Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 Remake has been met with backlash from the moment it was announced. Many in the horror game community feel that Bloober Team aren’t really up to the task of remaking an old horror game, let alone a pillar of the genre like Konami’s classic Silent Hill 2. These concerns were not alleviated at all when it came time for Sony’s State of Play, revealing more footage of Bloober’s Silent Hill 2 Remake with a combat trailer.
For those familiar with the Silent Hill franchise, the mere concept of a “combat trailer” is probably enough to set off alarm bells, even before you see the over-the-shoulder camera and the quicktime events to escape grabs. Silent Hill was never a series that people played for the combat, in fact the combat is considered to be probably the most unremarkable part about the series. Many online have pointed out that because of Silent Hill 2’s combat being so plain that the remake is only doing good by revamping it in a more action oriented direction.
Silent Hill fans: 2 is awesome but the combat sucked
Konami: *drops a trailer to highlight a change in perspective and give a taste of the combat*
Silent Hill fans: WHAT IS THIS RESIDENT EVIL 4?? IS THIS AN ACTION GAME HOW COULD YOU WHY ARE YOU FORCING US TO FIGHT https://t.co/DHcxAtsDON pic.twitter.com/96rMYwGd68
— Cameron! 🇵🇸 (@SalmonSaviour) February 1, 2024
Those against the remake however, have pointed out that the combat was never the point and that remaking it in such a way takes away from the narrative as well as the tension.
Dont ever fall for the “Bad Combat” meme when it comes to people talking about survival horror you will end up making Homecoming where you do dodgerolls and combos on dogs in your old neighborhood. https://t.co/TmyEFDQLpY
— Rocky (@viperwave) February 2, 2024
this is what happens when you only perceive flaws as problems to be solved and not an artistic tool https://t.co/6ajyik3hjX
— hatok (@HatokTalk) February 1, 2024
But regardless of what people think personally, it’s generally agreed upon that this game looks like Capcom’s latest Resident Evil Remake series, from the quicktime events that eerily resemble the zombie grabs you’d see in Resident Evil 2 Remake to the over-the-shoulder camera. And because both Bloober Team as well as Konami behind them are not in the best graces of video game fans, it’s become a talking point online that Silent Hill 2 Remake is going to be, at best, an uninspired game banking on the nostalgia of a beloved older title, and considering the content of the combat trailer it’s not hard to see why many would think that.