The game opens with James, the main playable character portrayed by Luke Roberts, arriving at the foggy outskirts of a town called Silent Hill.

You soon learn that he has been lured there by a letter from his wife. The catch? She has been dead for three years.

As you make your way into town, you are introduced to the basic game mechanics. Not a million miles from the modern Resident Evil games, you’ll have to solve puzzles in each area to progress, and you’ll have to face increasingly nasty enemies along the way.

One of the first things that scare you will be said enemies. They are faceless, writhing, vaguely humanoid creatures whose origins and intentions are unclear. Are they sentient? Are they symbolic? Are they following someone else’s orders?

Most of the time, the answers will elude you. And you’ll have to make do with your own if you run out of bullets, which aren’t always generously supplied. To begin with, all you need to defend yourself is a plank of wood with a rusty nail sticking through it. Good luck!

As you explore larger and larger areas, you will also encounter a larger number of these scary enemies, and James will gradually be introduced to a minimalistic acting of supporting characters. But whether they are actually there to support you is not always clear.

The other characters are odd, to say the least, and James’ muted reaction to them only adds to the feeling that you’re witnessing something truly strange. There is a sense of error in proceedings that never lets you relax.

Similar to Resident Evil, you can only save your game manually in certain predetermined locations. This adds an extra level of tension if you’re stuck in a sticky combat situation, as your recent progress will be lost if you don’t find a way to survive.

There is hope though, with the developers having enough empathy to offer you some difficulty options. You can ramp down James’ damage taken, which really comes in handy if you get stuck properly. If you don’t have the patience to redo the same meeting a million times, don’t forget that setting.

Another handy feature is the game’s impressive map system. James will scribble on the map to mark key points of interest and blocked passages, so don’t forget to check the map if you ever get lost.

Beyond that, however, Silent Hill 2 doesn’t do much to hold your hand. There are locked doors at every turn, and each new enemy variety seems to be stranger and more deadly than the last. Those who met Pyramid head in the original 2001 game, I know what I’m talking about.

One of the hardest things to quantify here is also one of the most impressive things about the game: its atmosphere. Adapting Konami’s original work for a modern audience, the developers at Bloober Team have done a fantastic job of creating a pleasant atmosphere that never fails to trigger your fear.

When you’re squinting through the fog, desperately trying to find a way forward, and you hear the radio static sound effect (which generally means it’s about to go down), you’ll feel a shiver up your spine in real life.

Others may find the game’s mysterious nature to be a fault, but I found it gripping. What exactly has James gotten himself into here, and how the hell is he going to get out of it? Even if you need to take regular breaks to keep your sanity, you’ll keep coming back to see what happens next.

There is one trophy because you tried to run away at the beginning of the game, and the more you play, the more you’ll realize that was a good idea. And the more you play, the more you’ll feel the game creeping into your mind.

In reality there was a thick fog in London the other day. When I woke up and saw it, the sleepy part of my brain triggered a fear response, just because of Silent Hill 2. And when my cat scratched my door the other night, I could have sworn the sound was radio static.

This game has scared me to no end. It’s scary as hell with a properly spooky atmosphere that will really draw you in. And if that’s what you’re looking for this Halloween, I’d really recommend you give it a try… If you dare!

Silent Hill 2 is out now for PS5 and PC. We reviewed on PS5. You can order your copy from Amazon.

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