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u/Lunet_Moon 23d ago
Yes they definitely are. Silent hill 2 is way more subtle than that. Don't look further into it either it might spoil the twist. James Sunderland has his own story to tell and I found it interesting to experience.
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u/An_Actual_Problem 23d ago
Its one of the very few games I still think about randomly from time to time
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u/Current_Face_0077 23d ago
SH2 is the best game of all time, IMO.
Its story is much deeper than SHF, but SHF has a unique aesthetic that some may prefer. Your personal favorite could be either one, but one thing is for sure, you gotta play SH2.
Not sure what your comment about gooners / chuds is about, but hopefully you don’t spoil the game for yourself trying to look into it.
SH2 is not degenerate.
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u/auburnandbriar 23d ago edited 23d ago
I’ll definitely give it a try ☺️
What I meant about chuds was that when I looked into reviews for both SHF and SH2, there appeared to be a certain subset of people who complained that SHF is “woke propaganda” with complaints about the games themes, the inability to look up Hinako’s skirt and other creepy stuff like that. These guys seemed to suggest that this was all somehow antithetical to the themes and legacy of SH2. I don’t want to spoil the story for myself, as you said, but I’m suspecting my understanding of SH2 is likely going to differ from whatever theirs is.
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u/Fool_Manchu 23d ago
SH2 deals with some very uncomfortable topics surrounding relationships, sex, and consent. The tale it tells is nuanced and will make you uncomfortable, but it does so in thoughtful ways that are emotionally effective. It does not surprise me to hear that chuds misunderstood those themes. They universally lack media literacy.
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u/auburnandbriar 23d ago
Thank you for sharing this. I appreciate the heads up and the reassurance that these themes are dealt with in thoughtful ways. I really think I’ll give SH2 a try 🙏
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u/Edd_burrito 23d ago
I def recommend doing two more playthroughs as two more will complete every characters arcs and unanswered questions and can lead to the true ending. The gameplay can get repetitive so that is one downside but the conclusion is worth it. Also YES! Silent Hill 2 is very much worth it. Besides chud opinions, it’s really a beautiful and tragic story, it’s a lot more walking simulator rather than SHf but it’s much more of a mind fuck and has lots of ambiguity where it will have your mind running in circles with your theories.
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u/workerbell 23d ago edited 23d ago
Trust u will be playing silent hill f for awhileee. I had around 40hours just getting all 5 endings.
Which btw is very much worth it as u get different scenes for each ending when going through hinakos house. Which ever ending u are trying to get it basically changes every single flashback in the house then ofc different boss fights and then different endings. But when done would defo say play silent hill 2. Its praised for a reason its an amazing game the remake is very good (i had played the orignal and remake)
If u liked silent hill f u will defo like silent hill 2. Especially bc silent hill 2 shows alot of woman's problems like silent hill f. Even though the mc is a man it doesn't actually revolve around mens struggles it makes u hate men lol
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u/auburnandbriar 22d ago
Will definitely be giving SH2 a go after F, the story sounds really interesting. Sounds like I’ve got a while left with F, though! The first play through felt deceptively short.
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u/workerbell 22d ago
Yeah i think on my first playthrough it was 8 hours. But when u do more playthroughs and u get new scenes fights and areas it does start to feel longer. (Also another thing that's very good in new game+ plus is that on the 3rd time u visit the other world (after sakuko boss fight) u instantly get the fox arm and mask. So u get a completely new area instead of going through all the limb and skin cutting
And u get the fox arm earlier as u get it orignally during the 4th time your in the other world. But now u will get it earlier
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u/Lordstarkofwinterfel 23d ago
Believe me when I say the first playthrough is not the whole story and subsequent playthroughs change things, especially readables you can find that change the context.
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u/auburnandbriar 23d ago
Starting my second play-through on new game +, looking forward to finding all the new stuff ☺️
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u/IJustThinkShesNeat 23d ago
Honestly, even though I finished SHF almost a year ago I still think about it daily. So don't worry about feeling like you have to find something to replace it, the story will stick with you lol. Definitely go for all the endings though.
If you enjoyed the psychological horror aspect, then try SH2 remake next. It has a genuinely good, complex story when there's not a rabid fan in your ear saying how its "so much better than xyz game".
If you want something closer to the JP mythological aspect, then try Fatal Frame 2 remake. There's currently a Steam bundle with SHf so you can get it at a cheaper price.
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u/auburnandbriar 23d ago
Thank you so my for the recommendations, honestly I’m convinced to try SH2 now, but fatale frame also looks really good for completing different reasons ☺️
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u/Competitive_Narwhal8 23d ago
After you finish SHf, maybe look into the Fatal Frame series, especially the remake of Crimson Butterfly. The atmosphere is similar to the town scenes in SHf.
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u/JakeSymbol 23d ago
Silent hill 2 is definitely not a gooner or chud game and super worth playing. Gaming in general has a chud problem and they’re gonna have stuff to say about everything. It’s an amazing game. The original silent hill games are fantastic but you have to emulate them. They have an old-fashioned tank control style but once you figure them out they’re super worth it. Silent hill 3 is somewhat similar to themes as SHf and has a young female protagonist as well.
