane degree. This is Sierra levels of logic. Combining random items to create a makeshift hook to pick up an item is simple. Trying to decode a random message to determine a code to open a lock is not. If you’re a masochist there is a harder puzzle difficulty that is even vaguer. I’ll just say thank god for the internet.
I may not like the puzzles but the overall atmosphere and narrative make up for it. The graphics are free of the constraints of the PS One and are genuinely creepy in a non-abstract way. The fog enhances the mood and the lighting and shadow effects are spectacular. The monster design is terrifying and I am not solely referring to Pyramid head. Alternate Silent Hill is used sparingly and the blood and rust soaked world is legit nightmare inducing. The fantastic sound design aids in this. The music is atmospheric and knows when to go silent for impact. Random footsteps and sounds like grinding gears, footsteps, and groans play to creep you out. You will dread the sound of the radio upon entering a dark room and frantically search for its cause. I cannot say enough good things about this one, Konami went all out.
Overall Silent Hill 2 is shorter than its predecessor. It’s a nice compact seven or eight hours. But like the original there are multiple endings. The endings are more cerebral and how they are accessed is a stroke of genius in my opinion and tie in to the game’s story. There is a running tally of how you play but it is unseen. Defending Maria consistently throughout the game and ignoring Mary’s picture in his inventory will produce a different outcome. Stay at low health and examining a certain knife will produce a…..end. If you prove your devotion to Mary the final battle changes outside of the ending. There are two more but you get the point. Because the game is so brief it makes multiple runs less of an endeavor. The added context to the game’s story also makes it worthwhile too.
In Closing
Silent Hill 2 faced stiff competition among the fall 2001 PS2 lineup. Yet it easily stands tall as one of the best games of that year. The story is captivating, the atmosphere incredible and it remains a technical marvel for the platform. Revisiting Silent Hill 2 was a treat and it is still just as fascinating as the day it was released. Konami created something special here. Savor this one, we might never get another one.
