It may not have the action of Resident Evil, the customization options of Dead Space, or the unrelenting tension of Alien: Isolation, but Silent Hill 2 – the 2001 original – is the greatest horror game of all time. In fact, it is more than just a horror game. It is a spiritual journey. It’s the story of James Sunderland, Angela and Eddie venturing into the darkest recesses of their own souls and then fighting their way out. Silent Hill 2 Remake pays homage to Konami’s superlative OG in dozens of different ways, but there’s a mystery, apparently related to the 2001 game, that’s been plaguing players since October. Now it’s finally been resolved — even Bloober’s creative director confirms it’s real — and depending on how you interpret it, it completely changes SH2 Remake’s story.

In addition to health potions, ammo, keys and quirky trinkets and notes written by former residents as you explore Remake of Silent Hill 2you collect dozens of Polaroid photos, all with a number written on the back. Squint and the photos seem to show locations or moments from the original game – you can also find collectible ‘Glimpses of the Past’, physical references to the boss battles and puzzles you solve in the 2001 version of Silent Hill 2.

A horror game full of abstractions and oddities, you could be forgiven for dismissing Polaroids as another flourish, a simple flick of the wrist that sets the tone, that invites you to think more about what’s really going on, but that doesn’t they have no meaning in themselves.

I should warn: read beyond this point at your own risk, as it contains full spoilers for Silent Hill 2 and the remake.

But they’re actually part of a complex, potentially game-changing puzzle. On the official Silent Hill Reddit, a player with the username “DaleRobinson” explains the Polaroid puzzle and its solution. In addition to the image and number on the back, each photo also carries a written message. One of the images, for example, shows six open windows and the message “so many people here!” If you count from the beginning of that sentence to the sixth letter, you arrive at the letter “Y”. Another photo shows two bedposts and carries the message “don’t know knows”. Count again, this time to the second letter, and it’s an “O”.

Finally, DaleRobinson deduct that the photos depict a sinister message: “You’ve been here for two decades.” Bloober Team Creative Director Mateusz Lenart, responding to DaleRobinson’s findings, confirms that this is correct.

“We knew it wasn’t going to stay hidden for long,” says Lenart. “There was a theory in our company that the puzzle might be too hard. I really wanted to do it subtly when I painted those photos. I think the timing couldn’t be better to solve it. Congratulations.”

As for the meaning of the message, it could be interpreted in several ways. Combined with Glimpses of the Past, it may suggest that James and the rest of the game’s characters have somehow been stuck in a time loop for the past two decades, repeating the events of Silent Hill 2 endlessly – the town endlessly torturing them. , but each new cycle varies slightly from the last. On the contrary, the message could be aimed at fans, who have been analyzing, replaying and reviewing Silent Hill 2 for more than 20 years.

Personally, I prefer this idea. I don’t think Silent Hill 2 is a game that’s all about torturing, torturing, torturing characters. Whichever ending to the game you get—whether it’s the most melancholy or the most upbeat—the “point” of SH2 is that James comes to terms with something, which he changes.

It’s a horror game, but it’s horror where James learns the deepest and darkest truth about himself and then has to decide what to do and how to live after that. If it’s just a loop, then James never has to fight himself, which is a lot less scary.

Lenart seems to challenge the loop theory. Responding to the post about the Polaroid puzzle solution, a SH2 Remake fan writes “Loop theory is canon, Jesus.” “Is it?” Lenart answers.

If you’re still finding your way through the fog-shrouded city, make sure you have it Silent Hill 2 gallows puzzle solution and Silent Hill 2 hospital code to help you on your way.

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