Silent Hill 2 combat won’t be brainless anymore, features enemy counterattacks

A brand new trailer and a hands-on preview of the first few hours of gameplay in Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake continue to paint a more alluring picture for one of the most avidly anticipated remakes in recent memory. One of the highlights of this latest look is the evolution of the game's combat, as it's gone from being one of the biggest focal points of criticism to one of praise, at least for the most part.

For those who played Konami's original Silent Hill 2, you'll very likely remember that the combat aspect of the game was always one of its most critically panned elements, even with the technical limitations of the time. Stiff, frustrating, and unimaginative, players typically opted to avoid combat wherever possible, though that ironically still didn't stain the game's otherwise immaculate reputation.

However, that specific dynamic of Silent Hill 2 has completely changed with the remake's new third-person combat system. However, a showcase trailer from a few months ago that revealed the remake's combat for the first time left many prospective players feeling wary, as the initial impression was not great. James' attack animations were still stiff (albeit in modern graphics) and unconvincing, and the way that monsters physically responded to those attacks was underwhelming.

Bloober Team seemed to take those concerns seriously enough, as various sources who got to play the first few hours of the remake almost unanimously agreed that there is a very noticeable improvement to the combat for both James and the monsters he encounters. The animations are now more fluid, polished, and every anguished hit James makes resonates with far more impact without overcompensating.

Even better, monsters brandish their own set of counterattacks, giving them an unnerving sentience that couldn't properly be expressed in the original, while keeping combat immersive and challenging. As revealed by PlayStation Blog, even the brief glimpses of James' first boss encounter with Pyramid Head look promising, and there's still plenty more to look forward to that we haven't seen.

Overall, public reception to these improvements is moving in a far more positive direction than before, and Bloober Team is continuing to prove that they're devoted to treating one of the most important remakes of this generation with every ounce of care and attention that it requires. It's evidently safe to say that we can now look forward to October's biggest release with genuine excitement rather than hesitation.

Check out the new story trailer for the Silent Hill 2 remake below. The game is currently available for pre-order with some tempting bonus items and is set to release on October 8 for PS5 and PC (Steam).

Be sure to check out all of our latest news on the Silent Hill 2 remake at Pro Game Guides, including As James chases Mary, Bloober Team may be chasing a unicorn with Silent Hill 2.