Have you played Silent Hill 2?
Silent Hill 2 was an unforgettable experience. It’s hard to describe these sorts of experiences, but for some reason we get this need to share the feeling. It’s a very subconscious kind of experience, that’s more felt than anything. That doesn’t really translate into words. But I do want to express it.
SH2 haunts me. And to be honest it’s hard to look at games the same way. I’ve played a lot of games but none have affected me like this. I almost wonder why there aren’t more games like this? It’s a game that feels real (despite the surreal nature of it). It’s a real human story hidden in a horror game. To credit SH2 as just a horror game does a huge disservice to it. It’s so much more than that.
SH2 can really teach you things about who you are as a person. There are these fascinating hidden choice mechanics which are so much more subtle and organic than ‘RPG’s’. In RPG’s typically it’s choices like ‘charm/agressive/kill or save this guy’. SH2 choices are internal, they are you inside and they affect you in a real way. They are real things (looking at knives, reading suicidal notes, staying close to a loved one etc.). Like before I played this I never thought of mechanics like that, I’m baffled in a way in how obvious it is yet simple. Personally I’ve yet to see it replicated anywhere else with this quality.
The story...man the story. This is a psychological, human masterpiece. I literally am struggling to get that experience with any other game. Everything flows beautifully into one another. The slow unravelling of James (our protagonist), and what the story really is. All the characters have their own story, their own journey. Tragic, real stories. They're damaged in some way and they're looking for something. It’s not just a game for game’s sake, I feel like the creators really wanted to say something worthwhile. Meaningful. It’s just so mature and smartly realized. And utterly compelling. I think it’s because it’s an internal story most of all, it’s a game told through the inner life which is incredibly rare. And a town that reflects your subconscious. Genius! I think I’ve seen that idea in once before in a Tarkovsky film. It’s harrowing in the way that when you realize this about the game, you can interpret the monsters the way you see them: the nurses, monsters, Pyramid Head etc. And it depends on each person’s personal experience. Alongside that, you get so many different endings which completely change the story!
So all in all, it’s a layered piece of art. Art because it tries to go beyond a game into something more and higher. The characters aren’t ‘saints’, they challenge your conceptions. And I’d say it’s one of the best protagonists around because he’s so mysterious. Flawed but real. Whilst I think it’s easy to hate James and call him a terrible person (I know he killed someone), I think the game doesn’t present it in such a clear way. It isn’t just black and white, it wants you to think about it. Because his soul is in torment. Should we hope for his redemption?
Anyway, I don’t know if it just hit me at the right time. I recently went through a break-up, and somehow I found some comfort in playing SH2, maybe some catharsis. But I’ll never forget it.
Silent Hill 2 was an unforgettable experience. It’s hard to describe these sorts of experiences, but for some reason we get this need to share the feeling. It’s a very subconscious kind of experience, that’s more felt than anything. That doesn’t really translate into words. But I do want to express it.
SH2 haunts me. And to be honest it’s hard to look at games the same way. I’ve played a lot of games but none have affected me like this. I almost wonder why there aren’t more games like this? It’s a game that feels real (despite the surreal nature of it). It’s a real human story hidden in a horror game. To credit SH2 as just a horror game does a huge disservice to it. It’s so much more than that.
SH2 can really teach you things about who you are as a person. There are these fascinating hidden choice mechanics which are so much more subtle and organic than ‘RPG’s’. In RPG’s typically it’s choices like ‘charm/agressive/kill or save this guy’. SH2 choices are internal, they are you inside and they affect you in a real way. They are real things (looking at knives, reading suicidal notes, staying close to a loved one etc.). Like before I played this I never thought of mechanics like that, I’m baffled in a way in how obvious it is yet simple. Personally I’ve yet to see it replicated anywhere else with this quality.
The story...man the story. This is a psychological, human masterpiece. I literally am struggling to get that experience with any other game. Everything flows beautifully into one another. The slow unravelling of James (our protagonist), and what the story really is. All the characters have their own story, their own journey. Tragic, real stories. They're damaged in some way and they're looking for something. It’s not just a game for game’s sake, I feel like the creators really wanted to say something worthwhile. Meaningful. It’s just so mature and smartly realized. And utterly compelling. I think it’s because it’s an internal story most of all, it’s a game told through the inner life which is incredibly rare. And a town that reflects your subconscious. Genius! I think I’ve seen that idea in once before in a Tarkovsky film. It’s harrowing in the way that when you realize this about the game, you can interpret the monsters the way you see them: the nurses, monsters, Pyramid Head etc. And it depends on each person’s personal experience. Alongside that, you get so many different endings which completely change the story!
So all in all, it’s a layered piece of art. Art because it tries to go beyond a game into something more and higher. The characters aren’t ‘saints’, they challenge your conceptions. And I’d say it’s one of the best protagonists around because he’s so mysterious. Flawed but real. Whilst I think it’s easy to hate James and call him a terrible person (I know he killed someone), I think the game doesn’t present it in such a clear way. It isn’t just black and white, it wants you to think about it. Because his soul is in torment. Should we hope for his redemption?
Anyway, I don’t know if it just hit me at the right time. I recently went through a break-up, and somehow I found some comfort in playing SH2, maybe some catharsis. But I’ll never forget it.