STACK #240 October 2024

GAMING FEATURE

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DYK?

One of the defining features of Silent Hill

games – fog - was originally introduced to hide technical

limitations of the first PlayStation console.

Renowned as one of the greatest and most atmospheric survival horror outings of all time, Silent Hill 2 returns this month in newly updated form. Mateusz Lenart, creative director and lead designer at Polish developer BlooberTeam, tells us more. Words Bec Summer A QUIET PLACE?

The big leap in technology has allowed us to be even closer to how Team Silent would have desired their game to be back in 2001. Thanks to state-of-the-art motion capture sessions, we can deliver the best facial expressions in the series’ history and show a wide range of emotions even before a character speaks a single word. With the possibilities of the Unreal Engine 5, we’re bringing the foggy, sinister town to life in ways that were impossible up to this point. The game will delight PlayStation 5 players visually, auditorily, and sensorily. What about the characters, James and Maria? How has current tech helped improve their stories? Their emotional arcs have been preserved, but with great care being given to showcasing their emotions with motion capture technology. This allows us to employ ‘show, don’t tell’ techniques more often, which is why some of the dialogue has been slightly altered to add an extra layer of nuance to the character dynamics. Have you kept the original game’s intriguing puzzles intact? The puzzles in the game have been slightly altered to present a new spin on their original designs, but still maintain their eerie connection to the game’s overall theme and narrative. We’ve taken great care to build upon the memory of the original Silent Hill 2 by sometimes twisting and confounding player’s expectations with regards to certain puzzle solutions, in a kind of a tribute to the inventiveness and playfulness of the original game. We believe that this approach, alongside the numerous and often surprising references to the original present in the game, will bring joy to fans of the classic Silent Hill 2 , while at the same time offering them something new and interesting to solve. We like to think of it as our way of expressing love for the original game – by enriching the experience, while still being mindful of preserving its essence.

How did you set about recreating and updating this genuine video game classic? We’ve approached working on the remake with such great care and respect for the original game. One of our primary goals is to preserve the atmosphere that made Silent Hill 2 so exceptional, while also modernising many aspects of the game’s overall gameplay. We’ve worked closely with the original creators,

including Akira Yamaoka and Masahiro Ito, to ensure we’re keeping that unique Silent Hill feel intact.

can see, we could find new ways to keep the player on edge.

• Silent Hill 2 is out Oct 8

How closely have you adhered to the original story? Silent Hill 2 is known for its gripping and multilayered storytelling, and that’s something we wanted to preserve in the remake. The setting of some events may change, but their impact on the story will remain the same. Even when new locations are introduced, we’ve sought to refer to the original whenever possible so that returning players will feel right at home when they venture out into the foggy streets of Silent Hill again. How has updated technology helped in realising your take on Silent Hill 2 , 23 years after the original?

The player’s view has changed from first person to third person, over the shoulder. What was the thinking behind this? With that change we want to immerse players even deeper into the game, make them feel like they’re a part of this unreal world, and deliver them a more visceral experience across the board. Overall, we want players to feel more in control of James, while maintaining the pervasive feeling of dread that characterises the original. One change often brings another. With the new perspective, we’ve rebuilt the combat system and certain set pieces, among other things. Now that you see basically what James

CASTING JAMES British/Canadian actor Luke Roberts steps into the shoes of Silent Hill 2 ’s main protagonist, James Sunderland. You may have seen him in such TV series as Black Sails and Ransom . He also played Thomas Wayne in 2022’s The Batman .

12 OCTOBER 2024

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