Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 2's introductory sequences showcase two different approaches to the survival horror remake, and both of them are valid

Oct. 11, 2024

Opinion | There’s no right or wrong way to remake a classic, but Capcom and Bloober Team had very different ins to a tricky task

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There’s a double-edged sword that comes with legendary games, and it’s how impossible it can be to replicate that success. BothSilent Hill 2andResident Evil 2represent stellar entries in theResident Evil timelineand thebest Silent Hill gamesrespectively, and for that reason, they’ve become time-tested titans of the genre.

Worlds apart

Silent Hill 2 Remake review: “An atmospheric and rewarding horror game”

A conversation on a radio talk show about a man getting attacked himself is interspersed with the trucker chowing down a grey-tinged hamburger, foreshadowing the zombie-infested streets of Raccoon City before we even see them. When he accidentally runs over one of said zombies and gets out of the car to help her, his fate is sealed. Even tiny moments like these feel important to Resident Evil 2 Remake. Brave, even, considering that Capcom was reworking the most famous Resi game ever, showing no qualms about expanding on its work at the same time. Capcom wanted to take time setting the scene, giving us some more exposition before introducing Leon, and it absolutely pays off.

Silent Hill 2 is such a faithful remake that it shies away from adding almost any new context clues or narrative.

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I understand the hesitation on Bloober andKonami’s side when it comes to rejigging anything from the original. The hair-trigger sensitivities of Silent Hill 2’s passionate fanbase makes touching anything at all a bit of a risk. You only need to look at the discourse surrounding Mary’s wardrobe change andAngela’s character modelto see how much this game means to its fans, and there’s something refreshing about how both Konami and Bloober Team respect them so much.

Silent Hill 2 is a remake in its purest form, down to ashot-for-shot story trailer. It’s the ultimate homage to its source material, so much so that it purposely sidesteps the need to evolve or innovate. On the other hand, Resident Evil 2 Remake ambitiously pushes all three factors for a very different mix. Neither is the right or wrong way to concoct a survival horror remake, necessarily, but it never ceases to fascinate me how malleable the horror genre can be – especially when it comes to reworking the greats.

There’s plenty more where Silent Hill 2 came from on our list ofupcoming horror gamesto watch for this year and beyond.

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