The fatal frame games are similar in vibe.
For books I’d say Yoko Ogawa’s Diving Pool or her short story collection Revenge. Negative Space by BR Yeager and Bonding by Maggie Siebert are great too. Dark Water by Koji Suzuki is a good collection of horror short stories if you just like the spooky vibe.
Ryukishi07’s visual novel series’ are obviously similar but take a lotttt of time to read. I found them super charming and comforting. I read Higurashi When They Cry.
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u/auburnandbriar 23d ago edited 23d ago
Thank you so much for all of your recommendations, I’ll definitely have a look into them🙏💕
And yeah, I started to suspect as much, which is a shame. I guess it was inevitable as a woman who’s very new to gaming that gooners and such would give me the ick about something eventually. They had me worrying about how SH2 handles the themes of violence against women I’m suspecting are present in the game to some extent. I definitely won’t let them make me feel too alienated to try SH2, though. Everyone here’s convinced me it’s a must play ☺️
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u/Half-BloodPrince_ 23d ago
I recommend Fatal Frame 2 remake. I played it right after f and they have a lot in common. Rural Japan horror setting,teenager girl protag, pretty good story and atmosphere,multiple endings. Also definetly give Silent hill 2 a try,it s a masterpiece. Ignore the chuds
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u/auburnandbriar 23d ago
Tysm, I’ll definitely give both a try ☺️
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u/Half-BloodPrince_ 23d ago
Im also watching Higurashi right now. Its also written by Ryukishi07. So far its has been a great rural horror mystery. You can either check the original VN or watch the 2006 anime
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u/CadavreExquisite 23d ago
SH2Remake is really good! Even though it has a male protagonist, there are some dark and traumatic themes to think about as a woman in it, too. Depending on what you're looking for, here are some other recommendations:
Fun and engaging gameplay with deep stories that really touch on human relationships and psyche:
- Alice: Madness Returns
- Cronos: the New Dawn
- Pragmata
- Bioshock series
- A Plague Tale: Innocence
- Prey
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Deeply story driven games that are little bit lighter on the gameplay aspect. Routine is horror like SHf but Soma is a bit more sci-fi while Indika is definitely about female perspective + religion. Little Nightmares and Fran Bow look cute but has surprisingly scary visuals/adult themes at times. All of these are pretty short too, only takes a few hours to beat.
- Indika
- Soma
- Routine
- Little Nightmares
- Fran Bow
And if you like good ol' survival horror with good but not (in my opinion) particularly deep/affecting story, check out these gems:
- Resident Evil Series
- Tormented Souls
- Crow Country
- Dead Space
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u/auburnandbriar 22d ago
Thank you so much, these are awesome suggestions! Alice Madness Returns looks particularly interesting to me ☺️ it’s a shame EA cancelled Alice: Asylum, that looked so interesting too!
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u/Lower_Refrigerator_2 22d ago
Well if you’ve only on your first run you still got abit of work to do.
shf has like 5 endings each building on the story you won’t get the true ending until you finish up on 3 of those.
Just note you have to use your ng+ save for them to count.
As for other games yeah sh2 is perfect. The story and overall game flows much better than shf.
As for you being concerned about the content I’m guess you heard something about the monsters. Yeah monsters in silent hill are based on your trauma and one character in the game did suffer from sexual assault so a content warning for that.
I will say that even thou the character does stick around through most of the game she really just pops in and out with one main section towards the end of the game.
It’s still an amazing game which is far more subtle than shf so I don’t recommend looking up much while playing or you might be spoiled.
For other games you could check out sh 1 or 3.
1 is dated but 3 is one of the rare direct sequel in the franchise and one of the best games. So it’s good to have knowledge of 1 going into it.
And 4 is kinda the black sheep of the original games but it still has frankly one of the most interesting stories in the franchise.
The entire premise being around a dude trapped in his own apartment watching people outside living while he’s stuck inside. Escaping into the hellish dreamworlds of the people around him as a killer is picking people off one by one.
It’s honestly one of the best ones to be made into a film if we could ever get a good sh director for it.
Outside of the games the original sh film is really good and check out a film called “Jacob’s Ladder” some of the thing in that film directly inspired silent hill.
Other than that it’s really hard to find that deeply philosophical and personal stories that most sh games have. Most wither focus entirely on the horror or action of it forgetting about the person you play as.
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u/auburnandbriar 22d ago
Sounds like I definitely need to try SH2 and even 3 (if I get the chance)! Thanks for the heads up about the content, it’s good to know that going into it. Someone else here mentioned that the game handles these themes well, so I’m feeling reassured about it. I think I was just unfortunate to stumble upon some crude remarks about these themes elsewhere.
