Silent Hill 2 was released in 2001 by Konami for the PC, Xbox, and PS2, receiving critical praise from a number of sources, even being hailed as one of the favored games by Zero Punctuation's incorrigible Yahtzee. While many games have a creepy atmosphere, like Clock Tower 3 or Nier, as well as jump out scares in games like Resident Evil 4, however, Silent Hill 2 is on an entirely different level. It is, without a doubt, one of the most intelligent, genuinely disturbing, and terrifying experiences survival horror has to offer.
"I'm waiting for you in Silent Hill"
Silent Hill 2 starts off on a low key note. James Sunderland, the main character, enters a town of fog and mist, looking for his wife, who he thinks died three years prior. He received a letter from her, saying she's waiting in Silent Hill. After wandering into the sleepy town, something...unearthly appears and the quiet town of Silent Hill suddenly turns into a living nightmare for James.
The story is remarkably well told. There is a fair bit of dialogue, however, the entire town is drenched in symbolism. Monsters typically look like feminine clumps of bloody flesh, save for the primary antagonist, Pyramid Head, who is hyper masculine, and all of them lack faces. At one point, James finds himself on a constant downward descent, as though he's heading into hell itself. The townspeople James meets all act remarkably unreliable, as though they're hiding something. Thanks to creativity with the monster and character design, Silent Hill 2 really challenges players to put together the dots of a story to understand its deeper meaning. And there are several hidden meanings in the game.
Classic Survival Horror and More
Silent Hill 2 has a lot of the features of classic survival horror. Clunky controls and unwieldy camera are frustrating, even if they are meant to emphasize James's helplessness in the town. The tension is high and it's more favorable to run at times than fight. However, Silent Hill 2 touches areas that many survival horror eschews from. Taboos such as the idea of murder, molestation, and suicide are all present in both the monster design and the characters. The goal of this was to unsettle the people psychologically and it succeeded immensely, forcing an introspective look not just on the characters, but the players as well. The crowning achievement of Silent Hill 2, however, is the atmosphere.
Silent Hill 2 is subtle. Instead of relying on quick scares, it drops James Sunderland into a town that, is cripplingly lonely. Monsters will not chase players if they run away and the few people in town either ignore James or run from him. Even in the creepier settings, like an abandoned hospital, prison, and apartment building, the player feels very alone, knowing humans are unreliable, while monsters lurk around each corner.
The sound design reflects this tension perfectly. The music can be creepy, melancholic, even peaceful and upbeat at times, but it never has violin shrieks to tell players that Pyramid Head is coming up behind them fast. They have to be watchful and that adds to the tension and dread. Throw in some ambient monster screams, the static of a radio, and a world draped in fog and darkness with very little light and the players will be on the edge of their seats in no time at all.
Smart Game for Smart Players
Clunky gameplay and amazing atmosphere aside, the game is surprisingly intelligent. Silent Hill 2 is smart and it expects it's players to be as well, handling complex moral dilemmas through character interaction and the ambient scenery. The game's riddles are also cleverly designed being both devious for the uninitiated and very practical in the game world, such as using hair and a hook to fish a key out of drain. Most of the doors in the game are unlocked through clever riddles and physical puzzles which require more than a little brain power to solve. The riddles change and get harder on different difficulties as well, so subsequent playthroughs will always be different.
Silent Hill 2 has a number of endings, some funny, some serious, and the greatest hit's series which I have contains an extra scenario focusing around Maria, a key character James meets a few hours into the game. Even features that seem tacked on for re-releases add to the games clever narrative. The endings require players to think and read between the lines to discover their true meaning and the causes for them, some of which are not always clear. Maria's scenario further hits at the hinting and symbolism that Silent Hill 2 is praised for. The first time players boot up her scenario, she is alone, with a revolver in her hand that has only one bullet in it. The implications of that are somewhat sobering, even for seasoned gamers.
A Masterpiece for the Ages
Silent Hill 2 will likely be held up for years to come as what a survival horror game should be, much in the same way Citizen Kane is hailed as one of the great masterpieces of cinema. Certainly, the graphics have faded and seem a little film grainy, however, that does not detract from the disturbing, but unforgettable experience of Silent Hill 2. It makes players look inside themselves, while they explore the game world, seeking answers from both. The atmosphere and visuals are terrifying and the monster design is undeniably brilliant and symbolic.
Survival Horror is not for everyone, but those seeking a gripping story or real psychological terror, should pick up Silent HIll 2. 10 years after it's release, the game is still phenomenal.
Stephen Rosebaugh-Nordan - Greetings. My name is Stephen Rosebaugh-Nordan, age 23, single. I'm currently a student at Elon University, though I graduated from ...
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