After Silent Hill 2, Bloober Team Can Tackle the IP’s Most Infamous Entry

by

After Silent Hill 2, Bloober Team Can Tackle the IP's Most Infamous Entry

As a seasoned survivor of countless nights spent huddled under blankets while playing through the chilling terrors of Silent Hill, I must say that the recent success of Bloober Team’s remake of Silent Hill 2 has me both thrilled and intrigued about their future endeavors within the franchise. While the first and third entries are undeniably fan favorites, I find myself drawn to a title that, while not as popular, presents a compelling opportunity for fresh horror: Silent Hill: Downpour.

Following the successful remake of Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2, there has been growing curiosity about what the studio might undertake next within Konami’s renowned horror series. While the first and third games are often considered the most popular Silent Hill titles, there is another game in the series that could be a much more intriguing option for revitalization post-Silent Hill 2 remake.

2012 saw the launch of Silent Hill: Downpour, an installment that continues to divide fans and receive criticism for its quality. The game’s storyline inconsistencies and less engaging gameplay, compared to its well-loved predecessors, have led it to be largely forgotten over time. However, despite its flaws, the intriguing concept of Downpour offers a potential platform for Bloober Team to create an impressive reboot of the Silent Hill series by revisiting this title and starting fresh with a relatively blank canvas.

Silent Hill: Downpour Marked a Promising but Disappointing Chapter in the Franchise’s History

The Story of Murphy Pendleton Had Unfulfilled Potential

The character Murphy Pendleton, who becomes free after a prison transport accident and ends up in Silent Hill, has a solid base but wasn’t developed as much as other series protagonists. His storyline could involve a significant revelation about his own darkness, but Murphy’s emotional journey doesn’t have the same impact as that of James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2. Although the town’s atmosphere greatly enhances the tension in James’ experiences, Murphy lacks the deep symbolism seen in instances like ordinary chase sequences.

A Clunky Entry by Survival Horror Standards

Despite employing less responsive controls as a deliberate tactic to build tension in the genre, the gameplay of Silent Hill: Downpour often falls short compared to its predecessors when it comes to combat. Coupled with technical issues such as frame rate fluctuations and occasionally blurry graphics, repetitive enemy encounters and a lack of smoothness can make combat feel laborious rather than frightening.

Bloober Team Could Be Ideal for Giving Silent Hill: Downpour a Second Chance

A Studio with a Varied and Divisive History in Survival Horror

In essence, after gaining a strong reputation from refurbishing Silent Hill 2, Bloober Team has demonstrated an aptitude for crafting a traditional survival horror atmosphere in modern times. Yet, they’ve also worked on projects that didn’t receive universal praise, such as Layers of Fear and The Medium. These less-appreciated games helped the studio grasp the nuances of horror before Silent Hill 2, but also taught them how to improve flawed horror games. For instance, weaker monster designs open up more opportunities for exploration and innovation, some of which have contributed to the remarkable changes in the Silent Hill 2 remake. Since Downpour has less fan anticipation and nostalgia associated with it, Bloober Team may have greater creative freedom to modify as they see fit.

The upgrades to the combat mechanics of the Silent Hill 2 remake have managed to hit a sweet spot between challenge and tension in a horror scenario, making James’ encounters manageable but more intense. A similar approach would be even more appropriate for Silent Hill: Downpour‘s Murphy Pendleton, a convict with a violent past that doesn’t contradict the game’s more thoughtful psychological themes. It might not entirely make sense for an “everyman” like James or Harry Mason to be so adept at combat, but elevating Murphy’s journey through a new vision could leave the most room for thematically fitting, engaging action in Silent Hill history.

Read More

2024-11-28 17:24