Over the course of its history, Bloober Team hasn’t always had the best track, so the skepticism that its remake of Silent Hill 2 was being met with in the lead up to its release wasn’t particularly surprising, nor did it feel entirely unjustified. But just as the skepticism was warranted, so, too is all the praise that is now being showered on the game. Silent Hill 2 has launched worldwide for PS5 and PC, and as critics and audiences have made abundantly clear by now, the survival horror remake has taken everyone by surprise and, against all odds, knocked the ball out of the park.
Of course, when you do get a major new survival horror remake – especially one that is as good as this one – it’s only natural that you’re going to see it compared with 2019’s Resident Evil 2, which has been deemed the benchmark against which all horror titles and remakes in general have been measured against in recent years. So how exactly does Konami and Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 reimagining compare against Capcom’s modern horror classic? Here, that’s exactly what we’ll be talking about.
COMBAT AND BOSS FIGHTS
Obviously, combat is an area where traditionally Silent Hill has never been at its strongest, and one where Resident Evil conversely usually has been. We’re not going to beat around the bush here- Resident Evil 2 definitely comes out on top as far as the combat is concerned. There’s a solid variety in the weapons on offer (especially the unlockable ones that add oh so much to the replay value), each weapon comes with appropriate heft and oomph, the incredible gore system makes each action feel unbelievably visceral, and the boss fights are some of the best we’ve seen in the genre.
But though Silent Hill 2’s combat isn’t quite on the same level, it is better than many would have expected. Just like in the original, the combat isn’t really the point in Silent Hill 2’s remake, but it definitely does feel surprisingly good, thanks to tense encounters against excellently designed enemies. The boss battles, too, have seen notable improvements over the original game, which is another big point in the game’s favour.
STORY AND STORYTELLING
Again, it’d be foolish to not simply cut to the chase here, because there’s really not much of a competition here. In terms of story and storytelling, Resident Evil 2 can’t really hope to compete against Silent Hill 2. The latter is a psychological horror masterpiece, one that tells a bold and unforgettable story that is as likely to leave you an emotional wreck as it is to chill you to your very core. Heavy themes are handled brilliantly thanks to solid writing, and specifically with the remake, incredible acting performances. Silent Hill 2 has always been regarded as one of the best stories ever told in a game, and the remake certainly does justice to that sort of praise.
Resident Evil 2, on the other hand, is not a game that cares too much about its story. Of course, for fans of the franchise in particular, there’s a lot to like here, from the setting of Raccoon City to the introduction of fan-favourite characters like Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, to other beloved personalities like Ada Wong, William Birkin, and others making their mark as well. But even at its very best, Resident Evil 2’s story is functional– something that’s meant to facilitate the gameplay and design, rather than the other way around. There’s a huge, huge gulf between what it does and what Silent Hill 2 accomplishes.
PUZZLES
Now we get to a category where the two games we’re looking at are much more evenly matched. Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 2 are both among the most prominent, foundational titles for the survival horror genre, and sure enough, they both do put quite a lot of emphasis on puzzles. What’s more, the way both remakes approach their puzzles is also rather similar- both bring over plenty from the originals, but also make changes and additions to keep the experience fresh while still feeling faithful, so that even returning fans won’t simply walk through ever challenge that’s posed.
There is a case to be made that simply by virtue of being what it is, Silent Hill 2 should take the cake here. As a series, Silent Hill tends to be more focused on puzzles than Resident Evil tends to be, and Silent Hill 2 in particular is a game that heavily focuses on long puzzles that span lengthy sequences of the game. Sure, the same can be said about Resident Evil 2, and yes, the puzzles there are well designed as well- but Silent Hill 2 does give much more weightage to that part of the gameplay experience, and it does show, just as it does with the combat in RE2.
LEVEL DESIGN AND EXPLORATION
Again, this is an area where Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill 2 are quite evenly matched, not only because of how good both of them are, but also because both have very similar design philosophies. Both titles emphasize slow-paced and deliberate exploration, encouraging players to gradually comb through areas, backtrack to older locations, keep an eye out for shortcuts, and the like. Exploration remains incredibly compelling in both titles, to say the very least.
Resident Evil 2 does edge it, however, probably because it does a better job balancing the rewards that it gives out for exploration. From ammo and health to crafting resources, items, notes, and even collectibles, there’s just a larger and more satisfying variety of things that Resident Evil 2 rewards players’ desire to explore with. The level design is also generally just much tighter and more meticulously thought out throughout the entire experience, from the RPD building to NEST and more.
SETTING
It’s next to impossible to split Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill 2 in this particular category. On one hand you have the town of Silent Hill, a seemingly quaint American town that’s perpetually covered in an ominous mist, and never fails to torture the people that roam its streets with reflections of their own twisted traumas and experiences. From its narrative and thematic depth to the strong visual aesthetic it is associated with, the town of Silent Hill is an incredible setting, and at its very best in the Silent Hill 2 remake, where it comes alive with gorgeous visuals and an incredibly level of attention to detail.
