If all fans of Silent Hill know the names of Keiichiro Toyama (director of the first game), Masahiro Ito (artistic director) or Akira Yamaoka (composer), that of Masashi Tsuboyama rarely makes the headlines. Yet, he led the development of Silent Hill 2 in 2001a title which is entitled to a remake by Bloober Team et Konami this week.
No doubt taken by a fit of madness, Masashi Tsuboyama decided to register https://twitter.com/tsuboyama2024/status/1842185991496614263 (ex-Twitter) recently and obviously, he addressed the subject of the remake in a series of very interesting messages:
About the Silent Hill 2 remake.
Games and technology are constantly evolving, leading to significant differences in constraints and levels of expression. This is a common problem in media arts in general, but it is not easy to preserve and appreciate the environment of the time.
I think the value of the remake is that a new generation can play it. As a creator, I’m very happy about it. It’s been 23 years! Even if you don’t know the original, you can just enjoy the remake as it is. Whether it is good or bad does not affect the original.
The differences between the original and the remake, 4K, photorealism, bonus headsets, etc. are all mediocre. Who will this promotion appeal to? It seems like they’re not doing enough to convey the appeal of the work to the generation unfamiliar with Silent Hill.
What should be noted is the change in camera (perspective). Changing the playable camera has a significant impact on many aspects, combat, level design, art creation, etc. Although the impact on the story may be relatively small, it makes a big change to the gameplay of the game.
To be honest, I’m not happy with the playable camera from 23 years ago. Depth and angle were limited by processing load. It was a continuous process of hard work that was not rewarded. But that was the limit.
The over-the-shoulder view definitely adds to the feeling of realism. In other words, This makes me want to try playing the even more immersive remake of Silent Hill 2 !!!
Yes, far from being as narrow-minded as some fans who are a little too purist, Masashi Tsuboyama is really looking forward to rediscovering his game with modern technologies, explaining that certain choices of the time were due to technical limitations. However, the director of the PS2 game scratches the promotional campaign of Konamiwhich focuses its communication towards fans, but not towards newbies. We will have to wait a few more days to find out if sales will still be there.
Silent Hill 2 Remake will be released tomorrow on PC and PlayStation 5, you can buy it for €49.99 on Amazon.
Read also: TEST Silent Hill 2: the foggy remake of a masterpiece
| Clint008 Editor – Tester |
