This game janky as fuck replaying it for the first time in 5 years in a post Resident Evil 2/3 Remake world, but it's janky in a really nice way unlike the first one which was genuinely just a janky mess of glitches and half baked gameplay ideas. A lot of frustrating features put into it as misguided ideas of "challenge" this ditches a lot of that for a more standard action horror fare like Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 and it's all for the better. Instead of the useless light on fire mechanic that does fuck all since there isn't a Crimson Head equivalent, in 2 you just get a good old stomp prompt. Instead of bosses just instantly killing you if they so much as bump into you they now have tells for big attacks or have moves that hurt but don't just send you back to the last checkpoint. Letterboxing being an option is a godsend even if it feels less intrusive here too which is insane to me after how annoying it could be in the first game. It's little changes like this that you think wouldn't matter that end up mattering in the long run. Interchanging the levels from the town of Union that you explore like Silent Hill with more linear levels when you enter a bigger building is so good too. Keeps the game from becoming too much of either and stops it from overstaying its welcome despite. One of my biggest pet-peeves with any kind of horror game is when they go on for too long. This is the rare occasion where one of these goes past the 12 hour mark and I'm still enjoying my time by that point and I really think it's all from the town exploration to linear levels and back way the game is set up. If 3 ever happens hope they keep this up or even go full single big explorable location with shortcuts and backtracking ala RPD or the Arklay mansion. Just give me a third game holy fuck.

Love Sebastian in this too, going from stoic noir man that's boring despite a cool vest to jock Harry Mason was the best thing they could have done to salvage what little charisma he had in the first. Almost feels like how much he talks to himself throughout is kind of parodic of how much video game characters won't shut the fuck up in open world games.

This being a sequel though would I recommend the first game still? Yeah, but only if you want to see the evolution into a better, funner, and more exciting and emotionally investing improvement. Other than that I'll say what I very rarely say and that's to just read the wiki and skip to the sequel.

The best and most likely only remake of Silent Hill 1 (the game that should actually be getting a remake) that we'll ever get.