Silent Hill 2 remake review: A spooky modern revamp for an old school classic

It’s been 23 years since Silent Hill 2 first hit consoles.

The spooky scarefest was a big hit on the then Playstation 2 machine and helped to define and herald in a new genre of video gaming.

Flash forward the best part of a quarter of a century and Konami has decided to give the classic a total makeover for the modern audience.

The result is a beautiful looking video game that slots right in with today’s console standards while still delivering all the psychological horror that made the original so good.

The game revolves around James Sunderland and his search for wife Mary.

She sent him a mysterious letter despite apparently dying three years ago.

James returns to the town where they spent so much time together – Silent Hill – and it’s an instantly moody and oppressive place.

Shrouded in never-ending fog, the sense of eeriness is overwhelming from the off, and the slightly odd way the characters talk and act all lean into that growing sense of something not being right.

It’s a ghost town, spooky and the right fit for this time of year when little ones go a-knocking for a trick or treat.

You’ll soon be smashing up monstrous baddies with grotesque looks, solving the odd puzzle and trying to unlock a way forward.

It plays a bit old fashioned and the storytelling now feels out of place.

But the atmosphere is there.

And you can see where the likes of Dead Space, The Evil Within and games like Until Dawn found their inspiration as the genre was honed over subsequent years.

Silent Hill 2 is a modern looking title with nostalgic gameplay at its heart.

Those who loved the original will immensely enjoy stepping back into this dead town.

But modern gamers who have no association with the history could likely find it a bit bland compared to today’s more speedy, interactive games.

VERDICT 3/5