Silent Hill 2

I played SH2 Enhanced Edition out of curiosity (in 2024). I remember how famous this game is. I never played it and decided to give it a try. I've never played a single horror game from start to finish. Except for F.E.A.R. but this isn't a pure horror game, it's an action FPS with horror elements. I don't know how they made it, but SH2 game blurs the line between reality and hallucinations in a way that I couldn't differentiate both. I finished it without knowing what is real and what isn't. Now I know why so many games around the world try to be the next Silent Hill.

After playing SH2 I could notice how much this game has influenced Alan Wake. I played Alan Wake too and there are many things that Alan Wake did that seems to have been borrowed from SH2. I have to say that SH2 during the nightmare sequences was truly terrifying, much more than Alan Wake and much more than any other game that I've played to date. Even during the day sequences, the thick fog in the streets, combined with the bizarre creatures and sound effects, made me feel really scared.

A quick self-reflection here: I'm used to criticize the lack of sense or logical reasoning in many games. In SH2 they never explain why the game abruptly changes from day to night time. Or the origins of the bizarre creatures. Or the huge walls in the middle of the streets which make the city almost feel a movie setting. Those are precisely the kind of things that kept me immersed in this game. What is happening in this city? What exists behind those walls? Is this whole game a nightmare?

One thing that I couldn't help it but I have to comment on. Who had this stupid idea of hiding light bulbs inside an aluminum can? And you need them because in the darkness the char can't see a keyhole to open a door. Even blind people can open a door...

Design note: this game made it clear for me how the games have changed in 20 years. I did resort to guides to solve some puzzles. I think that by the time this game was made guessing was normal. For ex: you want to open a wardrobe, but it's locked. It's natural for the player think "there must be a key somewhere else to open this". Now suppose there is a dark room and when you press the button for "action" the character says "I can't see anything there". How do you know if this is a puzzle and you have to look for a light source or turn on the power to turn on a light? In many games the context gives you this hint. In others you just can't figure if it's a puzzle or if it's just a dark room with nothing in there. That's the kind of change that I notice when I compare games from the PS2 era to the PS4 era.