I realize this is probably a minority here, but I don't like Bluepoint's approach to remakes. Sure, they're beautiful, technically proficient, and mechanically faithful to the originals, but the studio's artistic freedom is too often jarring. I admit that I'm a purist and a grumpy old man who hates change, but I still believe that remakes should essentially play within the confines of the original's creative vision. Changing the color palette – replacing bleached ethereal shades Shadow of the Colossus on PS2, say, for more natural lighting – this may add a bit of decoration, but can radically change the intended tone. What's even more egregious is that Bluepoint's decision to redesign parts of Demon's Souls using a completely different architectural style isn't just an artistic choice, it has serious world-building implications.
It's not that I'm trying to specifically highlight Bluepoint; We've seen a lot of different studios take a lot of different approaches as remakes become more popular, and I'm equally unconvinced by those who settle for a fresh coat of paint while exposing modern audiences to an aging, unwieldy core that can only appeal to mega-fans. As for why I'm thinking about remakes, it's simple: survival horror classics. Silent Hill 2this is an exemplary victory finally released on Xbox Series X/S last weekcalling me again. The original remains one of my favorite games – if not mine valid favorite game – ever since I first played it back in 2001. And I still clearly remember where I was when a sad James Sunderland, searching for his apparently no longer dead wife, suddenly came into place for me (in case you were wondering: sitting on a sofa cushion that had been dragged onto the floor of my Hackney apartment, being pursued by insistent legs dangling from the ceiling of Brookhaven Hospital).
So when it was announced that Silent Hill 2 was getting a remake, I was nervous. Not that I'm particularly worried about its developer – I've liked it for a long time Team BluberHorror games' creative ambition shines through, despite some undeniable shortcomings – but rather because Silent Hill 2 is such a finely crafted creation, the potential for disaster was enormous. To repeat what I've written before: every step, every rhythm of James Sunderland's oppressive journey through the notorious foggy city is so imbued with hidden meaning, so important to understanding the bigger picture, that interfering too much with it can cause it all to come crashing down. But somehow Blobber manages these traps perfectly.
Yes, I can already see old-school Silent Hill 2 fans lining up behind Bluepoint fans with ready-made tomatoes, but for me, Bloober's Silent Hill 2 is exactly what a remake should be – developing and expanding on the essence of the original without turning it into something else. It modernizes the beloved survival horror with intelligent machining and beautiful yet precise transformation, managing to expand and enrich the original in truly additive ways – and, at least from my perspective, without compromising that original vision. Yes, the change from cinematic angles to an over-the-shoulder perspective is drastic, but I'd argue that the change, like most of the remake's big shakeups, is a positive one, allowing the entire city to envelop you without losing the claustrophobic atmosphere at its core.
There's a lot of it there. It's a remake of incredible balance, fiercely reverent of the original but unafraid to be bold, slavishly capturing every plot twist, every iconic moment, except when there's room for surprise. For example, while the dialogue remains largely unchanged, the stellar performances from the brilliant cast take on new emotional depth. Of course, I understand that the strange, stilted acting of the original with a less polished cast gave the proceedings an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere missing from the remake's more grounded approach, but with a few exceptions, I'll happily choose the new over the old. For example, the reorganized Angela's staircase scene destructive. Elsewhere, some of the original's more undercooked moments are reworked into memorable crescendos (I could write about Bloober's extended and genuinely chilling “Abstract Daddy” sequence for ages), and the remake brings clarity without ever losing the sense of mystery. For example, the way the hotel section is designed, starting with the boat ride, it becomes much more obvious that Silent Hill's Otherworld is not just an evil hellscape, but a malleable reflection of emotion.
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What's more, Bloober manages to do it all with a slight sense of fun. For example, I love those quiet and cheerful dummies scockers, which turn every tentative journey into new territory into a game of “oh my god, I have to find my feet.” And I love how the remake casually updates the Lakeview Hotel's grand staircase, replacing the original, which was inspired by the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, with one based on the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, used in the TV adaptation of the Stephen King book. It also cheekily canonizes an old fan theory – implying that in the 25 or so years since the original, James, well, I don't think I'll spoil it – has allowed this new version of Silent Hill 2 to co-exist harmoniously with the 2001 game in the same timeline. It's a fantastic piece, cleverly exploring new spaces within the fixed structure of the original while masterfully maintaining its spirit and tone.
This doesn't mean I think the remake is perfect. Expanding strictly within the existing boundaries of the narrative, at times you can feel that the structure is ready to burst at the seams. The long stretch of Otherworld from Brookhaven to the Silent Hill Historical Society, for example, may exist out of narrative necessity, but it's depressing to the point of exhaustion, and the pacing is something Bloober has never done before. enough manages to resolve familiar sequences throughout its expansion. But then there's a slight reimagining of something as brilliantly and horrifyingly conceived as the prison – perhaps the scariest area I've ever encountered in a game – and the remake falls into place again. It's all just fantastic; a great example of a proper remake. And if you've been waiting for it to arrive on the Xbox Series X/S, you should immediately run to your nearest video game store – you're in for a treat. Now you can release the tomatoes.
