The 10 BIGGEST Differences Between Silent Hill 2 Remake And Original

10 Biggest Differences Between Silent Hill 2 and its Remake

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 10 major differences between “Silent Hill 2” and its remake!

An Expanded Silent Hill

One of the first big changes veteran players might notice will occur as you step foot into the town of Silent Hill. Whereas the original “Silent Hill 2” was more linear in where you could go, the remake is putting a bigger focus on exploration. As you complete objectives, you will have to venture back out into Silent Hill’s foggy landscape, forcing you to endure more terrors despite whatever backtracking you wind up doing. On top of that, the way Silent Hill has been arranged makes the game feel more like…you know, a town and not just a bunch of objects coincidentally placed to form a path for you to follow.

Interior Renovations

Along with the new layout of Silent Hill comes with some changes to even indoor areas. OG fans will recognize just about every room inside buildings, but what’s different in “Silent Hill 2’s” remake is the layout. Rooms have been rearranged in a way that makes more logical sense to what one would see in the real world. Not only does this make Silent Hill seem more like a town that could actually exist, it also provides a fresher experience for veterans by changing how some puzzles might need to be solved. Speaking of which…

Puzzles

Puzzles have seen a bit of remixing for the “Silent Hill 2” remake as well. In terms of purpose and solutions, almost every puzzle is relatively the same. However, the big difference here between the original “Silent Hill 2” and the remake is in structure. As we mentioned earlier, you will have to scurry to and from various locations within Silent Hill. Part of the reason behind this is how some pieces to a puzzle may be scattered across other areas. In other words, it might take you longer to solve them than it did back on PlayStation 2.

Combat

On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be much difference in “Silent Hill 2’s” combat. On the contrary, there is a vastly different take here that you simply cannot see without playing it much less watching a playthrough. The original game was very much true to the “survival horror” genre, making combat more as a desperate means of self-defense and less of a necessity. In the remake, enemies are much more hostile than they ever were, meaning you have to confront the monsters. And no, flailing your weapon around like a madman and mindlessly attacking is not going to keep James alive.

Enemy Variety

In an effort to keep combat from getting stale, developer Bloober Team aimed to rework enemies, their attacks, and their general placement in each area. If you want to make it out of Silent Hill alive, you’re going to have to learn how to adapt to each combat scenario, which enemies to prioritize, and how to effectively dodge their attacks. In a sense, it’s almost like how a lot of action-RPGs like “Dark Souls” play. So, just because you took out a Lying Figure and Mannequin with no problem doesn’t mean you can do the same for Nurses and Flesh Lips.

No Loading Screens

“Well, no duh, guys!! We’d expect a PS5 game to not have loading screens! That isn’t a difference! This list is dumb!!” Hold your horses for a minute. While the lack of loading screens is a nice advancement in today’s technology, this has actually added a new layer to “Silent Hill 2’s” gameplay. You may be able to freely enter and exit most areas without interruptions now, but that does not mean you are the only one benefitting from this once ancient hurdle. Enemies can also enter and exit from certain areas and even follow you into other areas if you try to run away. That said, if you are trying to solve a puzzle or search for collectibles in a specific area, settle your fights first before wandering.

Angela & Eddie

With the drastic changes in technology between 2001 and 2024, it should go without saying that every character in “Silent Hill 2” looks different than they did more than twenty years ago. But while most of the cast look relatively the same, if not better than before, others have gotten really weird about Angela and Eddie. Both characters seem to have been given even more full faces than they had before. Angela’s cheeks are a bit more noticeable while Eddie looks less burly and more rotund than before. Even so, “Silent Hill 2” does star a cast of normal people, not action movie stars like Leon, Jill, and Ada in “Resident Evil”.

Maria

While we’re on the subject of character changes and the cast looking normal, Maria saw a substantial redesign here. Her original iteration leaned somewhat heavily into her sexy nature with her revealing red cardigan, skirt, and boots. The remake still retains some of that sex appeal while being a bit more classy and less revealing. Her cardigan has been replaced with a red jacket, though her appearance still captures that unsettling feeling her original iteration carried.

The UFO Ending

We promise we won’t go too deep into the details regarding endings. If you want to go and see them for yourself, you really should go play the remake. It’s great, and all of the original endings are present in the remake. However, the UFO ending received a major alteration. In the original game, James encounters a UFO piloted by an alien and Harry from the first “Silent Hill” game, Harry still rendered in all his PS1 glory. Harry and the alien zap James before dragging him into the spacecraft. Now, what does the remake change? We’ll just say this: Harry is no longer present.

Two New Endings!?

In addition to the new UFO ending, “Silent Hill 2’s” remake boasts two entirely new endings for players to discover for themselves. We won’t say what happens in either of these so you can experience them for yourself. However, if you want to go for these, you will have to beat the game once and unlock New Game Plus. On your new playthrough, you will have to obtain specific items depending on which ending you want to go for. One of them even has an additional requirement of reaching the “In the Water” ending first before attempting another playthrough. Think you can figure it out for yourself?

How are you liking “Silent Hill 2’s” remake? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!