The Triple-A Ship of Theseus: An Introspective Detailing of Silent Hill 2 (2024)
(unfinished slop sorry got bored of the remake)
Preface: This is, for the most part, not a review of Silent Hill 2 (2024). Instead I posit this as a
constructive analysis following the ethics and philosophy of a remake using primarily descriptive
writing and comparison. In preparation for writing this I observed hundreds of reviews, in-depth
psychoanalysis videos, development notes and interviews, and developer tweets. Along with
reading a hefty chunk of 7th generation video game journalism (mainly Tom Bissel), and
replaying as well as rewatching both games in full, twice.
Art does not have an expiration date. Facets of a project can be outdated, that is an objective
fact. For a video game like Silent Hill 2 (2001) to be outdated it would have to present an idea
that could no longer be presented in today's climate without harsh backlash and ignorance on
behalf of the creatives. When discussing pre-Gen 7 (Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360) video games
critics tend to use homing-like rhetoric, focused on pinpointing mechanics with the intention of
comparing them to modern video game homogeneousness. An emphasis placed on "what
could be improved" shepherds modern critical appraisals of classic video games, like an evil
mirrored eye surveilling an IGN writers word document at every keystroke.
Ambiguity is upheld laterally in regards to the original Silent Hill 2. Masahiro Ito, one of the head
creatives, has gone as far as maintaining a veneer of vagueness in his countless insightful
tweets about the creatures he designed.
Silent Hill 2 (2001) presents a variegated pallet of camera positions and jarring cuts from the first instance of controllable gameplay. As for in-engine cinematography the game starts with a
scene where the camera crawls out from under a urinal, with James positioned in the middle of
the frame, the composition still slightly slanted from its methodical rise above the toilet bowl. In
the parking lot outside the bathroom where the game begins James is superficially distant and
literally distant, if this sort of wide-shot was shown in a film it would be jarring—in fact you can
see a glimpse of this exact shot in the behind-the-scenes teaser for "Return to Silent Hill" by
director Christophe Gans, where it is in fact jarring! As you trek down the path leading into the
forest, we are once again provided with a series of wide and medium shots, trees absorb the
foreground making James feel like an afterthought to the camera until you reach the next cut.
Each cut serves as a reminder of your control over this character, whilst simultaneously creating
our first logical symbolic disconnect between player and character. Your actions are controlling
the model on your screen but your metaphysical actions are simply observing and spectating,
you do not know the next time the camera will cut. I make this point to illustrate the thought and
symbolism put into the earliest interactions with the static cam (urinal shot) and the rail cam
(forest sequence).
"This is not a maximal angle; this is not at all how your eye has been trained by video
games to work. It is as though you, the gamer, are an invisible, purposefully
compromised presence within the gameworld" — Tom Bissell, Extra Lives: Why Video
Games Matter, p. 19
The flashlight scene in Silent Hill (2001) appears quite early considering how impactful it is to
the greater narrative — around the 35 minute mark for most first-time players, and about 5
minutes into entering the Woodside Apartments for the first time. If you broke the game down
into playable levels this would serve as the first real level, as well as the beginning of many
exclusively indoor stints of level design. This level acts as pseudo-asylum for James and the
player, narratively it's where the game finds its story-telling buoyancy, whilst in terms of
gameplay Wood Side allows the player a rarity of cognitive downtime upon entering. Before
entering the locked gate surrounding the apartment complex you are bombarded with radio
static (an auditorial indication of nearby foes), pressing the action button (A or X) in front of the
gate James uses the "apartment gate key", abruptly ending the harsh ambience you've
familiarized yourself with. There is no music queue upon entering the apartments lobby; there is
a few grabbable items, a save square, and a map you should pick up in the here. The door
furthest from the camera is temporarily locked, for the time being you must ascend the stairs.
