Do You Need to Have Played Silent Hill to Understand Silent Hill 2?

Silent Hill 2 takes players back to one of survival horror’s eeriest towns, but what if you’ve never been there before? Do you need to have played Silent Hill to understand Silent Hill 2? Here’s the answer.

Can You Understand Silent Hill 2 if You’ve Not Played Silent Hill?

You can easily understand Silent Hill 2 even if you haven’t played the original Silent Hill. It’s one of the most accessible games in the series, telling an isolated story set in the eponymous town. By contrast, Silent Hill 3‘s story ties heavily into the events of the original game, and you’ll get less from it if you haven’t played the first.

All you need to know — and you’ll pick it up quickly — is that there’s something strange about the town of Silent Hill. There’s no sinister overlord at work, though. It’s more like an episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits where the protagonist is plunged into a strange and sometimes supernaturally skewed situation.

Besides which, it’s hard to get your hands on the original Silent Hill. Only available on the PlayStation One, it’s long out of production and not included in PlayStation Plus Premium’s Classics Catalogue. Nevertheless, you’ll pick up on Silent Hill 2‘s wrongness quickly enough and you don’t really need to know why it’s the way it is before diving in. But if you do want to know, read on.

The Background of Silent Hill Explained

So why is the town so eerie? It’s down to the activities of a cult that resided there. Silent Hill 4: The Room reveals that the town has always been a little otherworldly; the area’s Native Americans believed it was a place inhabited by spirits. But it’s the cult’s activities that dial things up to 11.

Leading up to the original Silent Hill, they attempt to resurrect an ancient god, forcing a young girl, Alessa, to birth it. But things go wrong and her soul is split into two. The better half becomes a child, adopted by protagonist Harry Mason and his late wife.

Meanwhile, Alessa’s dark half warps the town into the foggy, monster-infested burg you see in that game. And most, if not all, of the monsters you fight spring from her memories. Mason is drawn back to the town and ultimately frees Alessa’s spirit, putting paid to the cult’s efforts. His precise fate, and that of his daughter, depend on your actions.

Related: 5 Unforgettable Silent Hill 2 Moments We Can’t Wait to Relive in the Remake

But Silent Hill 2’s foggy otherworld and dark netherworld, which exist alongside the normal world, don’t go away, despite the defeat of the god. And while Alessa is gone, Silent Hill still has the power to manifest monsters, influenced and moulded by the minds of those who enter the town.

Therefore, you don’t need to have played Silent Hill to understand Silent Hill 2, but that’s why the town is the way it is, if you’re curious.

The Silent Hill 2 remake will be available on PC and PlayStation 5 October 8. Pre-orders are available now.