TheSilent Hill 2remake takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5’s technical specs, but that’s not always to its benefit. Originally released for the PlayStation 2,Silent Hill 2has always been colored by limitations. Infamously, the only reason the first game in the series introduced the now-iconic fog that blankets Silent Hill was to compensate for its poor rendering distance, which would often cause objects and enemies to pop into frame suddenly.Silent Hill 2’s fixed cameras were also strictly limited by the PS2’s hardware, as ubiquitous as its Dutch angles have since become.
Butvideo game technology has come an incredibly long wayin the intervening 23 years. The PS5 can produce mind-boggling effects, rendering nigh-photorealistic imagery at an incomparable render distance, and with a freely movable camera to boot. TheSilent Hill 2remake isn’t shy about eating up every bit of that processing power, while also making use of the PS5’s unique features. This gives rise to both its coolest new feature, and its biggest technical problem.
Silent Hill 2 Remake Nails Sound Design
SH2 Remake’s Ambient Noise & Vibration Are Pitch-Perfect
TheSilent Hill 2remake perfectly recreates the original game’s immersive sound design, and even bolsters it with improved haptic feedback. The ambient noise of Silent Hill is an integral element of its atmosphere. Akira Yamaoka’s compositions and sound design are in no small part whythe originalSilent Hill 2remains an enduring classic. The mellow, hypnotic music lures the player into a trance, while the grimy creaks, clunks, and crashes serve to remind them that there’s something lurking around every corner. With Yamaoka’s participation, these are all faithfully adapted in theSilent Hill 2remake.
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Andits PS5 version also utilizes the unique features of the DualSense controller to further increase immersion. It usesthe DualSense’s haptic feedback, not just when the player takes a hit or fires a gun, but also to bolster its sound design. For example, prior to their first encounter with Pyramid Head, players will hear a dragging noise on the floor above them - the sound of the monster lugging his oversize knife behind him. In the remake, the controller vibrates during these moments. This heightens the moment’s intensity and anxiety, as if the very ceiling is rumbling above.
That’s not the only moment theSilent Hill 2remake uses the DualSense for increased immersion, either: it also vibrates in a pitter-patter pattern while the player is walking around outside in the rain, and thumps like a heartbeat when their health is low. In addition, theDualSense’s built-in speaker emits the sound of radio static when enemies are nearby. The same sound effects were used in the originalSilent Hill 2, but came out of the same output source as the rest of the game’s audio.
TheSilent Hill 2remake also includes an accessibility feature that displays a visual effect when the radio is on. It can be found in the accessibility section of the menu, under “Radio State Indicator.”
This clever use of DualSense audio underscores the fact that the static is coming from a separate device in James' pocket, not a natural part of the game’s world. It’s also incredibly foreboding when the controller speakers start buzzing, and when the static is at full blast and the monsters are bearing down on the player, it can be overwhelming in a thematically appropriate way.
The DualSense Brings A Lot To The Game - At A Price
Silent Hill 2 Will Kill Your Controller Battery
All of the above features are excellent for theSilent Hill 2remake’s sense of immersion. However,they also kill the PS5 controller’s battery. What the DualSense has in unique features, it sacrifices in battery life. Different games have different effects on its battery life, but in general, it’s notorious for its constant disruptive low battery warnings.
Turning off the DualSense’s built-in microphone by pressing the small, translucent button beneath the PS button can bolster its battery life, but doesn’t do much to offsetSilent Hill 2’s controller-draining features.
Nothing breaks immersion more than a sudden need to get up and recharge your controller, which was an unfortunate constant for me during mySilent Hill 2playthrough. My charging cable is just a bit too short for me to sit comfortably while using it, so my battery dying often marked the end of a play session. Later in the game, I found that decreasing vibrational intensity helped prolong the DualSense’s life, but it seems like it’s the radio static doing the majority of the battery draining.
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You can turn the radio static off and rely solely on the visual indicator, but you shouldn’t have to deprive yourself of this necessary part ofSilent Hill 2’s sound design just to play it comfortably. Ideally, there would be a setting to turn the radio volume down (which was present in the original version), but it’s all or nothing in the remake. Ultimately, I found thatthe best way to avoid draining the battery was to use headphones-not my favorite way to play, but I couldn’t argue with the results. And I’ll be investing in a longer charging cable soon.
Although I eventually found a set of solutions that worked, the onus should never have been on me - the remake needs better options for adjusting the radio volume in order to keep the DualSense battery alive. These new features in theSilent Hill 2remake are intended to boost immersion, and when they work, they do - but their overuse has the potential to break immersion in the worst way.
Silent Hill 2
The Silent Hill 2 Remake is an upcoming Survival Horror release from Bloober Team, the same creative squad behind Layers of Fear and Observer. Developers are reimagining James Sunderland’s adventure through Silent Hill, with updated graphics and gameplay.
