Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake trailer recreated some scenes from the original game, only with a higher resolution face and drooping hair. We saw James see himself in a public restroom mirror, hid in a closet as Pyramid Head murdered a pair of mannequins, and reached between the bars to grab the key. It is also seen from behind, suggesting that it employs a modern third-person perspective rather than the original game’s fixed-camera perspective.
Mateusz Lenart, creative director and lead designer at Bloober Team playstation blog (opens in new tab) “One of the new elements we see in the reveal trailer is the adoption of an over-the-shoulder camera. It feels like it’s there and provides a more intuitive experience across the board.”
Bloober Team’s predecessor, The Medium, used a fixed camera, so it’s no surprise that the Silent Hill 2 remake might have a perspective reminiscent of the popular Resident Evil 2 remake. But that’s not all. “One change often leads to another,” says Lenart. “We’re rebuilding the combat system and certain set pieces in particular from a new perspective. Now that we know basically what James can see, we’ve been able to find new ways to keep players tense. “
Combat was something not often seen in previous Bloober Team horror games, focusing almost exclusively on stealth and chase sequences. Blair Witch was an exception, which had a first-person combat system where dogs pointed their flashlights at barking creatures. Swinging the nailed planks at the end often hit nearby walls and even NPC allies.
Lenart also commented on the engine, saying, “Unreal Engine 5’s potential will bring a foggy and ominous city to life in a way never before possible.” This is shown in the system requirements for Silent Hill 2 Remake, which are pretty stringent (and for some reason Windows 11 is listed as recommended, perhaps for DirectStorage?).
According to Lenart, two features of Unreal Engine 5 were critical to the remake. Lumen, a global illumination system, and Nanite, a rendering technology that allows developers to import 3D assets containing billions of polygons. “Lumen is a fully dynamic global illumination solution that reacts instantly to scene and light changes. The entire game environment is more naturally lit this way, while Nanite technology is a great tool for level designers, allowing them to create incredibly detailed worlds and almost lifelike You can create a more realistic environment that looks like
Finally, Lenart has this to say about the PS5’s SSD: Probably the PC version as well.
Meanwhile, multiple new Silent Hill projects are in the works. Silent Hill F is his prequel set in 1960s Japan, Silent Hill Townfall is produced by Stories Untold studio’s No Code, and Silent Hill Ascension is an interactive live show with a story shaped by the viewer. It’s an event.
