As a seasoned survivor of the haunting labyrinth that is Silent Hill, I must say that this remake has left me utterly bewildered and chilled to my very core. The concept of being trapped in an endless loop of torment, reliving the same horrors over and over again, feels all too real for someone like myself who has spent countless nights exploring these cursed lands.
Note: This article contains spoilers for the story of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 2 Remake. Read on at your own risk.
Since the release of Silent Hill 2 in 2001, players have been pondering over the true events portrayed in the game. On its simplest interpretation, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s happening to the protagonist, James Sunderland. Is he experiencing a hallucinatory ordeal of sorrow and remorse? Has he stumbled into a spiritually strange realm connected to an American town, constructed by cultists and ancient deities? Or is he in the afterlife, punishing himself for his wrongdoings?
It appears that with the Silent Hill 2 Remake, the developers at Bloober Team are offering additional information and hints concerning unresolved questions. This expanded narrative doesn’t simply retell the original story; it builds upon it, creating a standalone experience distinct from Silent Hill 2 itself. Similar to how Final Fantasy VII Remake revisits the same tale but adds new elements, Silent Hill 2 Remake can be seen as a hidden sequel of sorts to the original game.
In the initial Silent Hill 2, there were numerous signs suggesting that James’s experiences were not as straightforward as they seemed. As players navigated the town, they’d encounter bodies of individuals apparently slain by the brutal creatures James consistently combats. What made these corpses peculiar was that their faces and heads frequently appeared concealed or hidden, but attentive fans observed that they often donned soiled replicas of James’s garments.
In the 2001 game Silent Hill 2, it’s unclear if the numerous anonymous bodies were included as a cost-cutting measure, since there aren’t many other characters in the game, or if they were meant to subtly hint at a deeper narrative within Silent Hill. A popular theory emerged that these bodies suggest James Sunderland has already passed away. The most intriguing evidence is a body found in the Wood Side Apartments building, who seems to have taken their own life and bears a striking resemblance to James, despite having their face covered. This theory implies that James may already be deceased within the game’s storyline.
The Silent Hill 2 Remake alters certain aspects of Silent Hill 2’s narrative, puzzles, and fighting mechanics, yet it largely adheres to the main themes of the initial story. As you traverse the remade town, you’ll encounter corpses that have been slain by monsters, similar to what was seen in the original game. Notably, these deceased individuals bear a striking resemblance to James Sunderland, much like in the original game.
In the town, you’ll find notes, often found near the deceased, penned in a frantic and bloodstained handwriting. These notes share similarities with those from the original game, but there are more of them in the Remake. They hint that other individuals were caught in Silent Hill, and it seems some have been trapped for quite a while. Certain notes offer warnings and helpful information, like a map of Silent Hill, similar to the one James carries and marked up just as he does his own. Some even address the reader directly, hoping you can apply what you’ve learned to progress further.
The more of them you read, though, the more they sound like they were written with James in mind.
A little further into the game, you will encounter notes near a corpse resembling James, which seem to connect with one of the game’s fresh endings. Although the script is distinct from several other notes, which appear to be hastily scribbled in all-caps, this particular note appears to offer significant clues about the circumstances at hand.
In simpler terms, the statement means “I can only depart by not leaving.” To clarify further, this suggests that the person has no other option but to not leave in order to depart or move on from a situation. The deal is now complete and he said he had left it for the person’s use. Finally, the phrase “where they once were” may indicate that there was a specific location where something significant happened, but that place no longer holds any significance.
This note guides you towards discovering the recently added “Bliss” finale within the remake. By deciphering the hints, you will eventually come across a mind-altering substance named White Claudia. Consuming it at the opportune moment in Lakeview Hotel, prior to James viewing the videotape, activates the ending. Instead of accepting that he murdered Mary, it seems as if James hallucinates an alternate sequence of events, persuading himself to remain with Mary before her sickness, blissful in his denial-induced fantasy.
The peculiarity of the note lies in its indication that the author shares a similar difficulty in departing from Silent Hill as James does. Moreover, it hints at a place where they used to be, which turns out to be Pete’s Bowl-o-Rama.
In the original game, players know that James locates Eddie and Laura at a bustling bowling alley, where he famously scolds a man for enjoying pizza amidst a monster-infested town. However, in the remake, the bowling alley remains, but it’s deserted. Instead, you meet Eddie and Laura in an empty movie theater. The scene retains its essence, but James exhibits less hostility this time around. This implies that “where they once were” indicates the author of the note is cognizant of the fact that James previously found Eddie and Laura at the bowling alley, but they’re not there now.
