Konami and Bloober Team’s Silent Hill remake almost became completely different, said head producer Motoi Okamoto. Read on to find out more details on the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake!
Konami x Bloober Team’s Passion For Silent Hill
The Remake Almost Became An Entirely New Game
Silent Hill 2 remake producer Motoi Okamoto shared that the staff members of the original Silent Hill 2 wanted to introduce more changes to the upcoming remake, but the studio handling the remake, Bloober Team, countered some of those requests.
In an interview with Famitsu, Okamoto said, "Game creators don’t want to make the same thing twice. They don’t want people to play the same thing. That’s why there were a lot of things they wanted to completely change in the remake." He also added that even though sometimes their opinions clashed and they went through some difficulties, they managed to get it right in the end. The recent trailer is a testament to that, he adds, "You’ll see that it has been reborn in a modern style while retaining the good points of the original version."
A large number of overseas studios reached out to Okamoto’s team, interested in participating in the Silent Hill 2 remake—Bloober Team being one of them. Ultimately, it was Bloober Team’s passion and love for the original game that made them the chosen ones, and their full understanding of what Silent Hill 2 embodied—the aspect of psychological horror and the depiction of the inner conflicts in an individual’s mind. After all, this isn’t their first foray into the psychological horror sphere; the Poland-based studio also released their own psychological horror game called Layers of Fear.
"Thanks to the opinions of Bloober Team, who are big fans of the original, the remake will be highly respectful of the original game." Okamoto also quipped that if the entire development team was based solely in Japan, the remake would be completely different from what it is now.
No ‘Yellow Paint’ In The Remake
In the same interview, Okamoto also addressed the infamous ‘yellow paint’ debate, and ensured that the game will not feature any obvious form of player guidance, as they remain committed to letting players play and immerse themselves into the game. "As before, James will take notes on the map about the places he visits as he explores.
You can expect blood stains on the ground and other roadblocks from the original game to appear as they are. Also, with the increased amount of information, it's a little easier to explore, with objects like fallen trash cans and other objects that serve as indicators for exploration.
More realistic graphics means more dense environments, which may make some items hard to find. To counteract this, accessibility options such as icon displays can be toggled on and off should the player need them.
"However, I want you to rest assured that there will be no "yellow paint" to guide the player," he adds with a laugh.
Okamoto’s team and Bloober Team have evidently been pouring their all into this remake, adjusting production "up until the very last moment," so stay tuned for more Silent Hill to come!
Source:
Famitsu Interview
