The Silent Hill 2 Remake Can't Afford to Be Anything Short of Perfect
Bloober Team's remake of Silent Hill 2 has the potential to make or break Konami's franchise as it attempts to recapture its former glory.
The legacy of Silent Hill 2 is undeniable under any circumstances. 22 years after its initial release, the second installment in Konami's psychological horror franchise still appears near the top of every "best of horror" gaming list. Developer Team Silent's inarguable classic has influenced titles in every pop culture medium. Silent Hill 2 was also a commercial success, selling over one million copies during its release month. It later made PlayStation's "Greatest Hits" and Xbox's "Platinum Hits" catalogs. Last year in October, Konami announced that Polish developer Bloober Team would be developing a Silent Hill 2 remake.
The remake is part of Konami's planned revival of the Silent Hill franchise, which comes after nine years of radio silence (pun intended) following its falling out with Hideo Kojima and the cancelation of Silent Hills. Before that, the series had floundered in mediocrity for about a decade after Team Silent disbanded. It's been 20 years since the series' last hit, and poor sales for Layers of Fear, creator Bloober Team's remake, could spell disaster for the Silent Hill reinvigoration before it starts. The future of its developer, publisher and franchise rests on the Silent Hill 2 remake's shoulders. This game must be perfect.
Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 Remake Can't Afford to Flop
Remaking a seminal title like Silent Hill 2 is a monumental task, but the expectations for Bloober Team are clear. Its remake will either be a classic or a disappointment. However, outside pressure isn't necessary to motivate the Polish developer because it's spent its career specializing in "The House that Silent Hill Built": psychological horror. The series' influence on Bloober's past games is unmistakable as a descent into madness, physical manifestations of a tortured psyche and unraveling mysteries appear at the forefront of its work. The developer's experience and success bringing these themes into the current gaming market shows it has the care and the chops to deliver on Silent Hill 2's iconic story. Atmosphere and storytelling are extremely critical to a game's prosperity, but gameplay is arguably more important still.
Despite Bloober Team's proficiency in the artistic elements of its work, it's received the same criticism toward all its titles. Time after time, the studio's games are labeled "walking simulators" whose gameplay mechanics fall short of its setting and mood. Bloober co-founder Piotr Babieno has validated this criticism, saying he believes it's holding his team back from reaching its full potential. The developer's handling of the Silent Hill 2 remake will be its chance to give audiences engaging gameplay. While flawless combat and controls weren't a hallmark of the original, Bloober's past titles haven't featured much action or the need for tight, responsive controls. Combine this with its plan to swap the original game's cinematic camera and tank controls for a third-person, over-the-shoulder experience, and Bloober Team certainly has its work cut out for it.
Konami Resurrects the Silent Hill Franchise
Gone are the glory days of Silent Hill, when development was handled by Team Silent, and it was considered a rival to Resident Evil, and when the franchise established its indelible legacy. It's incredible how the games reached such heights in just five years (1999 to 2004) and how quickly they fell off in the next 10 years. After Team Silent disbanded, Konami handed the mainline series' reigns to four studios across four games. This lack of a cohesive vision doomed Silent Hill to uninspired entries and poor sales. Meanwhile, the publisher attempted to milk its intellectual property for all it was worth, releasing cash grab after cash grab in arcade cabinets, mobile games, spin-offs, films and pachinko machines. Silent Hill was severely oversaturated and lacking in quality.
However, there was a brief moment when Silent Hill again held the attention of the entire gaming community. When 7780s Studio released P.T. as a free download in August 2014, it put the gaming industry in a terrifying stranglehold. It was so universal that audiences couldn't avoid P.T. if they wanted to, and their obsession didn't end when the credits rolled. The endgame revealed that 7780s Studio was a front for Metal Gear Solid creators Kojima Productions. P.T. was merely a "playable teaser" for its next project, Silent Hills. Guillermo del Toro, Junji Ito and Norman Reedus signed on for considerable creative roles. Silent Hills carried unfathomable hype and fueled hopes that the series and genre would re-enter the mainstream -- until Kojima's breakup with Konami left the game without a director and Silent Hills was canceled a few months later.
Silent Hill Has a Final Chance at Relevancy
Konami ignored one of its most significant intellectual properties for nearly a decade after the Kojima debacle, and a rumor stating that Bloober Team was in talks to remake Silent Hill 2 did little to ease fans' pain. It wasn't until October 2022's "Silent Hill Transmission" that diehards received penance. The stream confirmed the remake rumors and announced that three more titles were also in production. For the first time since Team Silent closed shop, Konami seemingly now views the psychological horror franchise as worthy of respect instead of just a marketable product. Its planned revitalization of the series will be the publisher's first serious foray into video games since Metal Gear Solid V in 2015. Nevertheless, gamers remain cautious regarding the news.
Silent Hill hasn't registered a hit game in 20 years or even produced one in over 10. There's no mistaking that the franchise is on life support as it approaches its 25th anniversary. Konami's revival is the last hope for the series, and hope begins (and possibly ends) with Bloober Team's remake of Silent Hill 2. An update of the series' most beloved entry can either breathe life into the struggling IP or smother it. Lackluster sales for the remake will set subsequent titles up for failure and may cause Konami to pull the plug on other projects. The original game's legacy reaches beyond entertainment value, and its disturbing existential themes remain with the individuals who've played it to this day. Bloober's Silent Hill 2 has to do the same, or it may be the last time gamers see that town in their restless dreams.
Silent Hill fits Bloober Team's intentions to move from psychological horror to mass market appeal and gives the Polish developer a bridge between its strengths and weaknesses. The franchise deserves the treatment Capcom gives Resident Evil, and with four games and a film in production, Konami recognizes this. A successful remake (and revival) may provoke Konami to pay attention to its other forgotten IPs like Castlevania. Everyone involved with the remake stands to gain much from its success, but the real winner in this scenario is the fans.
The drama surrounding the Silent Hill 2 remake is thick, and the stakes couldn't be higher. It converges three stories: a developer's chance to prove its doubters wrong, a publisher's attempt to get back in the industry and a legendary intellectual property's last chance at relevancy. A passionate fan base will decide the franchise's fate with their voices and wallets. The Silent Hill 2 remake must be a flawless game for the sake of the entire gaming community.