The Silence is Broken

The greatest news in recent video game history was announced this month. Konami is remaking its classic 2001 survival-horror hit, Silent Hill 2. While this is not their first attempt at upgrading the game—no, that honour goes to the seventh generation HD Collection remaster, which received 'meh' reception—this time it appears to have been built from the ground up, resulting in a hauntingly beautiful looking trailer.

For people new to the Silent Hill series—or who have watched the movie and don't actually know anything about the games—here is some fun mythology to make your stay in this picturesque lakeside resort town more enjoyable. Keep in mind that this information pertains to the original version, and I can't vouch for how much of it may be relevant to the remake. Also, while I try to avoid any major spoilers, I apologise if I give anything valuable away.

***DISCLAIMER*** This game is not for everyone. While I am a Christian, many of the themes in this game are not suitable for mainstream Christian viewership. The series contains elements of the occult, demons, conjuration, false gods, idol worship, human sacrifice, suicide, murder, ghosts... However, these acts are mostly performed by the game's antagonists, and usually result in calamity. On a more secular level, it contains oddly sexualised depictions of violence, drug references/use, and lots of blood. While I do not consider this game a stumbling block to my Faith, I would recommend anyone who does to steer WELL-CLEAR of this entire series.. Trust your own discernment.

Welcome to Silent Hill

Silent Hill is a sleepy town centred around Toluca Lake (a.k.a. 'The Terrifying Lake of Death'). The town used to be a thriving resort town, but has seen decline over the years, to the point that it is practically a ghost town. There has been debate amongst fans from the very beginning of the series as to the location of the town, with one side arguing the Pacific Northwest and the other championing a New England setting. The debate seemed to be settled when an eagle-eyed fan apparently spotted Maine plates on vehicles in Silent Hill 2, but I can't vouch for that. The argument intensified with the release of Silent Hill 3 which showed that Silent Hill was within driving distance of Portland. But whether the reference was to Portland, Oregon (Pacific Northwest) or Portland, Maine (New England) was not made clear. Then, with the launch of an enigmatic game in 2014 called P.T., which turned out to be a teaser for the shattered promise of a threatened-since-cancelled Guillermo Del Toro sequel called Silent Hills, fans began to speculate that maybe they were both right. The teaser made a strong case for a Pacific Northwest setting, but what if the name (Silent Hills) alluded to two different locations? Or two parallel universes? Or... who cares? The game was scrapped and I will never be over it.

The last I heard the consensus was New England, but who knows?

Do I need to have played Silent Hill (1) first?

Silent Hill 2 has absolutely no direct link to the first Silent Hill, other than the eponymous town (which, as mentioned, is up for debate anyway). Silent Hill 1 revolves around Harry Mason searching for his missing daughter Cheryl (READ: not Sharon), while Silent Hill 2 has James Sunderland receiving a letter from his wife Mary, who has died several years prior to the game. See? Unrelated.

Silent Hill 1 & 3 (henceforth referred to as Silent Hill Odd) follow the same story, while Silent Hill 2 & 4 (Silent Hill Even) make up another story. These two continuities are based around two different Sects of a religion known as The Order, each worshipping different gods in different ways. Silent Hill Odd follows the Holy Woman Sect, while Silent Hill Even is based around the Holy Mother Sect. The endgame of both sects is to bring about the manifestation of their respective gods, in very different ways. There are other Sects on the side, but for the sake of brevity we're going to ignore those. Confused?

Neither Sect particularly appear in Silent Hill 2, however there are many allusions and references to the Holy Mother Sect which become apparent in Silent Hill 4. Most of these references occur during a subsequent playthrough after completing Silent Hill 2, when James now has the option of collecting four artefacts of ceremonial significance. Once these items are attained they'll unlock the secret 'Church of Rebirth' location in the middle of Toluca Lake, where he will redacted.

There is also an interesting newspaper clipping you may randomly locate about the murder of Billy & Miriam Locane by one Walter Sullivan, & the killer's subsequent suicide. This document has no bearing whatsoever on the story of Silent Hill 2, but is ridiculously important in Silent Hill 4 (& is mainly what links Silent Hill Even). It's like some strange time-travelling Easter Egg from a game that didn't happen until three years later!

Why is Toluca Lake called, 'The Terrifying Lake of Death'?

Okay, so no one but me actually calls it that. And in all fairness, I am mildly (also, self-diagnosed) limnophobic. Look it up.

Through a document found in-game, we are introduced to the mysterious sinking of a steamboat called the Little Baroness. All fourteen passengers and crew died in the tragedy, though neither their bodies nor the wreckage were ever found (Again, not a massive plot element in Silent Hill 2, but becomes huge in the extremely rare Silent Hill Arcade rail-shooter ((which I had the immense pleasure of playing with my wife on a date night)) ). The document also references another calamity, but the details have been ripped out, before concluding that

Many corpses rest at the bottom of this lake. Their bony hands reach up towards the boats that pass overhead.

Pretty creepy, right? Oh, and did I mention that shortly after this you are required to row one such boat across the lake? I know, right?!? Needless to say, while you are out on the lake redacted redacted redacted redacted redacted. In fact, this moment is so horrifying that at the end of the game it will give you a score for how quickly you made it across the lake.

So, yeah. Terrifying Lake of Death.

The End of the Matter

There are games that stay with you long after the credits have rolled. Games like Detroit: Become Human. Or Heavy Rain. Games that leave you at a heightened state of anxiety wondering, "What did I just play?!?"

Silent Hill 2 will leave you more with a feeling of, "What have I done?"

The game has several possible endings, dependant upon your decisions throughout the game. If you've never played before, I pretty much guarantee you will get what is called the 'In Water' ending, where

redacted redacted. And you will come away feeling bummed. That was my first ending. The others don't improve much. In fact this whole game is really bleak and depressing; devoid of any hope. If you have a Saviour or White Knight complex, this game will take you down a peg or two.

But seriously, if you ever get a chance to play this game, I cannot recommend it enough (subject to my disclaimer at the start). I only hope that the remake lives up to the promises it has made.

Not like Silent Hills.