Ever since Konami and Bloober Team announced their intention to remake this classic psychological horror game back in 2022 fan reactions to the reboot of Silent Hill 2 have ranged from cautiously optimistic to deeply skeptical.

With this latest combat reveal trailer for the upcoming game, unveiled tonight as part of Playstation’s State of Play livestream, Konami and friends plan to finally win those skeptics over.

The original game hit shelves in 2001 for PlayStation 2, later landing on Xbox and Windows PC. The game focused on bereaved widower, James Sunderland, who receives a letter supposedly from his dead wife instructing him to come to the town of Silent Hill to find her.

As Sunderland navigates the town searching for clues, he finds himself slipping in and out of ‘Misty Silent Hill’ a nightmarish mirror universe in which he is plagued by memories of his past life, and where he is relentlessly pursued by one of gaming’s most iconic villains, Pyramid Head.

Criticism has been levelled against Konami/Bloober Team for reimagining this classic exploration of guilt and grief in the manner of a Resident Evil style fighter. However based on what we can see from the combat trailer below, the game now offers a far superior combat system to the original series, offering players the opportunity to face down adversaries rather than utilizing the oft-used run-and-hide gameplay style of the original. Enemies now seem better able to detect and avoid incoming blows and shots too, which will prevent the temptation to wedge Sutherland in a corner and repeatedly swing at blindly advancing foes.

In addition, much of the original’s most distinctive elements seems to have been preserved, including the game’s disturbing array of enemies. The team promises that Silent Hill 2 will be built on the original’s gameplay in addition to featuring memorable music from composer Akira Yamaoka and artist Masahiro Ito, the creator of Pyramid Head.

Developers Bloober Team are the creatives behind the Layers of Fear games, The Medium, and Observer.

As yet there has been no announcement of a release date for Silent Hill 2, although the game is excepted to land for PS5 and PC sometime in 2024.

Additionally, Silent Hill: The Short Message a brand new, short-form Silent Hill game featuring a young, contemporary protagonist is now available for feee from the Playstation store.

The freebie will give new fans a taste of the world of Silent Hill while waiting for the main course.