On Friday, fans of Silent Hill got an extra special treat. And it’s not even Halloween. Japanese streamers 2BRO streamed Silent Hill 2 for 90 minutes. But not the same Silent Hill 2. The first few minutes showcase a throwback to the original 2001 survival horror game. But after that, it’s 80 minutes of Silent Hill 2 Remake. Yep, the much-anticipated remake by Bloober Team that comes out in exactly a month.
The livestream is still up on 2BRO’s YouTube channel. So if you’re on the fence about getting the game or just curious to see how it updates the first section of Silent Hill 2, check it out below. The Silent Hill 2 Remake gameplay begins at the 13-minute mark:
*Spoilers for the first 80 minutes of Silent Hill 2 Remake*
A few highlights:
- 13:26: Right off the bat we have the settings menu. Translated from Japanese, it first offers separate difficulty sliders for combat and puzzles. The bottom two showcase James’s appearance and the graphics. But the middle slider, showcased on this specific timestamp, allows players to change the UI. Right on this first screen, players can select the much-hyped “retro” mode for minimal UI.
- 25:37: James enters the cemetery and encounters Angela for the first time.
- 41:46: James steps (quite literally) into Silent Hill proper. Once the short cutscene ends, we get a good look at the fog effects. And they look suitably phantasmagorical, billowing up and around buildings and trees while giving you just enough room to see your immediate surroundings. And not what lies deeper in the fog…
- 46:22: Combat time! Oh man, people sure were worried about this. But the combat looks great. James’s dodge seems effortless and fluid (or at least appears that way). The “thwack” of the wooden plank connects really nicely. And the enemy’s projectile vomiting comes with little warning, just enough to race out of harm’s way. You can’t blame 2BRO for screaming when it happens.
- 1:00:35: The first major puzzle of Silent Hill 2 Remake, or at least its introduction. And it’s a new one. This jukebox puzzle doesn’t occur in the original, but looks fairly involved as players manipulate the machine’s parts. This jukebox appears to be missing something…
- 1:13:18: This almost made me jump out of my skin. That’s all.
- 1:16:16: The solution to the jukebox puzzle presents itself. It’s all coming together (with the help of some glue).
- 1:19:00: With the jukebox puzzle solved, Silent Hill 2 gives us a little musical interlude. We get a bit of a flashback, punctuated by a heavy metaphor for how James is holding up here.
- 1:21:00: Everyone’s favorite Silent Hill 2 quote was here. It’s gone now… Kidding, it’s still here at Neely’s Bar.
- 1:23:00: A peak at the various masks James Sunderland can model for us, some of which are pre-order bonuses.
I have to say, I’m really impressed so far. I know a lot of people are hesitant about the upcoming title, but I imagine this Silent Hill 2 Remake gameplay livestream alleviates concerns. The game looks and sounds great so far. The combat seems tense yet satisfying. And the puzzles (at least the one we see) look inventive without being too challenging. Of course, you can always alter the difficulty.
For those new to the game, or the Silent Hill series for that matter, this seems to be a great jumping-on point. Here’s a bit more info on the title, courtesy of Konami:
Investigating a letter from his late wife, James returns to where they made so many memories – Silent Hill. What he finds is a ghost town, prowled by disturbing monsters and cloaked in deep fog. Confront the monsters, solve puzzles, and search for traces of your wife in this remake of SILENT HILL 2.
So far, it seems Silent Hill 2 Remake lives up to those promises. But we’ll find out for sure once Silent Hill 2 Remake arrives on October 8th for PlayStation 5 and PC.
