After letting the cat out of the bag earlier during the Sony State of Play regarding the release date for Silent Hill 2, Konami has followed that up with the latest edition of Silent Hill Transmission. The event mainly focused on Silent Hill 2, but also delved into Christophe Gans‘ upcoming Return to Silent Hill film.
The event kicked off with an extended 13-minute look at the gameplay of Silent Hill 2, jumping around various moments in the game. We get scenes of James getting the iconic radio, the reveal of Laura and Maria, the nurses in Brookhaven, and culminating in the appearance of the Flesh Lip. Pre-orders are now open on Steam and the PlayStation Store, with bonuses including a Mira the Dog mask, and exclusive to the PS5, a Robbie the Rabbit mask.
We’re also getting a Deluxe Edition of Silent Hill 2. Along with the game, you also get a digital artbook containing art and designs from Masahiro Ito, a digital copy of the soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka containing new tracks and rearranged classics, as well as a mask of Pyramid Head assembled from a pizza box (?!). The Deluxe Edition also grants players 48-hour early access to Silent Hill 2.
Members of Bloober Team also made an appearance, talking about the development of the remake. “I think the biggest challenge that we’ve had [developing the remake] was actually how to make the game approachable for newcomers who have not played the original,” says Maciej Głomb, Lead Producer at Bloober. “But at the same time, to still retain the familiarity of the game that players remember from 20 years ago.”
Lead Designer Mateusz Lenart states that the team’s goal was to maintain the original game’s atmosphere while modernizing the gameplay “to make it competitive in 2024.” Senior Narrative Designer Barbara Kciuk added that while the team kept the story largely the same, they were able to “expand upon” some of its aspects. Other topics touched on include the game’s famous fog, and the updated combat.
We next heard from Luke Roberts and Salóme Gunnarsdóttir, who play James and Mary/Maria in the game. The duo talk about respecting the characters, paying attention to the original performances. Roberts describes James as “not an action hero by any means.” Rather, he is “just a guy who is a little lost at the top of this game.” Gunnarsdóttir says that she tried to honor something that’s already been made, aiming to channel something, rather than create.
Next, we got a new preview of Return to Silent Hill, with director Christophe Gans describing it as “an act of passion” to adapt. “I consider the first four games are masterpieces. Very modern, and very transgressive pieces of art.” We get several shots from Silent Hill 2, followed by the same shots recreated by Gans in the film, such as James peering into the mirror from the beginning of the game.
The film will centre on James (played by Jeremy Irvine), a man broken after being separated from his one true love (Hannah Emily Anderson). When a mysterious letter calls him back to Silent Hill in search of her, he finds a once-recognizable town transformed by an unknown evil. “[The town’s] become something like a hell, his own personal hell. And he’s going through all the circles of hell to find his wife.”
Gans considers the 2006 film “an epic journey of horror”, with Return to Silent Hill feeling more like a “deep dive” into psychological horror. “In the first film, production design of Silent Hill was the big thing. On this one, I had the great surprise to realize that the people who were going to help me on the production design.”
And yes, Gans did confirm that Akira Yamaoka is back to do the music for Return to Silent Hill. No release date was revealed for the film (yet).
The latest Silent Hill Transmission ended on the reveal of some new merchandise inspired by the series. Along with new figures and art pieces from Good Smile Company, Gecco and Fanattik, Konami revealed a new limited edition of James’ jacket from Silent Hill 2 that’s currently available at the official Konami shop.