LAST NIGHT I DREAMT I WENT TO SILENT HILL AGAIN

The 'Silent Hill 2' Remake has you returning to that restless dream from 23 years ago

- Rudraa Abirami Sudarshan

"In my restless dreams, I see that town, Silent Hill. You promised that you'd take me there again someday. But you never did."

In 2001, Team Silent released one of the most terrifying horror games ever made for the PlayStation 2, Silent Hill 2. It occupies not only the restless dreams of those who played it, but also the waking nightmares. A cult classic, Silent Hill 2 is the definitive survival psychological horror game.

We live in the era of remakes with nostalgia pumped into our veins. With the success of remakes like Final Fantasy VII, Dead Space, and the Resident Evil series, players can revisit their old haunts and see old friends in a whole new light, everything is enhanced in terms of graphics and performance.

The Silent Hill series had been largely out of the loop, forgotten (other than for those who had played it) like memories of a dream when you wake up.

Until now.

Konami, the company that published the Silent Hill series, has decided to breathe second wind into the franchise. In 2022, they confirmed that a remake was in the works alongside three other games, as well as a live-action film Return to Silent Hill (based on Silent Hill 2). Polish video game development company, Bloober Team decided to undertake the unenviable task of remaking Silent Hill 2.

In today's world, everyone's a critic. Revisiting nostalgic titles is akin to playing Russian Roulette. You either get showers of praise for doing justice or, you get brickbats and hammers for ruining someone's childhood. It's especially the case when it comes to games like Silent Hill 2 where symbolism is everything, so there is bound to be a backlash. People are going to go through this game with a fine-toothed comb and an electron microscope.