If you performed Bloober Crew’s Silent Hill 2, a remake of the 2001 basic, its many modifications would turn into apparent eventually. The over-the-shoulder perspective and revamped visuals are the obvious (naturally). However there are additionally new buildings to discover, completely different enemy placements, new melee fight mechanics, new enemy assaults, and extra. It seems like a brand-new recreation whereas retaining the essence of what made the unique so terrifying and tense.
Nonetheless, there’s one other new aspect, one garnering consideration for the way it performs right into a long-running concept. As you discover the enduring city, delving deeper into insanity as protagonist James Sunderland desperately searches for his spouse, you encounter Easter eggs and references to the unique recreation referred to as Glimpses of the Previous. The important thing right here is how they really deviate from occasions within the authentic.
For instance, in South Vale (East), you’ll discover a tunnel boarded up with a series hyperlink fence past. It appears innocuous sufficient, however within the 2001 launch, James would maneuver by and encounter a monster that must be slain. Inside the identical space is a fence with a considerably giant blood pool. Whereas it looks like somebody was murdered after which dragged by it, the unique recreation had a corpse there, together with the Condo Gate Key.
Even in Toluca Jail, the place the participant should acquire weights and stability them on the Scales to unlock different areas and ultimately get hold of the Executioner’s Lever, there’s a reference to a special answer. One the place James mixed a horseshoe, wax doll, and lighter to make a deal with for a lure door, like within the authentic (which additionally necessitated discovering some tablets). You possibly can see the remnants of this tough answer – emphasis on “remnants.” Virtually like somebody already went by this identical method utilizing the identical answer that James proposed years prior. So what’s occurring?
Those that performed the unique Silent Hill 2 observed an fascinating element over the yr– there are an astonishing variety of corpses resembling James Sunderland. There are reviews that each corpse is James and never simply the one sitting in entrance of the tv through the iconic second of reality. This led to a concept about him doubtlessly being caught in a time loop. Nonetheless, if that have been the case, he seemingly wouldn’t encounter corpses of himself or variants who tried and failed at many different factors.
You can justify this as illusions manifested by Silent Hill. With out going into spoilers, a lot of its nightmarish features are manifested from the tortured psyche of James (and lots of the different trapped survivors). It’s common for it to torture him or anybody else on this method.
Nonetheless, Silent Hill 2 remake performs with that concept and seemingly posits it in a different way – maybe the sport’s occasions are enjoying out from the attitude of an alternate timeline’s James. The corpses resembling him make a return and will thus be justified as completely different variations who entered the city and died in horrifying methods. It additionally explains how some areas have modified considerably – a variant of James is accountable for going by the lure door in Toluca Jail, which suggests the remake model has to search out one other method by.
Within the authentic, Eddie is encountered in South Vale (West) consuming pizza, with James chastising him over it. The remake model finds the identical field with a lot of the pizza eaten however no Eddie. And although it’s paraphrasing, he as soon as once more wonders how somebody may sit there and eat pizza when monsters are roaming by the city. Maybe this James arrived a bit late to occur upon Eddie within the act. The truth that he’s with Maria within the remake – who isn’t current within the authentic throughout the identical occasion – additional feeds into the speculation of this being an alternate James Sunderland.
You possibly can even uncover an “previous map”, which seems to be much more worn out and tattered than the others that James discovers. It showcases comparable markings for various factors of curiosity, very like what the present James does. The physique close by additionally seemingly resembles him, additional including to the speculation that it is a variant.
So what’s going on? Are there a number of variations of James from alternate timelines operating round, every dying earlier than they’ll run into the opposite? Maybe the reply lies within the authentic.
As a result of nature of his crimes, and the way he has no recollections of them, Silent Hill 2’s occasions might merely be repeating because of the self-inflicted torment over his guilt. They’re enjoying on endlessly, like a time loop, however the our bodies are piling up as a result of some a part of him needs to recollect and take accountability for his actions.
Based mostly on creature designer Masahiro Ito confirming that every one endings are canon – and do not forget that it’s important to do vastly various things to earn each – it’s doable that even the one “good” ending isn’t actual. As a substitute, it’s simply one other endpoint earlier than James resets and should bear the torture once more.
Whereas it’s only a concept, Bloober Crew has utilized this to make intelligent references to the unique, this additional feeds into the potential of being caught in a loop. That is merely one other run for James – a number of issues might have vastly modified over what we keep in mind from the unique, however it’s all model new. And greater than prone to be forgotten as his self-loathing and torment proceed.
It’s all of the extra intriguing when you think about Silent Hill 4: The Room, which options Frank Sunderland, James’ father (although he doesn’t outright say it). The protagonist, Henry, talks about receiving a photograph from Frank and mentions listening to about his son and daughter-in-law, who “disappeared in Silent Hill a couple of years again…”
James’ final destiny continues to be unknown, particularly since he seems in numerous joke endings for different titles. However, the quantity of hints that he’s doubtlessly nonetheless trapped and “experiencing” Silent Hill in his personal method is difficult to disclaim.
The truth that one of many new endings leans into James selecting ignorance over revelation leans much more into his incapacity to maneuver on and as an alternative selecting to overlook. In fact, there’s one other new ending leaning in a special route – much less acceptance and striving for redemption and extra attempting to repair his mistake, thus studying nothing from this complete train. Which is completely in character for him.
There are nonetheless loopholes, resembling why issues would change so drastically now for James if he’s gone by so many different loops. The one potential reply is that perhaps he subconsciously needs these modifications. Perhaps he’s turn into conscious that the stressed desires of the city aren’t simply Mary’s, and in some way, a way, he needs to flee. Perhaps sufficient years have handed of the identical previous torture, and his unconscious, which Silent Hill manifests, is trying to find new methods to allow this.
Regardless of the case could also be, it’s one more instance of Silent Hill 2 remake’s brilliance and the way it builds on the unique whereas staying true to it, proper all the way down to the long-running theories. We might by no means get a definitive reply or destiny for James, however as each the unique and remake have confirmed, typically a sinner’s punishment should be extra extreme.
