Silent Hill 2 is the most iconic entry in one of the most beloved horror video game franchises. With Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake only a few months from release, gamers new to the Silent Hill franchise or even the horror genre in general may find themselves asking: Is Silent Hill 2 still worth playing? Should I play the original Silent Hill 2 or wait for the remake? Keep reading to find out!

Has Silent Hill 2 aged well?

The simple answer is yes. What Silent Hill 2 achieved in terms of its narrative presentation, atmosphere, and score is truly impressive and still holds up over two decades later. The art style is gritty and oppressive, the narrative delightfully surreal, drawing on heavyweight literary influences such as Crime and Punishment, and the soundtrack varies impressively, from unsettling drones to hip-hop inspired beats. Silent Hill 2 strings each of these elements together to create a tone that is unique, certainly within its franchise, but also in the broader gaming canon. The strengths of this game are staggering and undoubtedly hold up in comparison to modern games.

One of the game’s most sophisticated ambitions is to externalize the psychological experience of the main character, James, via its presentation and world design. Just as James’s grief has clouded his mind and his memory, his path forward through the town of Silent Hill is obscured by the game’s famous fog. While practically, it served as a workaround the PlayStation 2’s poor draw distance, Silent Hill 2′s fog is also the most readily apparent instance of this classic game’s artistic aspirations. To this day attempts to narratively motivate design aesthetics is uncommon in the triple-A world in particular; it is less rare in more niche independent games.

Where Silent Hill 2 starts to show is age is in its gameplay and graphics. Of course, no game from over twenty years ago is going to be able to compete with the current generation of consoles and PCs. Gamers will have to decide for themselves if they have the tolerance for PlayStation 2 era graphical fidelity. It is worth mentioning that despite the inevitable aging of its visuals, Silent Hill 2‘s presentation still feels stark and cinematic in 2024. The film grain, fixed camera angles, and lighting all contribute positively to the game’s grim atmosphere, pushing back against the era’s low-resolution textures and lack of anti aliasing.

On the other hand, the quality of the gameplay in Silent Hill 2 suffers not only in comparison to modern games, but titles released around the same time as well. The tank controls are clunky. The combat is simple and repetitive, though luckily easy to avoid. Exploration is initially enticing, but becomes more tedious once it becomes clear that most locations are the same hallways and the same rooms copied and pasted over and over and over. Resources are so plentiful that any “inventory management” quickly becomes peripheral rather than remaining a relevant gameplay mechanic like Resident Evil titles of the same era.

What results is a game that is fun and engaging to experience, but less fulfilling to actually play. First time players will quickly find themselves looking forward to the next environment, the next cutscene, and while they will enjoy the atmosphere in between, they’ll be generally less enthralled by the moment to moment gameplay once the initial novelty wears off.

Still, there are a couple mechanics worth praising. Most notably, Silent Hill 2′s in-game maps are some of the most helpful and robust of its time. All the player has to do is explore their environment, and the map will automatically mark which doors have been opened, what paths have led to dead ends, and any areas of interest. As stated, exploration in this game can be quite repetitive, but it’s thankfully made more straightforward by the clarity of the map.

Additionally, whenever there is an item of interest nearby, James will turn his head in that direction. This gently guides the player’s attention without the need for any obtrusive item markers or inexplicable glowing auras. Secondly, early on in the game, James picks up a radio that aurally alerts the player to any nearby enemies, emitting an ominous static that grows louder as the enemy grows closer. These aural cues both are a handy design tool in environments navigated via fixed camera angles, but also simply make the enemy encounters more suspenseful!

Should I wait for the Silent Hill 2 remake or play the original?

Ever since it was first announced in October 2022, the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake has been met with a flurry of both anticipation and trepidation. While optimistic fans hoped it could make waves in the same way the recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4, gameplay footage released thus far has resulted in less enthusiastic responses. Until gaming outlets start to receive preview and review copies, that’s all gamers have to go on, and it’s not unreasonable to be cautious in one’s optimism for a long-anticipated remake of such a beloved game.

While it’s possible the best version of Silent Hill 2 remake could maintain the narrative quality while sprucing up the clunky gameplay of the original, the visuals released so far also indicate departures from the original game’s presentation, like the famous fog, lighting, and of course, transitioning to a modern over-the-shoulder perspective rather than fixed-camera angles. These decisions will almost certainly provide a more accessible and graphically impressive product, but they also forecast that this remake will be an experience separate and distinct from the original, for better or for worse.

Conclusion

Regardless of how the remake is ultimately received, the original Silent Hill 2 is a game that lives up to its legendary reputation and is worth experiencing right now. All gamers apart from those with a particularly potent distaste for all things horror or older titles will find something to appreciate here, even if they have had their fill after the first several hours. The narrative, presentation, and atmosphere hold up in comparison with many modern games today, though admittedly, the gameplay and graphics have aged less gracefully. There’s no need to hold out for the remake, and footage released so far indicates the original will be worth playing even once the remake is released. There’s no need to wait – Silent Hill 2 is worth any gamer’s time right now!