[RETRO GAMING] Now That the Remake Has Been Announced, Here are 5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Original Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2 is the most popular game of Konami's Silent Hill franchise for a good reason: the game is not afraid of scaring players and critics with its disturbing imagery, haunting environment, and captivating storyline, per Screenrant.

While its remake will be coming soon to major gaming platforms, it may or may not have the features of the original 2001 game.

Here are some details, fun facts, and easter eggs that you may or may not know about the original Silent Hill 2 game.

If you haven't played the original Silent Hill 2 video game and are looking to play it and/or the upcoming remake, this is your one and only spoiler alert, as this article will discuss major spoilers in the game.

Pyramid Head Owes his Existence To James Sunderland

Players of Silent Hill 2 are familiar with the fact that Pyramid Head symbolizes game protagonist James Sunderland's guilt, inner torment, and desire to be punished, per the monster's designer, Masahiro Ito.

As such, it isn't wrong to think that James and Pyramid Head share similar physical features. According to IMDb's list of player-submitted fun facts, Pyramid Head's and James' heights are the same as well as their body builds.

However, what is disturbing is that Pyramid Head's grunting noises are the same as James Sunderland's pain sounds whenever he's hurt, which drives their intended design deeper.

Silent Hill 2 Pays Homage To Jack The Ripper

No, we're not talking about Raiden from the Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance games; we're talking about the historical Jack the Ripper, the serial killer that terrorized the city of London between August and November 1888, per the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The Silent Hill Wiki mentioned that the game references the names of the first and last victims of Jack the Ripper, which are Mary Ann Nichols and Mary Jane Kelly. Both women have the same first name as James' wife, Mary Shepherd-Sunderland.

Different Conditions Trigger Different Endings

Unlike most games of its kind, Silent Hill 2 features many endings that the player could unlock depending on how they play the game or what they do within it.

For instance, CBR reports that players can get the "In Water" ending if the player is reckless and neglects James' health and examines the inventory item of Angela Orosco's knife. Meanwhile, players can get the "Maria" ending if James spends more time with Maria.

The game also doesn't take itself too seriously with its psychological horror at times, with it having comedic endings to make the game lighter.

One game ending will reveal that a dog is in control of the whole town of Silent Hill and its unspeakable horrors, making James disillusioned by his entire ordeal within Silent Hill.

Masahiro Ito Created Pyramid Head (Or Its Idea, At Least) Before Silent Hill 2 Was Developed

Masahiro was once a student at Tama Art University when he came up with the design that would soon become Pyramid Head. According to Silent Hill Memories, Masahiro created an image called "Pyramid Figures" during his time as a student.

Masahiro himself confirms this, saying that the monster's design is based on the oil-acrylic painting he created in art school for his "Strange Head" series, which depicts an anthropomorphic pyramid-shaped object.

It Is Full Of Psychological Horror

As previously mentioned, Silent Hill 2 became a great game because it isn't afraid to make players and critics genuinely afraid by psychologically terrifying them with its haunting atmosphere and disturbing imagery.

Players that enter a new location can feel the same sense of dread James feels, and the way the monsters move around evokes a sense of fear as they seem to feel like they're from an unavoidable nightmare.

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