Silent Hill 2's thought-provoking narrative and atmosphere makes it a fantastic title that is worth playing.
Silent Hill 2 is one of the best games I've played story-wise. The story revolves around a man named James Sunderland whose wife passed away three years prior to the events in the game. Grief-stricken, James eventually receives a letter from his wife, Mary, telling him to come to Silent Hill to their "special place". Knowing that Mary is dead but still curious, James decides to set off for Silent Hill to find out the source of the letter.
The stories main strength comes from its presentation. The game does an incredible job of pulling you in and compelling you to keep going. The entire game feels so real and atmospheric that that adds to the story's intensity. Along the way, you will meet other human characters in the town, which is primarily occupied by monsters, who James will interact with. These characters are all unique and the way they see the events differs from Jame's perspective, causing you to question what Silent Hill is to them.
After all, Silent Hill is a manifestation of the mind of the character it calls. Therefore, whatever psychological traumas a character has suffered are personified in the town itself and the creatures. For James, all of the monsters take on a feminine appearance, indicating his fixation on Mary. The only male monster is the iconic Pyramid Head who is frequently seen violating other female monsters, which is symbolic of James sexual frustrations. The depth and thought that goes into each monster's design is truly fantastic and once you play through the game, I recommend you go to http://tinyurl.com/ybsvly3 to read about the symbolism of each monster; it truly is mind-blowing. Without spoiling too much, the town summons monsters to punish each character. At one point in the game, you encounter another character's monster. I panicked and attacked the monster; later on while browsing the internet, I learned that since this monster was summoned for another character, it will not attack James unless he first attacks it. The thought behind each of the monsters is truly amazing.
The plot also gets its strength from the compelling nature of Silent Hill. The game takes place in the trademark foggy town which occasionally will shift to a more demonic form. Perception has a huge role in the game as you aren't entirely sure what is real and what is merely a manifestation of James' subconscious. As the story progresses, more mystery is revealed and some are explained leading to a satisfying conclusion and then one of the game's multiple endings. I could go on and on about the story but since a game is more than just narrative, I'll dive into the gameplay.
Silent Hill 2 consists of three different blends of gameplay; exploration, puzzle-solving and combat. The first aspect, exploration, is nicely done. You find maps for each environment you are in which prove to be invaluable. James makes notes on his map so every locked door, blocked passage and puzzle room are clearly marked so you can tell at a glance what areas have yet to be explored, which rooms you need a key for and which areas have puzzles you must solve. It's an invaluable tool. One of the things I found cool was that if your flashlight was off in a dark area, you're unable to read the map since it's too dark. As you explore the town, you'll come to an apartment building, a hospital, a prison, a hotel and many other places. Each building functions as a "level" with the town functioning as a means by which to advance from each environment. One complaint I have regarding the exploration is that since the town is so large, it's often difficult to find out where you need to go. While this is a minor point and not really that big of a problem, there was one instance where I was frustrated; you exit the hospital into town only to find that the town is pitch-black. Sure, it's frightening and eerie but it makes it difficult to see where you are going and since you need to find an alternate route back to the main street (the one you took earlier is blocked) it became a bit tedious. Also, there was one section of the game where you have to explore an underground sewer system. It's rightfully named the labyrinth and this area of the game gets frustrating since you run through these similar looking environments, climb up a ladder, walk, climb down a ladder to another section and keep running around until you find a way out. That section could've been done a lot better but I guess it's function was to make you feel lost and scared, which it did, I only wish it could've done it in a better way. Overall though, the exploration is done nicely especially given the atmospheric nature of the game. Turning each corner is suspenseful as you never know what will be around the corner or on the other side of a door.
As I mentioned, Silent Hill 2 features a fair share of puzzle-solving sequences. One of the designs in the game that I really appreciated was setting the difficulty. Unlike most games that merely have one difficulty option, Silent Hill 2 lets you set the difficulty of the enemies and the puzzles independently. Therefore, if you wanted to play the game without the frustration of death, but still wanted to be challenged by the puzzles, you could accomplish this task. The puzzles (my playthrough was on normal) are not particularly difficult though there are a few that have somewhat obscure solutions. What it basically boils down to is searching an area for items and then finding where those items go. It's effective and doesn't make you scratch your head too much.
As far as combat goes, the game's oppressive atmosphere permeates this feature of the game as well. James is not a super soldier like Master Chief, or a trained operative like the characters of Resident Evil; he is a relatable, average person and as such, has limits. His skills in combat are primitive and he is unable to run for long periods of time. This adds to the characterization of James and also increases the tension you feel when you see monsters. The game does not get its scares from jump-out moments (though there are a few of those). In fact, the game gives you the trademark Silent Hill radio that emits static anytime an enemy is nearby. It WARNS you when enemies are near but this only serves to put you on edge. Silent Hill is, after all, a psychological thriller and the radio static only serves to get inside your head and make you uneasy. And the game is fantastic at doing that. From the combat skills of James, to the inhuman twitchy movements and twisted design of the monsters, Silent Hill is excellent at making you feel nervous in combat situations. Having said that, the combat boils down to a few different strategies. Either you whack everything you see with a melee weapon then kick it when it's down, or you opt to use firearms. The monsters are generally weak but still somehow freak you out. I'm sure on higher difficulties, they present more of a challenge. The most compelling enemy moments are when Pyramid Head shows up. Pyramid Head is a terrifying character and his presence immediately instills fear, especially when you hear him dragging his giant knife along the ground. While the combat is not the strong point of Silent Hill 2, it doesn't have to be; it wants you to feel helpless and the other gameplay factors more than make up for the repetitive combat.
Now, on to some technical details. Graphically, Silent Hill 2 is impressive for its time. The in-game graphics do a nice job showing disturbing details and the pre-rendered cutscenes all look fantastically real. The visuals do justice to the animations as seeing a creature squirm itself quickly along the ground will instantly send shivers down your spine. Sound wise, Silent Hill 2 also does an excellent job; every monster's groan, attack and walking noises all fit and add to the oppressive atmosphere. The soundtrack intensifies the situations by providing music that puts you on guard while also providing nice serene tracks that fit the situations in which they are played.
Silent Hill 2 is a masterpiece in its execution. The story, monsters, gameplay and technical points all come together nicely to form a wonderful package. The story is without a doubt, the strongest part of the game, coupled with the atmosphere. Silent Hill 2 is a must-play, even if the action difficulty level must be played on easy or beginner. The narrative is fantastic and the whole story comes together nicely. And the great thing about the story, is that it gets you thinking about symbolism and meaning and perception. Rarely do games cause you to think about what is there beyond what you see in the game. Silent Hill 2 accomplishes this, and many other things, beautifully.