Independent game designer Sam Barlow has commented on the upcoming remake of Silent Hill 2. He also expressed optimism about the direction Konami is taking the series in.
Barlow shared his thoughts in an interview with PCGamesN. First, he wished good luck to Bloober Team, which is now working on the Silent Hill 2 remake, calling the entire idea the “biggest poison chalice” in video games.
The developer noted that he doesn’t know how someone can make a remake of such a classic game without upsetting people. Bloober Team has to put a lot of effort into the game to satisfy old fans and hook new players.
The Silent Hill 2 remake looks promising, with the Polish studio trying to meet high expectations and use its experience in the horror genre. Although it already has titles like Layers of Fear and The Medium under its belt, the upcoming project is cleary its most ambitious and risky work yet.
Barlow also opened up about Konami’s plans for the Silent Hill franchise. He loves the idea of putting it into the hands of different studios with their own creative vision. This would turn the series into an anthology of horror games. And Barlow wants these titles to offer unique gameplay.
The version of Silent Hill that I would love — which it sounds like they're pushing — is that 'we use this as a platform to have a range of interesting psychological horror games,' right? And actually, can we see a breadth of gameplay? You know, Twilight Zone, and those kinds of anthologies give you a sense of what you’re getting yourself in for but you’re also excited to see the different ways in which they can be explored. founder of Half Mermaid
Sam Barlow is not new to Silent Hill, having worked on two games in the series, Origins and Shattered Memories, at Climax Studios. Both titles received generally favorable reviews, but they are not considered classics as the first projects from Team Silent.
In 2014, Barlow left Climax Studios and found recognition in the indie scene. He also started his own production company Half Mermaid and became famous for his approach to the interactive film genre. Barlow has already released three projects, Her Story, Telling Lies, and Immortality. The latter won multiple awards and received widespread acclaim in the press.
