Bloober’s remake ofSilent Hill 2has been on a surprising and sudden upswing concerning the reception from die-hard fans lately and all it took was a longer look at gameplay with protagonist James Sunderland exploring the titular town. So far, the remake is finally proving to be faithful in a lot of ways that are deemed necessary whereas combat and character models are still points of mild contention. Any huge change is likely to generate more division as well, though a more subtle one Bloober has revealed for theSilent Hill 2remake doesn’t seem to be stepping on too many toes at the moment: save screens.
Silent Hill 2’s Save Points Have a Ton of Character as Eerie Red Squares
Red square save points inSilent Hill 2are purposefully cryptic with an enigmatic final save point in the Lakeview Hotel featuring nine red squares. Ordinary save screens in the originalSilent Hill 2themselves, though, are all identical and bear a solid red filter with a straight-on static image of James’ face layered behind the player’s save file selection.
Married to an iconic sound triggered by players accessing a save point, these red squares and the screens they bleed into are among some of themost iconic imagery in theSilent Hillfranchise. Plus, like many elements inSilent Hill, they cleave a soothing calm with a lonely sense of dread.
For Better or for Worse, Silent Hill 2’s Remake Breathes Life into Save Screens
Now, for whatever reason, save screens in the remake ofSilent Hill 2have the solid red filter but the shot of James is now skewed from the perspective of the red square save point itself in the environment and is dynamic as he has an idle animation and moves within it. To be fair, not all angles are as skewed as the one from the well that has made the rounds and there is real potential for them to be creepy with James’ live render.
It isn’t as big of a change as anything to do with actual gameplay and it’s plausible that many players won’t care or notice it anyway. Still, these angles may give save screens an awkward proportion, almost like James inadvertently inverted an iPhone camera to face him with an unflattering upshot.
It is unclear why a straight-on shot of James’ face was deemed insufficient for the remake and what Bloober has landed on for save screens instead may command a more comedic effect than an ominous one depending on what certain angles look like. Regardless, it being different could have an impact on how theoverall tone of suchSilent Hill 2momentsis interpreted. Of all the features to exercise creative liberty toward, the dynamic angle of James in each save screen is definitely an interesting choice.
It’s especially strange since this choice could also realistically be left to players’ interpretations ifBloober and Konamiwanted, and no new change in the remake would toil beneath that logic.
There may not be any point to being able to see James’ surroundings as he moves idly, just as there wasn’t any explicit point to the original save screen plastering James’ face in a deadpan gaze. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t beaSilent Hillgameif any and all details weren’t dissected for a scrap of meaning that could be extracted from them and thus far it seems like this could either be a considered continuation of the cryptic nature ofSilent Hill’s save points, as if the red squares are indeed actively peering back at James like a reflective surface, or a stylistic alteration attempting solely to complement a modern take on the 2001 classic.
