T w e n t y S i d e d

No, this isn’t about the recently-released movie. This is about the much older videogame, Silent Hill 2. I’ve been meaning to write about it for some time. For those of you who are curious about the movie but have never played the games, this might be helpful. Note that there are 4 Silent Hill games now, and the second installment is a bit different from the others. This is a strange game with a facinating plot. The nature of the story is pretty unconventional by genre standards.

Usually the main character in a third-person game is one of two stereotypes:

1. The classic brooding ex-navy SEAL who doesn’t play by the rules but who always gets the job done ’cause he’s the best even though he has a tortured past and a woman he can’t forget.
2. An everyman.

But in SH 2, the main character is somewhat of a mystery, and the player has to get to know him as the game goes on. That works, because the main character is a bit confused and is really learning about himself at the same time. He seems like a regular guy at first glance, but as the game goes on our perception of him changes.

I’ll go over the plot for those that have never played. If you remember the game, just click here to skip to my discussion on the characters.

Silent Hill is the name of the town in the series. The town is a bit secluded and small. It has the same layout and same key locations in every iteration, but everyone sees the town just a little different. In each of the games the main characters find themselves (willing or not) exploring the town and find it abandoned and filled with horrors. The particular dangers are different for each visitor, and they are always strange. This isn’t just a “zombie town”.

At the start of the game, James pulls over at a (utterly filthy!) rest stop and takes a long look at himself in the mirror. This is a very appropriate way for him to begin his journey into Silent Hill.

You play as James Sunderland, a man who is grieving the loss of his wife who died three years ago of an unspecified illness. He has a letter which seems to have been sent by his dead wife, saying that she is waiting for him at Silent Hill, where they once spent a vacation together.

At the start of the game James has driven to Silent Hill and found the road into town has been blocked. He stops along the road at a rest stop and decides to enter town on foot. He reads the letter from his wife again.

He doesn’t really ponder why the road has been so thoroughly barricaded. He doesn’t question why he’s come here looking for someone who he knows is dead. Even at this early stage of the game we can tell he’s a little off somehow.

He heads into town through the woods. The closer he gets, the more fog there is. There are strange sounds as he decends the path leading into town.

It should go without saying, but from here on are massive spoilers.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Silent Hill 2: Plot Analysis”

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.