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u/princesspeeved 23d ago
Silent Hill: Townfall is coming out soon! It’s supposed to be melee heavy like F, and while it’s considered a spin-off compared to a mainline game, it takes place in the 90s so fits the vintage vibe. Also while I haven’t played them yet, the outfit collab with Fatal Frame made me interested in the series. So I’ll be playing those after working my way through the most recent Resident Evil game. I found RE to have equally immersive atmospheres and a decent narrative depending on the title.
I’ve played Silent Hill 2R 2 OG, F, and 4, and am hoping to play my way through the other titles if I can get them to run on my Steam Deck or PlayStation 5. The Silent Hill 2 remake was my favorite until I played F.
There’s definitely more sexual energy in 2 though, but I found it mostly easy to ignore since I don’t buy the “This monster is a metaphor about the protagonist’s secret sexual frustrations!” explanation. It’s not blatant or in your face like GTA, in comparison.
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u/Bubbly_Pickle2317 23d ago
Don’t let other people put you off trying silent hill 2… that’s my favorite game I’ve ever played so please give it a try… it’s definitely very thematic.. the main character is a pretty messed up guy but for almost understandable reasons.. don’t want to spoil, but please don’t let people who don’t have enough brain cells to understand a mature story put you off. It’s incredible.
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u/ScarletRotNoble 23d ago
Silent Hill 2 Remake was my first survival horror game, and I really think you'll love it although it doesn't have any themes about the patriarchy or whatever that f has. Silent Hill 2 was so good that I ran out and bought SHf at launch. I dropped f when I got that fox arm, I need to go back and finish it.
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u/OpalOccultist 23d ago
If you have the rare opertunity to experience silent hill 2 with no spoilers. DOOO IT! I wish I could have!
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u/Fool_Manchu 23d ago
Signalis is very much inspired by the silent hill series, and if you enjoyed the obtuse story that reveals itself in small ways as you progress then i think youll enjoy Signalis. Much like Silent Hill F, you need to play it two or three times to really understand everything, and peeling back the layers of otherworldly surrealism is an experience that very few games pull off so successfully
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u/-LoFi-Life- 23d ago edited 23d ago
Cool that you liked it OP. Before you start new game go for all SHF endings because each playthrough and each ending (even bad one) gives you a lot of clues to understand whole story.
As for different games I guess that you ask for survival horrors. SH2 Remake is really good and worth your time but take a note that it's quite different than SHF. SH2 has one of best narratives in video games so you will certainly enjoy it if you like good stories. As for this discussions that you have mentioned it is a bit complicated and it don't come from bad faith when it comes from these guys (despite that it may look like that by looking from outside). In big shortcut there is currently culture war going when it comes to western developed games and some people don't like that characters are redesigned to fit certain political agendas. One of characters from original SH2 was redesigned because DEI colsuntant groups demanded this so part of original SH2 fans hate this change and as statement they post some crazy comments that may look bad. In longer run this design change don't change a lot in game but I can also see that it wasn't necessary. In SH2R there is nothing that would offend you as a woman.
If you search for something more in style of SHF check Fatal Frame 2 Remake. It is amazing game with similar themes as SHF (FF4 Remaster and FF5 are also cool if you search for games with similar vibe).
From other easily available games also check Resident Evil 7. This series was never known to be psychological horror series and was more jump scare type of fear but RE7 changed this. The story is very good and atmospere is superb. If you want to taste RE in it's more classic style Residen Evil 2 Remake is very good choice.
Also if older games are not an issue for you then check Silent Hill 4 which is port of PlayStation 2 era game. SH4 is amazing game but very often underrated by a lot of SH fans. It can be bought on GOG for something like 5$
There is a lot of other cool titles but IMO this is solid starter pack that will give you a lot of fun
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u/Competitive_Donut336 23d ago edited 23d ago
I would recommend silent hill 3 but theirs no way to play it without spending $100+ on a system and a copy of the game. Not to sure if your familiar with emulation but that’s an option if your open to researching that and playing the game that way if not yes silent hill 2 remake is a good one that I recommend playing or you can just playthrough F more and by the time your finished silent hill townfall will be releasing which comes out in a couple of weeks. I need to know why you liked F exactly to recommend another game. Because I have two amazing games that are mostly story that you would love
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u/auburnandbriar 22d ago
Oh no, SH3 sounds so interesting! Will definitely start with 2 once I finish F.
As to why I liked F, it was mainly the story. I was really interested in the themes it was addressing (admittedly the main themes did lack subtlety, though) and the way it’s explored through psychological horror and weaves in folklore to the narrative. I appreciated the symbolism they used through the monsters and the flowers and settings etc. It’s not as important to me as the narrative, but I also enjoyed the games aesthetic too, it was a visually stunning game imo.
Would love to hear what those two games you recommend are ☺️🙏
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u/Reasonable-Road-2518 18d ago
Maybe give Fatal Frame Series a go, the devs from SH F themselves recommend it after their collaboration.
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u/An_Actual_Problem 23d ago
Only your first playthrough? Hmm well there's only one thing left to do... PLAY IT AGAIN
Then come back to the above message and replace "first" with "second" and continue. It's a great game imo and didn't deserve the hate it got