Silent Hill 2 Remake Review: A Surprisingly Fresh Take On A Survival Horror Classic

The remake, developed by Bloober Team and published by series originator Konami, had a Herculean task before it. Any time such a beloved classic is subject to the remake treatment, it inevitably opens itself up to unfavorable comparison. That's only been worsened by the remake's marketing, which has consistently misrepresented the game's focus and nature, and you have a recipe for disaster.

I'm of the mind that a remake can never fully replace an original. No matter how clunky the original’s combat, how stilted its voice acting, how blocky its graphics — and no matter how flashy the remake — I maintain that there's always value in seeking out and playing the classics, especially something as groundbreaking as. (And sometimes, the clunkiness is the point.)

The best thing a remake can do is build on the original. Instead of attempting to offer an experience that's equivalent, or worse, better, it should attempt to be similar, but distinct, to offer something new, whether it's your first or your fiftieth time playing. Admittedly, it's a tall order, but it's one that the remake delivers surprisingly well. I may not always agree with the choices it makes along the way, but it managed to impress me, surprise me, and leave me wanting more at almost every turn.

It should come as no surprise that all the plot aspects of are left completely intact in the remake. It's the same horror story fans are surely familiar with: James Sunderland gets a letter from his late wife urging him to come back to Silent Hill, a small lakeside retreat where they once spent a pleasant vacation. But he finds only a ghost town, shrouded in fog and populated almost exclusively by twisted monsters. As he searches for Mary, he descends deeper into his own fear and guilt, eventually coming to face some uncomfortable truths buried deep within his own psyche.

This is backed up by pitch-perfect presentation across the board. The remake nails every aspect of the original's creepy atmosphere: the dreamlike