Bloober Team have insisted that their upcoming remake of Silent Hill 2 will keep the original story and remain faithful to the original – even though it will feature some “adjustments” for modern audiences.
This updated upcoming direction for James Sunderland and his psychological romp through the game’s eponymous small town was first revealed during a recent conversation between Dread XP and Bloober Team’s Chief Marketing Officer Anna Jasińska.
Speaking to the studio’s history with the project, Jasińska recalled how their involvement began when Konami personally invited them to the 2019 Tokyo Game Show and “asked us to prepare a concept for a remake of the original game’s second installment in exchange for the opportunity of bringing the concept to life.”
“Of course, we weren’t the only contenders,” noted the CMO. “Many other studios were vying for cooperation as well, but in the end, our concept was the one that stole Konami’s heart. They recognized our commitment and passion for horror, and that alone was an enormous distinction for us.”
Next asked by Dread XP writer Justin Wood for insight into how Bloober Team has “gone about recreating the horror present in the original Silent Hill 2”, himself noting that much of the game’s original atmosphere “was in part due to the limitations of the hardware at the time” such as clunky controls or foggy surroundings being a way to cover up low draw-distances, Jasińska asserted, We are focusing on bringing the distinct, visceral atmosphere back in the modernized Silent Hill 2.”
“Longtime fans shouldn’t worry about us ‘missing the point’ while we’re livening up the title,” she then attempted to reassure. “We faithfully stick to the traditional story canon while remaking the gameplay and updating the graphics from the ground up. These are the reasons why Konami entrusted us with the remake in the first place.”
“A big visible change is the adoption of an over-the-shoulder camera, which altered the perspective of a few iconic set pieces, but also meant an overhaul to the combat system,” Jasińska highlighted. “The latest technological achievements do wonder when it comes to making the visuals pop.”
She continued, “As you see, we are not straying away from the original concept of making this cult classic; we just have some ideas on how to make the peculiar scare factors more appealing to the contemporary audience.”
Jumping off from there, Woods proceeded to press Jasińska on whether or not “there have been any story or dynamic scene changes that had to happen” – specifically asking in terms of the “infamous Pyramid Head in the kitchen scene,” which was briefly teased in the game’s be announcement trailer – the Bloober Team member coyly dodged, “You see, we are now getting into the details, so we’ll save our answer for the future.”
However, when asked by Woods if Bloober Team was “given free rein to put their own spin on things”, Jasińska swore, “As aforementioned, we take a very safe approach to any changes.”
“We remain faithful to the original title,” she added, before uttering the words fans of every medium have come to loathe. “Nonetheless, we are applying adjustments to certain areas where things need modernizing due to the passage of time.”
Unfortunately for players, Jasińska did not provide details as to which elements would be receiving such adjustments, not did they specify whether such changes would concern the game’s mechanics (such as the above mentioned addition of an over-the-shoulder camera) or its narrative.
As of writing, Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake does not have a confirmed release date.
