Playing Silent Hill 2 like a Resident Evil game was a humbling experience

It’s 2025 and I still can’t stop thinking about Silent Hill 2 (2024). After beating the game just after Christmas and already having contemplated a NG+ playthrough, I fear the series may finally have its hooks in me.

You see, I hadn’t played a Silent Hill game before this bold Bluepoint remake, so I had no thoughts on it ditching the fixed camera angles of the original PlayStation game, though I did think it weird that the remakes would start with the second game.

It was probably this fresh perspective that made me enamoured with Silent Hill 2 almost immediately after starting my playthrough, and in more ways than one.

Silent Hill 2 starts like any other horror game, with an eerie opening that makes it clear that you should feel afraid but you’re not in any immediate danger yet. Wandering through the woods and the town of Silent Hill is off putting, especially with the thick blanket of fog obscuring your vision, but you’re completely safe until the game gives you your first weapon. After that, the combat can begin with the protagonist James gathering a greater arsenal of weapons to defend himself with.

Now to a Resident Evil fan like myself, this felt like business as usual. I’ve played the majority of Resident Evil games with a few exceptions and they all tend to play the same way, especially the remakes, so once you’ve mastered one, it’s typically smooth sailing if you want to marathon them.

I saw a lot of similarities between the opening of Silent Hill 2 and the Resident Evil games I’ve played, as both have a protagonist who finds themselves in over their head and forced to endure a horrific situation they need to fight their way out of. I always think of Leon rocking up to his first day as a police officer, only to find himself fighting zombies, towering tyrants and giant alligators. James is in the same boat, just your average joe haunted by the past and forced to fight demonic entities like Pyramid Head.

That said, it feels like every Resident Evil game has that, “Yeah, I get it,” moment for not just the player, but the character you’re playing as. Again, I think of Leon in Resident Evil 4, who’s seen enough horrors to last a lifetime by that point and just wants a day off.

Capcom

James doesn’t get that moment though, and by extension neither does the player. There was no part of Silent Hill 2 where I felt confident, or felt like I could predict what was coming next. This was exacerbated by James not being a master combatant like Leon Kennedy or Chris Redfield. Swinging a wooden plank like a caveman and the excessive weapon sway was a far cry from the eagle-eyed precision I was used to in the Resident Evil games. It’s obvious James does have some firearms experience but it never felt like he truly knew what he was doing.

You really feel James’ fear, and that never leaves him. Sure, he becomes more accepting of his situation depending on the ending you’re going for but he never comes across as heroic or powerful. He’s always just barely scraping by.

It made for an interesting, and humbling, first few hours of my playthrough. I was charging into rooms without a care in the world only to get smacked around by enemies hiding in the corners, and while the combat isn’t too difficult due to the very generous dodge mechanic, I still found myself getting pummelled more than I probably should have. Once I stopped playing like a Raccoon City police officer and started playing like James, the game really opened up, not only becoming scarier but more immersive too.

I was always wary of what I might find at the end of a corridor, and searching rooms for supplies became far more tense as I knew there could be something nasty hiding in one of the cupboards. Even the bugs had me on edge as they’d trigger the DualSense speakers, making me think there was a mannequin breathing down my neck only to realise it was a stupid insect instead.

Silent Hill 2 is an excellent horror game, and it did something very few horror games have done since I got into the Resident Evil series: it kept me on my toes. It’s a game that punishes a cavalier attitude and rewards a more careful, anxious approach to the horrors of that town, that Silent Hill.