To keep it short-and-sweet as a first time Silent Hill 2 player, the game is a mixed bag in the best-of ways:
>The facial animations and visuals are incredible as-of 2025. I've never been so into in-game acting. The story stays beyond engaging because of this.
>The gameplay loop is almost reminiscent of a Zelda title between the puzzles, combat, and area progression.
>It can feel a little *video-game-y* at times, with limited the enemy types and combat flow, but it still manages to keep it fresh and fun to the best of its ability while staying faithful to an early PS2 title.
So, with an addicting loop, progression, and top-notch visuals with some archaic design choices somehow still adding to the charm and gameplay flow, it's a solid 8.5/10.0 for me! I'm definitely a new fan of the series!
Well, what can I say? James was weak, he couldnt cope with his wife's illness, he couldnt cope with his guilty for that (and for other things) either. But beyond that, he was human. He made a lot of mistakes... I didnt like him, but I understood him. For some people, the guilty for not having spine to handle things when it gets hard is almost worse than to die.
The game shows what grief can do to people like that. It's a journey with grief, guilty and shame. Isnt pretty, isnt nice when you understand the whole history. You start to despise James, even though being the protagonist, he isnt a victim.
About the gameplay: beatiful and dark scenarios, puzzles really hard to discover (if you choose the hardest difficulty and none action button...), combat isnt sooo fluid, but i think that is on purpose. Really enjoyed the game and what it shows so far.
This game is a remake of one of my favorite games of all time, one I still hold up as a nearly perfect. This game does a number of things right, but also makes some odd changes.
Pros to me:
1. The atmosphere is absolutely stunning. Bloober team has managed to capture the spirit of the original town.
2. The graphic polish is wonderful. The effects of the glow up are absolutely beyond the pale of what's expected with remakes. The closest I can compare to his glow up is the original Resident Evil when it was remade for the Nintendo Gamecube.
3. Exceptional voice talent. In spite of my love of the original game, I was never convinced of the "talent" of the original voice over work, I know some love it, but it was never something I could get behind. The new actors are able to grasp and perform the emotional complexities of the characters.
Now for some cons...
1. Pacing has taken a hit. The original game was a masterwork of pacing. This new retelling moves things around oddly. The opening of the original game is now complete only when you get to Neely's Bar and complete a puzzle there. (To explain this, the original opening ends on a note that is only compelete here about an hour into the game.) Yes, it give the game more length, but, it also makes the pacing feel slower than it really should.
2. A fan theory was given more weight. While I won't say what that theory is in a review as it could affect some players enjoyment.
And the neutral.
The combat is much smoother, and more fun but now is no longer optional in most situations. Being able to run past monsters is now more difficult in the tighter confines of some spaces.
My final answer is this: I recommend this game to horror fans who never played the original, and to people who did play the original, however, I recommend considering how much you want to experience it to decide what the price range you're willing to spend on it. If you're on the fence, wait for a good sale to make sure. Thank you.
