I distinctly remember the exact moment in which I became interested in Silent Hill. I was in high-school and reading a game magazine (either Game Informer or Electronic Gaming Monthly) and there was an interview with one of the creators behind Silent Hill 2. Unfortunately, I cannot remember if it was with writer Hiroyuki Owaku or director Marashi Tsuboyama but what I do remember is how they described the game.

You see, before Silent Hill, horror games were all about the interaction. You interacted with the monsters in some degree. Whether engaging them in combat (Resident Evil) or running away and hiding (Clock Tower), you were constantly interacting. Thus, the design of these games followed the idea of “Showing” instead of “Telling.”

Games like Clock Tower, Resident Evil, and Dino Crisis wanted you to see the enemy. They wanted you to see the zombies, the Scissor Man, the dinosaurs and while these games relied on jump-scares; they also focused on Survival. So much so that Resident Evil often referred to as the father of “Survival-Horror”.  That is having players manage their limited resources to make it to the end of the game. And sure, there can be an argument towards the Clock Tower franchise being the first – I mean it is literally about surviving an unstoppable enemy – it is Resident Evil’s mix of action and horror made it the go to example of the Survival Horror genre.

That all changed with the introduction of Silent Hill

Silent Hill was released on the Sony Playstation in 1999. At first, it was seen as nothing more than a Resident Evil clone but for those who sat down to play it; they discovered it was so much more.

Where Resident Evil focused more on jump-scares and inventory management, Silent Hill focused on atmosphere and the fear of what you can’t see.

Silent Hill takes place in a small town that is as foggy as it is barren. This fog acts as a visual barrier – keeping the players guessing at what horrors could be just beyond the curtain. It was common for players to be walking towards their destination only to have a monster appear in the distance. Shrouded by fog and emitting terrible, inhuman sounds; the glimpses of these creatures proved scarier than Resident Evil’s infamous jump-scares.

Silent Hill 2 took this idea and ran with it. As I said, I was reading an interview with the game’s developer. They explained that it was scarier knowing that something terrible exists than being surprised by its existence. The example they gave was something along the lines of: “Imagine you enter a hallway. In the distance you see something waiting for you. But instead of it coming for you, it turns around and leaves.”

So now you know there is something in the hallway. You know it’s there and that is the direction you need to go. Now you must make the conscious decision to trek down the dark, scary corridor with the knowledge that something is waiting for you. You don’t know where it is nor if there are others waiting with it. Only that it’s there.

Building upon this mechanic was the addition of making your character “combat inefficient”. James, the protagonist in Silent Hill 2, is not a cop, nor a soldier. He is a regular guy. He has troubles swinging heavy weapons and is not the best marksman with a firearm. This forced players to adapt to a new playstyle. That of “fight or flight”. Do you take the time (and the risk) to fight every monster you come across? Or is it better to just avoid them altogether, juking and dodging around them?

That is not to say that other games didn’t use this mechanic. Resident Evil, again, encouraged players to conserve their ammo by avoiding enemies whenever possible. However, this was not always the best (or easiest) option. Resident Evil’s infamous tank-controls made avoiding enemies rather difficult. On top of that, Resident Evil heavily relied upon backtracking – that is, returning to previous locations. By ignoring the monsters you leave yourself open to dealing with them upon returning.

Silent Hill 2 avoids this by sticking to a more linear format. Yes, you do have to backtrack throughout interior locations, the overall experience is still linear. This means you have a lot more freedom in avoiding your enemies, thus making most combat optional.

Which brings me to the point of today’s post. Team Blooper, the developers for the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake just dropped a gameplay trailer titled “Combat Reveal Trailer”.

Now, I pride myself on keeping an open mind when it comes to remakes of classic games. I understand that things must change in order to fit in with modern sensibilities, but usually involve quality of life changes. Better controls, updated graphics, ability to save more often – things of that nature. What worries me is when a remake alters the fundamental nature of the game.

In the case of Silent Hill 2 – putting a higher emphasis on combat and mobility.

Do not get me wrong. The trailer starts off well enough. The return of classic puzzles, the beautifully updated graphics, the music, and environments; these all look wonderfully done. Then the trailer cuts to the combat.

It is here where my worry begins to sit in. Let’s go down the list.

My first concern revolves around the use of an over-the-shoulder camera. The original game used a somewhat isometric style (for the most part) with the camera high in the air at a sharp angle. This means you had a good idea of what’s directly in front of you and a little bit behind. Even in dark environments you can tell when something is sneaking up from behind.

With this new over-the-shoulder camera, it feels a lot more constrained. During the trailer there are moments that seem so claustrophobic and so dark that I cannot even tell what’s going on except that we are being attacked. While this may be intense for a while, if not done properly it will be more irritating than it is scary. Hopefully this is just an early beta example with the camera and lighting being tightened up before launch. As of now, however, it feels a bit TOO close to the action to where everything seems cluttered and frustrating to deal with.

Secondly, I am disappointed with the introduction of Quick Time Events. We watch our main character tussle with one of the monsters – and the player needs to mash the X button to escape the monster’s grasp. Silent Hill 2 should be above such things. It should not be about button mashing but instead about losing yourself to the sights and sounds of the world around you. This works in more action-orientated games like Resident Evil 4 but just feels out of place with a slower-paced game like Silent Hill 3.

Finally, let’s talk about the mobility of the enemies. Specifically, at the 01:14 mark where we see one of the Nurses hopping, somewhat comically, over a barrier to reach your character.

Now I am not saying that we cannot update the movement and speed of our enemies but there is something disappointing about seeing one of these horrific monsters hopping around the environment as if it were a tactical shooter. In the original games, the Nurses were enemies that could equip weapons. They moved with creepy, unnatural movements (usually dragging seemingly broken limbs behind them) while carrying a variety of weapons. Weapons that include pipes, knives, and even handguns! They would limp towards you, their weapons glinting in the light of your flashlight; every movement bringing a sense of terror to the player.

And, like I said, the terror came not from the fact that they were agile and quick but because they were durable and moved in unnatural ways. So, seeing them becoming these quick, agile things in the remake just feels wrong. Maybe it’s the nostalgia in me, but I still believe that seeing something move in an unnatural state is a lot creepier than something rushing me like a normal person could; regardless with how they look.

So where do I stand? As of right now, I am cautious. Not cautiously optimistic, not cautiously pessimistic; just cautious. Silent Hill 2 is hands done one of my favorite games of all time. It’s no exaggeration either. I still stream this game every year for Halloween. I love this game so it makes sense that I would be worried with how this remake will turn out but as of now, I cannot form a more definite opinion without seeing actual gameplay. What I need is a full minute or two of actual gameplay. Let me see how our character moves, how the lighting looks, how the combat handles from start to finish. Once I get that, then I can make a more informed opinion.

I have hopes that Team Blooper is able to handle the complexity and psychological aspects that makes Silent Hill 2 such a timeless game. Just as I hope they remember that combat is not a necessity to the original Silent Hill games. Only time will tell.

Let’s see what the next trailer brings us. When it drops, you can be sure we’ll be revisiting this topic but until then, I am not holding my breath.

Tell us, readers: what are your hopes for the Silent Hill 2 remake? Are you excited or are you in the same camp as me, worried with a dash of caution? Let me know in the comments below!