Not many horror settings would be able to compete something like that- but then you have Resident Evil 2, which ranks among the upper echelons of the genre in this particular area. The RPD building is an iconic horror setting, one that is expanded and brought to life in spectacular fashion in the 2019 remake. Outside of RPD, you also get to explore Raccoon City itself, which is equally as iconic (if not more so) as well as other excellent crafted locations in the grimy underground sewers of the city and the horrifying Umbrella lab known as NEST. Which of the two games you prefer is likely going to be a matter of taste and preference, but purely for its thematic depth, as well as how visually outstanding and conceptually unique it is, we’re going to have to go with the town of Silent Hill here.
ENEMIES
The roster of enemies that you cross paths with can make or break a survival horror game, and both Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill 2 do a lot to impress on that front, and both games boast some of the most iconic enemy designs we have ever seen, from Silent Hill 2’s Pyramid Head to Resident Evil 2’s Lickers, among others. And though the narrative context surrounding them does give them an inherent boost, the enemies in Silent Hill 2 are also not as fun to fight as the enemies in Resident Evil 2 are, thanks to the latter’s strengths in combat- which arguably gives the latter an advantage in this area.
Looking at individual enemies in RE2 also showcases the game’s strengths on this front. For starters, you obviously have Mr. X, a relentlessly terrifying foe who stops at nothing in his attempts to terrifying the living daylights out of you. He stalks you for significant chunks of the game, and hearing his booming footsteps echoing through the halls of RPD never loses its impact. Then you have the horrific Lickers, the nightmarishly mutated William Birkin (and the many forms he takes throughout the games), and hell, even regular zombies, which are some of the most decrepit and creepy zombies we’ve ever fought in a game. From their visual design to the unique threats they pose to how engaging they are to take on from a gameplay perspective, Resident Evil 2’s enemies and enemy types deserve to take the win here.
SCARINESS AND ATMOSPHERE
An obviously crucial category for survival horror games, and one where both Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill 2 succeed- though to different degrees. That both games are great at scaring players is undeniable. Scariness can, of course, be highly subjective, but both remakes do an excellent job of building tension and atmosphere, and making players feel on edge, whether that’s through atmospheric lighting, well-crafted environments, masterful pacing, impeccable sound design, or what have you.
If, however, we were to pick one between the two games as the winner in this category, Silent Hill 2 would probably edge it. The dark corridors of RPD, the shrieks of the Lickers, the unending pursuit of Mr. X- all of that stuff is undeniably terrible. But from the town’s oppressive fog to the narrative weight that it injects into the experience to the emphasis it places on slow, palpable psychological horror rather than conventional scares, Silent Hill 2 succeeds at delivering a much longer-lasting brand of chills.
TECH
Again, both games deserve massive props in this area. Capcom has consistently done an incredible with with Resident Evil games in the tech department, especially in the series’ RE Engine era, while Bloober Team, too, has impressed with Silent Hill 2- which isn’t surprising, because this is the one area where the studio has had an inarguably excellent track record over the years. Admittedly, any game that gets picked as a winner between these two would do so on a razor thin margin, if that.
If we have to split hairs in that fashion, however, we’d probably go with Resident Evil 2. Silent Hill 2 does an incredibly job with recreating the oppressive and atmospheric locations of its eponymous setting, and does so with an impressive level of attention to detail. But Resident Evil 2 is just a cut above, even five years on from launch. One of the biggest reasons for that is the incredible gore system on display in Capcom’s masterpiece. From the way the zombies’ bodies gradually disintegrate with damage to the morbidly gorgeous explosions of red that you get to witness when you blast an enemy in the head with a shotgun from close range, that stuff adds heavily to the experience, especially given the genre we’re operating in.
OVERALL
Call it a cop out, but hey- we’re four to four so far. Calling this competition a tie would feel cheap though, because depending on which of the two horror styles presented here you prefer, it’s very likely that you’re going to have a clear preference between the two games as well. But that’s the thing- Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 2, in spite of how similar they are in so many ways, are also ultimately very different kinds of experiences, and which of the two you end up liking more will depend heavily on exactly what you’re looking for.
If what you want is a game that makes a narrative impact and attempts to unsettle you not only with conventional horror methods (which it certainly doesn’t lack in, mind you), but also more cerebral and psychological ones, Silent Hill 2 is absolutely going to be the way to go. James Sunderland’s story is a shocking one and one that you absolutely should experience, and Bloober Team’s remake does a spectacular job of retelling that story, while also expanding on the original title’s gameplay experience.
If, however, the thing you are looking for is a more mechanically dense experience, Resident Evil 2 can’t really be beaten. Don’t get me wrong, Silent Hill 2 is no walking sim- far from it. But the pure survival horror gameplay on offer in Resident Evil 2 is unmatched, with everything from the stellar level design and gory combat to the excellent boss fights and, of course, the relentless Mr. X stalker sections coming together in perfect harmony to deliver a nonstop thrill ride. Personally, I tend to go for the latter, so Resident Evil 2 would have my vote. But for Silent Hill 2 to be in the same conversation as Capcom’s masterpiece is unbelievably high praise in and of itself.
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