I’ve already said this before, but I have some very specific expectations regarding horror games, or horror in general. I like psychological horror, the type that gets into your head. But oh man… This game gets in your head, throws a big drunk party and doesn’t even bother to clean that trout up and your apartment just stays a wreck for the following two years.
SILENT HILL 2
SH2 is the game that established the status quo of games in the series taking place in the same town, but usually following different characters with separate storylines and themes. Silent Hill 2 came out and there was no mention of the cult from SH1, or Harry and Cheryl. Just James Sunderland, alone in the foggy, foggy town of Silent Hill, searching for his wife, Mary. Nothing weird, if only Mary hadn’t died prior to the game.
That's good!... Right?
Still, I really empathize with James’ struggle. I don’t think I’d ever related to a main character so much. Yes, it’s crazy and James knows it. But he got a letter. It’s most likely a hoax. But there is always a slight chance that it isn’t. And even if the chance that he’ll get to see the love of his life again is minimal, he is willing to take it. This is exactly what I would do in his place.
Still, as James goes deeper into the town, it turns out things are even more messed up than they seem at the beginning. Without spoiling too much, James encounters a bunch of people on the way, and each of them is in Silent Hill for their own reasons. They’d all been called to the town and have their own journey to fulfill. I love how it doesn’t all revolve around the main protagonist. Sure, James gets to interact with Eddie and Angela, but their affairs are not really his business. They do, however, serve to parallel his own reasons for being in the town in the first place.
Since Silent Hill takes the shape in accordance to the psyche of the one visiting it, this time it looks much different from the one in SH1. No more hellish Otherworld – everything is enveloped in extremely thick fog overtime, emphasizing the feeling of isolation and hopelessness that James experiences, even if he keeps pressing on against all the hopelessness. This game isn't even really scary, it's just really morose, crushing... depressive and hopeless. The pacing is horrendous and the controls and battle mechanics are really clunky, but it all really helps emphasize the atmosphere of dread that is so prevalent in this game. And when the truth comes out, and you truly start to understand the significance behind the monsters – what the Lying Figures, the Nurses, and Pyramid Head actually represent – everything makes sense. The truth isn’t pretty, but it is necessary for James to face it. There are many endings in this game, and they're implemented really well. How James finishes his journey really depends on you.
The music, courtesy of Akira Yamaoka, is simply astounding, Probably the best in the series. I could listen to Theme of Laura and Promise all day, but the ambient themes really send chills down my spine.
I’ve played this game with my wife. Hauntingly fitting, if you ask me. Silent Hill 2 is all about Eros and Thanatos, love and death, the two main driving forces in the life of a human, in all the different aspects that they may surface. Rich with symbolism, subtlety, and genuine dread and longing, I think Silent Hill 2 is one of the most artistic endeavors in video game history. I really recommend it to those seeking a deep, thought-provoking, heart-rending story. Let me just leave one really important video in spoiler tags. It’s the full letter from Mary to James. I can’t listen to it without tearing up.
