Silent Hill 2 Remake’s Coolest New Feature Is Also Its Biggest Problem

The Silent Hill 2 remake takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5’s technical specs, but that’s not always to its benefit. Originally released for the PlayStation 2, Silent Hill 2 has always been colored by limitations. Infamously, the only reason the first game in the series introduced the now-iconic fog that blankets Silent Hill was to compensate for its poor rendering distance, which would often cause objects and enemies to pop into frame suddenly. Silent Hill 2‘s fixed cameras were also strictly limited by the PS2’s hardware, as ubiquitous as its Dutch angles have since become.

But video game technology has come an incredibly long way in the intervening 23 years. The PS5 can produce mind-boggling effects, rendering nigh-photorealistic imagery at an incomparable render distance, and with a freely movable camera to boot. The Silent Hill 2 remake isn’t shy about eating up every bit of that processing power, while also making use of the PS5’s unique features. This gives rise to both its coolest new feature, and its biggest technical problem.

Silent Hill 2 Remake Nails Sound Design

SH2 Remake’s Ambient Noise & Vibration Are Pitch-Perfect

The Silent Hill 2 remake perfectly recreates the original game’s immersive sound design, and even bolsters it with improved haptic feedback. The ambient noise of Silent Hill is an integral element of its atmosphere. Akira Yamaoka’s compositions and sound design are in no small part why the original Silent Hill 2 remains an enduring classic. The mellow, hypnotic music lures the player into a trance, while the grimy creaks, clunks, and crashes serve to remind them that there’s something lurking around every corner. With Yamaoka’s participation, these are all faithfully adapted in the Silent Hill 2 remake.

And its PS5 version also utilizes the unique features of the DualSense controller to further increase immersion. It uses the DualSense’s haptic feedback, not just when the player takes a hit or fires a gun, but also to bolster its sound design. For example, prior to their first encounter with Pyramid Head, players will hear a dragging noise on the floor above them – the sound of the monster lugging his oversize knife behind him. In the remake, the controller vibrates during these moments. This heightens the moment’s intensity and anxiety, as if the very ceiling is rumbling above.

That’s not the only moment the Silent Hill 2 remake uses the DualSense for increased immersion, either: it also vibrates in a pitter-patter pattern while the player is walking around outside in the rain, and thumps like a heartbeat when their health is low. In addition, the DualSense’s built-in speaker emits the sound of radio static when enemies are nearby. The same sound effects were used in the original Silent Hill 2, but came out of the same output source as the rest of the game’s audio.

This clever use of DualSense audio underscores the fact that the static is coming from a separate device in James’ pocket, not a natural part of the game’s world. It’s also incredibly foreboding when the controller speakers start buzzing, and when the static is at full blast and the monsters are bearing down on the player, it can be overwhelming in a thematically appropriate way.

The DualSense Brings A Lot To The Game – At A Price

Silent Hill 2 Will Kill Your Controller Battery

All of the above features are excellent for the Silent Hill 2 remake’s sense of immersion. However, they also kill the PS5 controller’s battery. What the DualSense has in unique features, it sacrifices in battery life. Different games have different effects on its battery life, but in general, it’s notorious for its constant disruptive low battery warnings.

Nothing breaks immersion more than a sudden need to get up and recharge your controller, which was an unfortunate constant for me during my Silent Hill 2 playthrough. My charging cable is just a bit too short for me to sit comfortably while using it, so my battery dying often marked the end of a play session. Later in the game, I found that decreasing vibrational intensity helped prolong the DualSense’s life, but it seems like it’s the radio static doing the majority of the battery draining.

Related

New Silent Hill 2 Players, Don’t Be Fooled By Pyramid Head

The Silent Hill 2 remake will inevitably bring new fans to the series, inevitably causing more confusion about Pyramid Head’s role as a series mascot.

You can turn the radio static off and rely solely on the visual indicator, but you shouldn’t have to deprive yourself of this necessary part of Silent Hill 2‘s sound design just to play it comfortably. Ideally, there would be a setting to turn the radio volume down (which was present in the original version), but it’s all or nothing in the remake. Ultimately, I found that the best way to avoid draining the battery was to use headphones – not my favorite way to play, but I couldn’t argue with the results. And I’ll be investing in a longer charging cable soon.

Although I eventually found a set of solutions that worked, the onus should never have been on me – the remake needs better options for adjusting the radio volume in order to keep the DualSense battery alive. These new features in the Silent Hill 2 remake are intended to boost immersion, and when they work, they do – but their overuse has the potential to break immersion in the worst way.

The Silent Hill 2 Remake is an upcoming Survival Horror release from Bloober Team, the same creative squad behind Layers of Fear and Observer. Developers are reimagining James Sunderland’s adventure through Silent Hill, with updated graphics and gameplay.

Released

October 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Bloober Team

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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