Silent Hill 2 came out in the golden age of the PlayStation 2 console. In 2001 the console was graced with some of its biggest hitters. The likes of Grand Theft Auto III, Devil May Cry, Jak and Daxter, Metal Gear Solid 2 and many more saw release this year. You’d think then that Silent Hill 2 would have been overshadowed by them. That’s not the case. Not by a long shot. Of these monumental releases Silent Hill 2 is held in the highest esteem even now. That’s because it’s one of the greatest survival horror games, and was one of the defining games in the genre during that generation. It’s a bonafide classic. Yes, Silent Hill 2 is really that good and today we’re going to take a look at it.
The game takes a very interesting approach as a sequel. Honestly, Silent Hill 2 could have been treated as a sidestory game because it’s not particularly dependent on the events from the original or even third games. They do however share the same setting. Silent Hill 2 thrusts you into the role of James Sunderland. He arrives at the town of Silent Hill because his wife sent him a letter asking him to meet her there. This note was particularly odd considering the fact that she died three years ago. Little does James know that the once charming town is laid thick with fog, and is teeming with hordes of otherworldly monsters and ghouls. James braves the odds for just a chance at seeing Mary once more. Clearly he’s getting more than he has bargained for.
Silent Hill 2 is decidedly attached from the other installments, as I mentioned, and that may be its greatest strength. Because we aren’t chained to the story of Alessa or the cult we learn more about its history and function. That’s not to say it’s a different city, because it isn’t, but some of the history of the town is super interesting to follow and Silent Hill 2 lays it on thick. I also really like the idea of this second game being more of a self enclosed story. Some of the plot elements and threads here are truly unique for the franchise. Normally in Silent Hill games I get overwhelming feelings of tension and panic. In part 2 I felt cold and lonely. It’s a very unique feeling for a survival horror title.
Gameplay is very similar to the original game. As James you explore the city looking for clues on where to go next or with whom you need to speak. The environments are fully 3D but in a rather odd move you don’t have control over the camera. You can snap it behind your character, but that’s not the same thing. For the most part the town itself is used just to move James from place to place. Thankfully you’re given a handy map, and your next destination is often marked on it. It’ll quickly become your best friend, trust me. You’ll spend most of the game indoors at various key locations pushing along the plot while fighting off the aforementioned army of ghouls.
I found the inventory management to be a little annoying to be honest. Even at the time it was outclassed by that of other similar games. Each time you reach a point you need to use an item you have to scroll through them. By the end of the game you’ve amassed a lot of tools and things. Unfortunately the game doesn’t always get rid of them when they’re no longer of any use to you. This means there will be a lot of cycling. Konami really should have implemented a category system for your inventory because I found myself getting annoyed every time I had to use a healing item.
The game does have a few weak links however. We’ll start with the environments themselves. The buildings you’re forced to explore are oozing with atmosphere, but their actual designs feel like they were an afterthought. You find maps usually soon after entering and James updates them as you explore. This means he’ll cross out blocked paths and locked doors which is nice. The problem is that you’ll find yourself stumbling upon endless numbers of hallways with too many connected rooms. It just isn’t that fun to trial and error for an hour because you’re given too many options with no real hints forward. It can also be tough to figure out which items need to be used where. It’s a classic issue with survival horror titles, but it feels extra clunky here.
Unfortunately the big issue is combat itself. Silent Hill 2 puts emphasis on bashing foes as opposed to shooting them. This leaves less margin for error. You have to get up close and personal and time your attack just right. The wind up and aim for this is unwieldly. I had trouble from start to finish accurately knocking around foes. Practice should make perfect, but because combat is so clunky and inaccurate it never does. You do get numerous firearms, and to their credit they work better. Ammunition is limited though so you’ll want to save your bullets for when you’re overwhelmed or up against a boss. I suppose it adds to the horror elements in that James is not a professional fighter, but it’s frustrating nonetheless.
Thematically I think Silent Hill 2 is pretty bizarre, but I suppose that’s the point. The primary enemy you’ll be facing off against are these sort of animated headless mannequins that populate the streets of the town. They’re certainly chilling and their movements are otherworldly. They just don’t offer up much of a fight. Then you have the monstrous nurses that scream and lunge at you and this leads to quite a few jump scares to be honest. The other enemies are effective but for the most part you won’t remember them. Except Pyramid Head. There’s good reason he has become the poster child for enemies in this franchise. As is Silent Hill tradition James is armed with a radio that sounds off with static whenever you’re approached. When you can’t see the incoming threat but know they’re there is when Silent Hill 2 is the most creepy.
Silent Hill 2 isn’t the biggest looker if you ask me. At the time it was pretty impressive however the limited perspective really makes this one kind of ugly to be honest. When it isn’t fog you’re dealing with it’s the darkness and rooms illuminated with just your flashlight. It adds a lot to the atmosphere, but the limited view does nothing as far as the visuals and art are concerned. The character models are also just okay, and look worse than in a lot of other games released during this era. On a high note the lighting effects are wonderful. The game relies on your flashlight, and the engine is thankfully adept enough to support this. There’s very little audio here with mostly atmospheric effects. The voice acting is bad with a capital ‘B’ however.
