When Bloober Team’sSilent Hill 2finally made it to release in October last year, fans were delighted to find that it was not only good, but even managed to greatly exceed expectations. Everyone had hoped for and anticipated a graphical face lift for the haunted town and the characters trapped within it and that absolutelywasdelivered upon.
Review: Silent Hill 2 Remake
Return to Silent Hill to solve the mystery of a letter from the deceased in this remake of the celebrated survival horror classic
Bloober Team went even further, however, managing to both fully preserve the atmosphere ofSilent Hill 2while also making this new version into something truly distinct. A great many secrets, Easter eggs and references abound in the Silent Hill 2 remake, all of which are worth hunting down if one has the time. For those that don’t, though, here are ten of the best (beware of spoilers for the final two).
10The Blocked Tunnel
It feels like something is missing here
A number of things got shifted around in the Silent Hill 2 remake in order to accommodate Bloober Team’s version of events. They made sure to leave a little nod to the original whenever such a change was made, however, withone of the first ones being the blocked tunnelplayers encounter on their way into Silent Hill proper.
In the original, it was in this tunnel that James encountered his first monster and found the wooden board weapon. That encounter was moved further into town in order to give the monster a dramatic entrance out of the fog, but the spot is still there, complete with a weaponizable board (if only it were within reach).
9Gaming’s Favorite Code Shows Up Once Again
Try this next time you need to guess a four-digit number
Including the code “0451” is an infamous running gaming industry gag, one that Bloober Team decided would be a fun addition to its Silent Hill 2 remake. If puzzles are set to Light or Standard, then the solution to the Jack’s Inn safe will work out to exactly 0451 after some simple math.
Silent Hill 2: How to Open the Motel Safe
How to find the code and solve the safe puzzle at Jack’s Inn
The code itself dates back to the originalSystem Shockgame from 1994. It served as a door code in the game and was, apparently, theactualdoor code of the offices of developer Looking Glass Studios at the time. Since then, the number has popped up in many popular immersive sim games, includingBioShockandPrey.
8The Original Silent Hill 2 Map
This town isn’t quite what it used to be
The town of Silent Hill has beenchanged in a number of waysfor the purposes of the remake. Some locations aren’t used in the same way, some are less important and some have even been moved, necessitating the creation of a new map for the town. It turns out, however, that at least one of the original maps can still be found.
In the Wood Side Apartments area, players can find the original map of Silent Hill’s east side in the courtyard outside the building. It’s little more than a fun detail this time, but cool to see all the same.
7Katz Street Barricade
“The door that wakes in darkness, opening into nightmares.”
In the original Silent Hill 2, players could encounter a locked door accompanied by a cryptic message at the end of Katz Street. At first, it seemed to just be a cryptic message, but it would all make sense once players returned to the spot in the dark version of Silent Hill and found the door unlocked.
Both message and door have been moved to the end of Neely Street in the Silent Hill 2 remake, but the original message can still be found under the white coverings if players inspect the Katz Street barricade. It’s kind of odd in-universe, but a cool nod to fans.
It’s almost as if the town has overwritten the past version of itself in order to better suit this version of James, albeit imperfectly.
6The Monster in the Stairwell
How did this get here?
One of the more iconic moments in the original Silent Hill 2 was the boss encounter with Pyramid Head in the flooded stairwell of Blue Creek Apartments. Once Pyramid Head was driven off, the water would subside, opening the way forward for James and leaving behind a monster corpse.
Silent Hill 2: Pyramid Head Boss Guide
How to evade and defeat Pyramid Head in his epic boss battle
In the Silent Hill 2 remake, this fight was moved elsewhere andscaled up into something more grand,so nothing actually happens in the stairwell. Players will still find a random dead monster there after completing the clock puzzle, though (is it just a reference or could it be another hint towards a greater truth?).
5Maria Finds Her Original Outfit
Fashion was a little bit different back in the day
Maria’s outfit in the original Silent Hill 2 was something that really stood out, being an obvious (at the time) reference toChristina Aguilera’s 1999 Teen Choice Awards outfit.It didn’t take long for players to get used to it, however, and even come to accept it as simply part of her character.
All that said, though, it is an odd outfit, especially in comparison to Maria’s much more realistic outfit in the remake. If players enter Room 108 at Jack’s Inn, she’ll point it outherself,pulling the clothes out of the closet and asking James what he thinks. Considering what we learn about James later on, it may be that he’d actually prefer it over her current clothes.
4The Nurse Costume in Heaven’s Night
The Bubble Head Nurses rank among the most popular and well-known of Silent Hill 2’s monsters, with it long being believed that they simultaneously represented James’ frustrations and him possibly lusting after the hospital nurses while Mary was sick. Those who closely investigate Heaven’s NIght can find a nurse’s uniform (or rather a costume) lying on one of the booth’s seats.
This not only gives players a better idea of what the uniforms might have looked like at Mary’s hospital, but also possibly recontextualizes the Bubble Head Nurses entirely. After all, with the things James was dealing with, who’s to say he didn’t see the outfit in a more…charged setting at some point during the whole ordeal.
3James’ Chainsaw
Nothing scarier than a maniac with a chainsaw
The chainsaw was a secret weapon available only in new game plus in the original Silent Hill 2 and it’s back again in the remake. All players have to do to find it is follow the chainsaw sounds out from the cemetery to where the tool waits across from the entrance to Silent Hill ranch.
This is actually something of a Silent Hill tradition at this point, with players also able to wield the chainsaw in Silent Hill,Silent Hill 4: The Roomand Silent Hill: Book of Memories. As for this iteration, even James’ comical idle animations are preserved, where he’ll either lean on it like a cane or yell and brandish it over his head like Leatherface.
2James’ and Mary’s Place in Wood Side Apartments
The place where it all began
Whileexploring Wood Side Apartments,players might want to take a moment to slow down and take a look at Apartment 201, as it’s filled with references to James’ and Mary’s time in the real version of the town. From subtle things like a hanging photograph of red and white flowers to a blanket lying on the couch that looks suspiciously like the one on the backseat of James’ car.
Players might want to take a moment to slow down and take a look at Apartment 201, as it’s filled with references to James’ and Mary’s time in the real version of the town.
Most importantly, though, the bedroom is an exact match to the one seen in his flashbacks to the days of Mary’s illness. It’s said that one can even hear labored breathing in the room if they stop and listen for a bit. Could this be a full recreation of their actual home or just some out-of-place artefacts?
1Where’s Mary?
She was actually closer than anyone could have expected
Towards the end of Silent Hill 2, players learn exactly who James Sunderland is and why it is that he’s been called to Silent Hill. He’s someone who, on some level at least,wants to be punished for the things he’s done,a quality which led some fans to speculate that James actually brought Mary with him to the town in the trunk of his car.
This might just be accepted canon now thanks toa tweet in 2012 from Silent Hill 2 art director Masahiro Itoand a new addition by Bloober Team in the Silent Hill 2 Remake. If the camera is taken out of bounds, players can look into the back of James’ car and see what looks like a body covered with a blanket lying on the seat.
These are but a few of an entire host of cool, thought-provoking secrets and Easter eggs that, when taken as a whole, potentially completely reframe James Sunderland’s experiences in Silent Hill.
Considering the nature of these oddities and how much attention even the main characters bring to some of them, it could very well be that the fan theories are right: James isrelivinghis experiences in Silent Hill over and over, making it into a sort of limbo of his own creation. Is that the truth? Who knows? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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