You enter the second floor greeted by radio static once again, along with a bright light fixture
stretching down the left hallway, to the right of you there is a dark hallway and presumably a
laundry room. The doors in the left wing are all locked, the garbage chute in the laundry room is
a clue for later, and the only other hallway is blocked by a monster you cannot see very well, it
is in your best interest to progress forth down the right hall. Surprisingly the first door down this
path is unlocked, once inside James is positioned near the middle of the frame again, similar to
the first shot of the game the only difference being the camera is lifted to ceiling height. The
camera floats behind a headless mannequin statue which is draped in a familiar outfit (that of
his late wife). James is illuminated by a flashlight strapped to the chest of the mannequin, his
silhouette casts a large, intrusive shadow upon the wall behind him. Press the action button,
item pick-up sound pings, and the screen freezes, text appears at the bottom of the screen, "I
got a flashlight." Picking up the flashlight reveals a now rudely awakened figure behind the
mannequin that will suddenly awake once you have shined your directional spotlight on it,
initiating a quick combat sequence. Afterwards you can inspect the clothes, or more specifically
the mannequin itself with the action button. James subconsciously comments, "Just a
mannequin. But these clothes..."
Of course, this arrangement plays substantially different in Silent Hill 2 (2024). As you traverse
the inexorable fog shortly after acquiring the "Wood Side Apartments Key" harsh droning
ambience attacks the players audio output. There is no gate you must unlock to enter the
apartments this time, instead it's simply the apartments main entrance which is locked. Using
the action button (A or X) on the door prompts you a menu to select the key-item. As you
proceed through the main entrance the darkness of the main lobby strikes you, whilst the
ambience you've become accustomed to slowly fades out. To accommodate the new third-
person perspective the lobby has been expanded greatly, in your immediate view is a light
hovering above a green bulletin board hosting the Wood Side map that will guide you. You can
hop over a reception window or enter through an agape door to access the lobby office, inside
is a save square and another room. Within the second room you can uncover a fabric tarp
revealing the iconic coin puzzle, which has been altered with new elaborate challenges. The
rest of the rooms in the lobby are locked, including the furthermost north door like the original
game. A note nearby the stairs eludes to gunshots coming from apartment 217, you should
remember this for later. You must ascend the stairs to progress, during your climb you hear a
thunderous crash capped off by a creature screech. James distressingly blurts out, "Hello?
Anyone there?", producing a break in the clamor coming from a stream of water trickling down
the staircases center column void. The third floor entrance is destroyed, your only option is the
second floor. You enter the pitch black apartment hallway, within this hallway a singular door is
wide open from which an incredibly bright light is emanating, you are being invited to enter this
room immediately. The light nearly blinds you as you approach, with an over-the-shoulder
camera following closely behind James, his body almost absorbed by the glow. You pick up the
flashlight with the action button and inspect it firmly in James' hand, here in this faux-freeze
screen you can zoom the camera inwards to get an unobstructed look, as well as rotate the
object slightly. Pressing the cancel action button quickly warps you out of this screen back into
the third person perspective, revealing a standing figure that ambushes you with a jumping
attack. Once the enemy is defeated you can inspect the dress, James says out loud in a
somber tone; "These clothes...", the inspect screen shows the dress in beautiful UE5 clarity
illuminated by your newly found gadget. What's interesting about this inspect screen is the
flashlight is focused more on revealing an open drawer holstering a key—which is required for
progress—rather than highlighting the dress and the uncommon dialogue drop from James, we
are honed in to progressing further.
Analysis of Silent Hill 2 (2001) is plenty written about, and abundantly posted about in video
form on Youtube. It offers me no pleasure or academic insight to further analyze scenes on top
of what has already been written, but I feel it's necessary to provide an in-depth philosophical
interpretation of the two scenes mentioned prior. Comparing these two games comes naturally,
the psychological horror element of these two titans being so systematically dissimilar is
something I'd like to focus on.
In both iterations of the game James approaches multiple situations with a varying level of
precaution. Silent Hill (2001) posits him as a confused, deterministic, and at times stoic
individual. The remake also attempts this, only forgoing the stoicism with the new Hollywood
dramatization inflection James carries in each line of spoken dialogue. The apartments level
shows James beleaguered, our suspension of belief is tested, specifically our trust of the
narrator we spectate in the original and encapsulate in the remake. The game design directly
informs us of the danger Wood Side holds, it's peaceful, then frightening and tight, then back to
calming--it's the level with the most even layout of respite. From the first second of entry you
are guided, something hidden and omniscient leading you. Every door is locked, you have to
get to the flashlight to continue, or as I would phrase it, you have to get to the mannequin
wearing Mary's clothes.
