Silent Hill 2 Remake "a legitimate evolution", says original director
"I'm not satisfied with the playable camera from 23 years ago," Masashi Tsuboyama admits.
The director of Silent Hill 2 has commented on the furore around some of the changes Bloober Team and Konami made to its reimagined Silent Hill 2 Remake, saying he "wants to try playing the even more immersive remake" himself.
In a thoughtful thread posted to X/Twitter, Masashi Tsuboyama said he's "very happy" that the Remake exists, diplomatically adding, "whether it's good or bad doesn't affect the original."
"Games and technology are constantly evolving, resulting in significant differences in constraints and levels of expression," Tsuboyama said. "This is a common issue with media arts in general, but it is not easy to maintain and appreciate the environment of the time.
"I think the value of the remake is that a new generation can play it. As a creator, I'm very happy about it. It's been 23 years! Even if you don't know the original, you can just enjoy the remake as it is. Whether it's good or bad doesn't affect the original."
Whilst he said "the differences between the original and the remake, 4K, Photorealism, the bonus headgear, etc. are all mediocre [in terms of the impact on the gameplay]", he took time to discuss how the controversial decision to move away from fixed camera angles to the over-the-shoulder POV more prevalent in contemporary games brings "a big change to the playfeel of the game".
"The thing to note is the change in camera (perspective). The change in playable camera has a significant impact on many aspects, combat, level design, art creation, etc. While the impact on the story may be relatively small, it brings a big change to the playfeel of the game," he wrote.
"To be honest, I'm not satisfied with the playable camera from 23 years ago. Depth and angle were limited by the processing load. It was a continuous process of hard work that was not rewarded. But that was the limit.
"The over-the-shoulder view definitely adds to the sense of realism.
"In other words, it makes me want to try playing the even more immersive remake of Silent Hill 2!!!"
Responding to a reply from Masahiro Ito, who led creature design on both Silent Hill 2 and the Remake, Tsuboyama added: "I'm glad that it's a legitimate evolution of Silent Hill 2. I know it was hard work, but thank you for your hard work. I think it means a lot!"
Yesterday, Wikipedia had to lock down the Silent Hill 2 Remake page after repeated vandalism from a small but vocal minority who are unhappy that the remake has scored so well.
Silent Hill 2 Remake releases on PC and PS5 tomorrow, Tuesday 8th October, although it's available to play now for those who pre-ordered the deluxe editions.
On Eurogamer's 5/5 star Silent Hill 2 Remake review, I wrote that Silent Hill 2 Remake's "heady blend of old and new delivers the best horror I've played for years, and I suspect that will hold true even for those meeting James for the first time".