Do You Need to Play Silent Hill 1 Before Silent Hill 2?

Silent Hill 1 is considered a hallmark of the psychological horror genre due to its spin-chilling atmosphere, memorable characters, and terrifying monsters. With the release of Silent Hill 2 Remake, players are wondering if it’s crucial to play the original Silent Hill before playing Silent Hill 2. This article will go over both of these installments in this psychological survival horror and determine if players need to experience the original before diving into the sequel’s remake.

Spoilers for Silent Hill 1 below, proceed with caution.

Is Silent Hill 2’s Story a Continuation of Silent Hill 1?

The story opens up with a father, Harry Mason, and his daughter, Cheryl Mason, traveling to the town of Silent Hill. After driving up the twists and turns of the road leading up to the town, Harry quickly swerves the car to avoid hitting a little schoolgirl in the middle of the road, which causes an accident and his passing out. After gaining consciousness, Harry realizes his daughter is missing from the car and heads into the town to find his missing daughter.

This starts a chain of events with Harry facing off against different monstrosities, experiencing the horrors of the town, and uncovering the dark secret behind the town’s cult. As the story reaches its climax and the story starts to unravel, players find out that Cheryl was part of Alessa, a girl who was to become a vessel for the cult’s demon god.

Now that Cheryl and Alessa are united, the Incubus is born, and it’s up to Harry to take it down. After players successfully defeat this final boss, Alyssa hands over her newborn reincarnation to Harry. Later, Harry makes his escape from the collapsing bowels of Silent Hill and decides to raise the child as his own under the name of Heather Mason.

So the question is, does this story continue in the Silent Hill 2 remake? The answer is no. Silent Hill 2’s story is completely different and isolated from the plot in the original. The sequel gets a new protagonist by the name of James Sunderland, who receives a letter from his deceased wife telling him to come find her in Silent Hill. Without giving out any spoilers, the entire focus of Silent Hill 2 is centered around James coming face to face with his inner demons while braving the hellish town in search of his wife. This plot is isolated from the story of Silent Hill 1.

Should You Play Silent Hill 1 Before Silent Hill 2?

Players don’t necessarily have to play Silent Hill 1 in order to understand the story of Silent Hill 2. However, Silent Hill 1 is the most important game in the series as it goes into a bit more detail about the town’s history. Alessa is one of the most pivotal characters in the franchise as her story shapes the landscape of this town into a hellish realm.

So, if you want a deeper understanding of Silent Hill lore, it’s highly recommended to play Silent Hill 1. Otherwise, players can opt to directly venture into Silent Hill 2 and expect to have a great time without missing out on any story elements.

However, if you’ve enjoyed Silent Hill 1 and are looking to play a true follow-up to the game in terms of narrative, you should play Silent Hill 3 as that game is a direct continuation of the original.

Systems

Released

October 8, 2024

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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