If there’s anything the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake confirms it is that, while it still has a devout fanbase who’d defend it endlessly and tirelessly, the original has lackluster combat. Taking a pipe and repeatedly smacking an enemy in an attempt to interrupt their attacks and then stepping on them to put them down can only be so entertaining after all, and though melee is serviceable in Silent Hill 2’s one-on-one encounters it is largely sustained by the sequel’s terrific all-around sound design.
No matter how players feel about combat in general against roaming enemies, though, it is fairly difficult to argue that boss fights are designed interestingly. The limitations of combat in early Silent Hill games obviously have a lot to do with this, but what is achieved amounts to players simply racing to one corner of the room, firing at the boss until the boss closes the distance, and then rinse-and-repeating the process until they’ve exhausted enough bullets to complete the encounter. The Silent Hill 2 remake has made distinct changes to combat that have been warmed up to since their reveal and changes to boss fights would warrant an even warmer welcome if Bloober has been able to make them more engaging or dynamic in its reimagining.
Silent Hill 2’s Boss Fights are Where the Remake Should Take Its Greatest Liberties
Being slow and methodical with a chainsaw or Great Knife can yield thrilling results and spice combat up a bit, but encounters in Silent Hill games all essentially boil down to the same core tenets. The best-case scenario here is that boss fights are dull and largely forgettable. Rather, when these fights become tedious and arduous, their flawed and monotonous designs are inexcusable.
Silent Hill 2’s Boss Fights are a Low Point in an Otherwise Beautifully Atmospheric Game
Silent Hill 2 in particular features an infamous boss fight against Eddie Dombrowski where players are locked in egregiously cramped rooms with him and exchange blows while face-tanking the other’s attacks. Not only is this bizarre from a design standpoint but it also erases any immersion the scene may have had otherwise while James Sunderland and Eddie fire bullet after bullet into one another.
This isn’t a new gripe or issue with the 2001 classic and yet it is necessary to exhume with Bloober’s remake on the horizon and the fact that it may well be adapting this boss fight and others from
Silent Hill 2
with little or no changes to their designs.
Brand-New Boss Fights in the Silent Hill 2 Remake Could Be a Boon
Knowing that Silent Hill 2’s remake is going to more than double the length of the original has the potential to be a gracious sign about many aspects of gameplay, but it’s tough to tell whether boss fights will be heavily impacted by changes Bloober makes or not. With any luck, Bloober will have taken boss fights and dramatically altered them to not have them be so one-dimensional and static, especially if new mechanics have been introduced to ordinary combat with loose tethers to other installments in Silent Hill’s eclectic, disjointed franchise.
Thankfully, evidence of the first Pyramid Head boss fight being changed has already been shared. Boss fights don’t have to take set pieces and turn them into wildly new experiences as that could also alienate anyone who’s grown a strong attachment or fondness to the original’s boss fights. That said, faithful nostalgia winning the day would be a sad triumph for disappointing boss fights when Bloober has a rare opportunity to excel where Team Silent debatably fell short, which is not a chance many Silent Hill games have had since and certainly not one Bloober should idly overlook.
