The trailer for Bloober Crew’s Silent Hill 2 remake recreated a number of scenes from the unique recreation, solely with higher-res faces and floppier hair. We noticed James taking a look at himself in a public restroom mirror, hiding in a closet as Pyramid Head murdered a pair of mannequins, and reaching between bars to seize a key. However we additionally noticed James from behind as he walked round, suggesting the adoption of a contemporary third-person view slightly than the fixed-camera perspective of the unique recreation.
Mateusz Lenart, inventive director and lead designer at Bloober Crew, advised the PlayStation Weblog (opens in new tab) that was certainly the case, saying, “One of many new parts that you might spot within the reveal trailer is the adoption of an over-the-shoulder digital camera. With that change we wish to immerse gamers even deeper into the sport, make them really feel like they’re part of this unreal world, and ship them a extra visceral expertise throughout the board.”
Whereas Bloober Crew’s earlier recreation The Medium used fastened cameras, it is not stunning {that a} remake of Silent Hill 2 may go for a perspective harking back to the favored Resident Evil 2 remake. It is not the one factor that is altering, in fact. “One change typically brings one other,” Lenart mentioned. “With a brand new perspective, we’re rebuilding the fight system and sure setpieces, amongst different issues. Now that you simply see mainly what James can see, we might discover new methods to maintain the participant on edge.”
Fight is not one thing we have seen a lot of in earlier Bloober Crew horror video games, which have virtually solely centered on stealth and chase sequences. Blair Witch was the exception, with a first-person fight system that concerned aiming your flashlight at no matter creature your canine was barking at. That does not encourage a whole lot of confidence, however then Silent Hill 2’s fight was by no means its standout characteristic. Swinging a plank with nails ultimately typically resulted in unintentionally hitting a close-by wall and even your NPC companion.
Lenart additionally talked about the engine, saying that, “With the chances of the Unreal Engine 5, we’re bringing the foggy, sinister city to life in ways in which have been unimaginable up thus far.” That exhibits within the Silent Hill 2 remake’s system necessities, that are fairly demanding (and for some cause listing Home windows 11 as advisable; possibly for DirectStorage?).
In line with Lenart, two options of Unreal Engine 5 have been essential for the remake: the worldwide illumination system Lumen and the rendering tech Nanite, which lets builders import 3D belongings with billions of polygons. “Lumen is a completely dynamic world illumination resolution that instantly reacts to scene and lightweight modifications,” he mentioned. “It implies that the sunshine interacts with the atmosphere realistically, similar to in the actual world. The entire recreation atmosphere is lit extra naturally this fashion. The Nanite know-how, however, is an incredible instrument for degree designers. With it, they’ll create extremely detailed worlds and extra practical environments that feel and look virtually lifelike.”
Lastly, Lenart gave a shout-out to the PS5’s SSD, saying that, “The superfast information streaming means gamers will not see any loading screens as they seamlessly discover everything of the Silent Hill city.” Presumably that’ll be the case on PC too.
In the meantime, there are a number of new Silent Hill tasks within the works. Silent Hill F is a prequel set in Sixties Japan, Silent Hill Townfall is being made by Tales Untold studio No Code, and Silent Hill Ascension is an interactive reside occasion with a narrative formed by the viewers.