From another perspective, it seems the author was encouraging or pushing James forward. A note discovered in a safe located within the Brookhaven Hospital director’s office appears to be a personal letter intended for James.
“Their pictures seemed to merge and lose focus,” the statement reads. “I’m unsure if I can manage it, but perhaps you could. This path may lead you where you need to go, though likely not the route you prefer. And there’s likely to be discomfort along the way. There usually is.
With this letter, I include the access key for the hospital rooftop. Shortly after reaching there, you meet Pyramid Head who pushes you off an elevator shaft floor, landing you in a hitherto sealed-off area on the third floor. This detour may not be your desired route, and it’s certainly not painless.
There’s another particularly revealing note you can find inside Wood Side Apartments.
“You seem to believe I’m heartless,” they claim, “but this predicament is self-imposed. You had the power to choose differently. I observed as you made the same choices repeatedly. This time won’t break the pattern. And I’ll be here, watching.
It appears that the Silent Hill 2 Remake is offering a clear message. Those corpses are undeniably James; numerous notes scattered throughout the game revolve around him or seem to be penned by alternate versions of him. James is not merely ensnared in Silent Hill during a single playthrough, but across all games. He’s seemingly trapped in an infinite time loop, replaying these events repeatedly. The original Silent Hill 2 chronicled one sequence of James’s ordeals, while the remake presents another, suggesting that he is enduring this torment in an endless cycle.
Three separate instances throughout Silent Hill 2 Remake, you come across Eddie near a corpse that he swears had no involvement in. Unlike the other bodies we’ve mentioned, these are difficult to identify – until you reach your climactic confrontation with Eddie, that is. In the final stretch of the labyrinth, Eddie’s rage unveils his true nature: he has been the murderer all along. Enraged, he discharges a revolver into the body of his most recent victim, and upon close examination, you can discern the identity of the deceased.
It’s James.
Or at least, it sure does look like him.
In a freezing cold warehouse that’s also a slaughterhouse, filled with slabs of hanging meat, you engage in a repeated battle with Eddie. Eventually, you end up killing him. However, the presence of other dead bodies labeled as James indicates that he too is often the one who meets his demise at your hands. This cycle repeats itself. Eddie kills James, then James kills Eddie, and they both are stuck in Silent Hill, endlessly reliving their transgressions and nightmares.
In your recent interaction with Angela, who appears to be one of the three souls trapped in Silent Hill, you noticed her ascending a staircase enveloped in flames. Upon mentioning the intensity of the heat, Angela queries if you too can perceive it. “For me,” she seems to suggest, “Silent Hill is always like this,” implying that her experience of Silent Hill differs significantly from what you or James perceive.
In the revamped version, whenever Eddie appears on screen, his breath is visible, giving off a chilly vibe, despite James not showing any signs of coldness in those same locations. It seems as though Eddie is constantly in a frosty environment, even when others are not. Angela’s Silent Hill is ablaze with flames; James’s Silent Hill is shrouded in fog and teeming with monsters that seem designed to haunt him due to his lustful, deceitful past; while Eddie’s Silent Hill appears perpetually cold and filled with death. Much like a glimpse into Angela’s Silent Hill is offered at the end of her tale through the fiery staircase, it seems that in the slaughterhouse, we catch a brief peek into Eddie’s Silent Hill.
The assorted details and facts seem to imply that Silent Hill 2 Remake isn’t a traditional remake; instead, it offers another traverse through James’ tormenting spiral of events within this nightmarish cycle. It appears that every playthrough mirrors this recurring loop. Each ending of the narrative – be it James accepting his actions, trading sick Mary for the more appealing Maria, committing suicide in Toluca Lake, or opting for a fantasy where he disregards Mary’s fate – seems to symbolize another cycle. Every time you die in the game, you are navigating this loop again. Each corpse discovered is James, marking the end of one loop with his demise, only to lead him back to the road overlooking the town once more.
In Silent Hill 2, every conclusion – with the exception of the humorous Dog and UFO endings, which could arguably be considered so – carries equal weight. They all appear to occur, as James manages to reach each one, yet none of them provide a resolution to his suffering.
In the Silent Hill 2 Remake, a longstanding fan theory regarding James apparently taking his own life gets validated within the confines of the game itself. This revelation significantly amplifies the game’s terror, as there seems to be no avenue for escape in Silent Hill.
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2024-10-12 00:44