Summary
Silent Hill 2 Remakeis not an exciting plot filled with characters that motivate players to do something good outside of the game. Instead, it’s an oppressive plot through self-realization. Why are these people trapped in Silent Hill? Is James hallucinating them all or are they indeed also looking for someone, as he is?
What makesSilent Hill 2 great is that it can be interpreted in many different ways. It’s a discussion point for fans ofthe horror genre. Some things that help guide these deep dives along are bringing up quotes both thoughtful and bizarre. Let’s take a look at these quotes with spoilers in mind.
8“This Town…There’s Something Wrong With It?”
Angela
This will be one of the first interactions James has with an NPC in the game. Angela is hanging out in a graveyard, looking for her mom. She seems put together at first but later on, she will show cracks.
She’s even conscious enough to warn James that something isn’t right about the town of Silent Hill but she doesn’t know how to put her concerns into words yet. If only James listened, maybe he could have avoided some tragedies.
7“I’m Not Sure What You’re Planning, But There’s Always Another Way.”
James
James will encounter Angela not long after this in the Wood Side Apartments and it seems she has completely gone off the deep end. She is playing with a knife on the ground which James thinks is an indication Angela plans to harm herself.
He’s not one to promote suicide as a solution so he tries to calm her down. Even in an intense situation like Silent Hill, he’s able to showcase basic human emotions. By this point though, Angela is a bit too in her head and doesn’t know who James is or what exactly she is doing there.
6“You’re Just Going To Leave Me Here Alone With All These Monsters Around?”
Maria
Before James gets to Maria, he comes across three NPCs: Angela, Eddie, and Laura. With Angela, it doesn’t seem like she wanted help. Eddie asked to stick with James but he refused. Laura just ran away after calling James names.
At a certain point when monsters are introduced though, wouldn’t it make sense to stick together? That’s why Maria’s quote here is so reasonable because no one should act so calm ina game filled with horrific monstersand everyone should stick together.
5“You Gonna Dance For Me Big Guy, I’d Pay To See That.”
This section of the game is quite a unique one. The game opens up more, allowing players to explore or go straight to the main quest. This main quest will find James and Maria holed up in an adult club called Heaven’s Night after being chased by a horde of monsters.
If players choose to explore the club before leaving, they can get Maria to say this line if James brushes up against a pole. James will not react to this joke but it is funny to think about. After all,Silent Hill 2has two joke endingsthat involve commander dogs and UFOs. Seeing James in a Chippendales-type situation wouldn’t be any stranger.
4“See Ya Fart Face!”
Laura
This is a silly line but it’s funny in the context of a horror game wherein monsters have lips on their bottoms or hands. Laura, for whatever reason, does not trust James in any light. By the end of the game, with the true ending, it’s still not explored if she is real, dead, or just imaginary.
Either way, her distrust forces James into a small room which she locks behind. She calls him a “fart face” before dashing off and a boss fight ensues. One of the aforementioned lip creatures, literally namedFlesh Lip, descends its horrors on James for a thrilling boss battle inSilent Hill 2.
Eddie
Even thoughEddie is unhinged at this point inSilent Hill 2, he isn’t wrong. Once somebody is dead there is no turning back unless people are in Silent Hill. Then all bets are off as James will see with different versions of Mary.
Eddie is part of another boss battle though and the only human boss in the game. His psychological breakdown is linked to his dad who called him big, leading to Eddie killing him repeatedly in this nightmare of a town.
2“Maybe You Think You Can Save Me…”
One of the bosses ofSilent Hill 2is called Abstract Daddy. It’s the manifestation of Angela’s thoughts on her father, from whom she was running away. Even after defeating Abstract Daddy, Angela isn’t fixed. It shows that trauma cannot be fixed with a simple slaying of kin, as can be seen with Eddie too.
That’s why Angela is at a loss at the end of the game. She doesn’t care that James wants to save her because she realizes it is too late or is pessimistic about it being too late at least. So, she walks into a fire never to be seen again.
Mary
This line can only be seen, or more like heard, if players get thetrue ending inSilent Hill 2. After defeating the final boss, James gets a nice sit down with a diseased Mary who then gives him a letter. He takes it and then the end proceeds to show James leaving Silent Hill with Laura at his side.
While this is happening, Mary is narrating her letter. She had mixed emotions about dying and getting sick but she ultimately decided it was all worth it in the end even with the hardships involving James. A life is not worth living without taking chances. That’s one interpretation players can take away from Mary’s letter.
