Happy Halloween!

It seemed only fitting that on this day, the culmination of Spooktober, we get together to discuss undoubtedly one of the best survival horror games in recent memory. Back in 2022 when Silent Hill 2 remake was first revealed to be in development from Bloober Team, the team behind things like The Medium, Layers of Fear, and Observer, the reveal was met with a great deal of skepticism. Would a team that had up until this point only made mid-tier horror experiences be able to truly encapsulate the greatness of the original Silent Hill 2 game? As time went on and more and more gameplay emerged however, it became clear that we had something special on our hands. The end result, releasing on October 8th 2024 not only met expectations of many fans but exceeded them. Akin to the Resident Evil remake released on GameCube in 2002, this remake of Silent Hill 2 expands on the original in almost every way while keeping the original tone and atmosphere of the game intact. The end result is a product that pays great respect to the original source material while completely modernizing the gameplay for the audience of today.

Silent Hill 2 is the story of one man, James Sunderland, (voiced and mocapped beautifully here by Luke Roberts), and his journey to the small town of Silent Hill. Here James hopes to find a way to reconnect with his dead wife Mary who has mysteriously written him a letter asking him to look for her there. In this desolate and abandoned town, James encounters other people also called back to this place to search for answers, family, or even just peace. Silent Hill 2 is an examination of the psychology of grief, of trauma, and how we process information. While on the surface the game presents as a standard survival horror affair, there's so much there waiting to be analyzed and expanded upon. While Josh, Colin, and Skrilus do their best to touch on all of these elements and theorize on what some of the symbolism and encounters mean, we can only do so much. At the end of the day this is a game that deserves to be played by anyone who is a fan of not only survival horror but of stories that explore the human condition.

Do yourself a favor and pick this game up, and after you've had a chance to play it, come back and give this a listen. We think you'll like what you play, and what you hear of course.

Thanks very much for listening, and take care!