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Silent Hill 2 Remake is just the latest in an ongoing trend
The Silent Hill 2 remake is here, and the reception thus far has been great. The remake of the horror classic has achieved a Metacritic score of 87 at the time of its release, with Bloober Team adding their work to the ever-growing list of successful remakes. The critical and commercial success of horror game remakes cannot be understated. The Resident Evil 2 remake, for instance, was not only critically lauded, but has since gone on to become the highest selling game in the iconic series, with nearly 14 million copies sold. So how, exactly, have horror games been so successful with those remakes?
To get a better sense of what makes these games work, I reached out to content creator, cosplayer, and horror connoisseur SrgtMeow. Regarding the success of remakes, SrgtMeow told me, “So, with the horror game remakes, I feel the success comes from having the new age technology and tools to be able to create what they had envisioned in their heads back when they first started them.”
The police station in each version of RE2. The remake is faithful, but visually improved.
I think she’s onto something there. Graphical fidelity, lighting techniques, audio quality and design – all of these elements have vastly improved over the years, allowing more developers to see their vision through.
But those tools are available to everyone, and remakes in other genres have not seen nearly the same commercial success. Even a game as iconic as Final Fantasy VII has had trouble getting people on-board with its highly anticipated and much requested remake. Square Enix has even gone as far as noting their disappointment in sales. So, what’s the difference here? Why have horror games thrived where other genres feel like a gamble? SrgtMeow had something to say about that, too:
“Well, because horror. Everyone lately seems to be chasing the shock and adrenaline they get from these games, truthfully it is fun! Plus, other genres it seems didn’t need the tools to create what they wanted being lighthearted story rich games, where horror relies on all elements: story, ambience, build up, sounds, details.”
Improved lighting and sound design have made each room scarier than ever before.
With the improvement in technology over the years, artists and developers have found ways to more accurately represent their vision. As someone who is not a regular horror game enjoyer, games of this genre seem more frightening than ever to me. The graphics are more realistic, making the gore or frights even more terrifying; sound design has come a long way, allowing developers to raise tension through music, or other sounds - every shuffle or groan feels ominous. On top of that, improvements in lighting technology have allowed these games to really keep us in the dark when needed or create strong effects with shadows to create confusion.
Not everyone is a fan of these remakes, however. With so many already out, and many more still on the horizon, there are rumblings of “remake fatigue,” and fans of the genre asking for more original games. When I asked her if she thought the trend of remaking horror games would slow down any time soon, SrgtMeow replied, “Absolutely not. There are so many horror games that DESERVE remakes and others that are wonderful as-is for the nostalgia.”
System Shock is a great example of a game many felt deserved a remake.
Obviously, she’s not alone in those thoughts. Remakes are still selling well, and getting great reception, so why would they stop? The older versions of games are still there for many to play if they prefer the original experience – the magic of the original games remain despite the existence of the remakes. Instead, they should be seen as a new interpretation of the material. They are not meant to replace the original games, but rather be supplementary.
But with so much of the attention on these big budget remakes, where does that leave more original games from smaller development teams? Is there still room in the horror game space for indie horror games? SrgtMeow seems to think so, noting, “Indie horror will never die. If it wasn’t for indie horror, we wouldn’t have a lot of the horror games we do now. I feel indie horror is a huge part of the Horror genre space. I feel it has inspired a lot of devs to just DO IT. DO the thing and put it out there for feedback from the fans.”
Indie horror games get a huge boost from content creators covering them positively.
Indie horror games are no stranger to success, either. Games like Signalis and Omori reviewed great and sold well, too. The success of mega-hit Lethal Company made waves in the industry. There are thriving subcultures, websites, and YouTube channels all about indie horror. The ideas these games bring to the table are often influential, with major companies taking ideas from them and implementing them in their big budget titles. As long as the people who love horror games are seeking the next thrill, indies will always have a place.
In a way, the relationship between indie horror games and big-budget horror games has become symbiotic. Not just in terms of the mechanics or ideas presented in them, but also by creating a positive feedback loop within the horror genre. Success of a major title brings more eyes to the genre, indie games then have a larger reach, which feeds back into the player base at-large.
To sum it up nicely, it’s not so much that horror remakes are succeeding – the whole genre is thriving in ways we haven’t seen before. Silent Hill 2 is just the latest beneficiary of that growth, and Bloober Team has made great use of the moment by delivering something special.
Image Credits: Taylor Rioux, EA, OMOCAT, Nightdive Studios, and rose-engine