Basics

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New to Silent Hill? Don’t understand the play style you need to dominate in this Survival Horror? These basics may be for you.

Combat

If this is your first time playing Silent Hill 2, you will instantly notice how outdated the combat system is, even for a PS2 game. The melee is slow and clunky, and the firearms auto lock on the monster’s torso.

ATTACKING

To attack an enemy, you’ll need to hold the Fighting Stance button and press the Investigate button. You’ll swing whatever melee weapon you have, or you’ll fire whatever fire arm you may hold. You can also block by holding the Fighting Stance button and pressing the Run button.

Attack each monster until they hit the floor, but don’t let up just yet. Just because a monster hits the floor, it does not mean it’s dead. Walk over to the fallen body and kick it with the investigate button until the radio is free from static.

If you don’t finish off a monster while it’s on the ground, it will get back up and keep fighting. Attack it again until it drops and it may not need to be finished off.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

Just remember, Silent Hill is supposed to be a Survival Horror, not an action game. Just because there are monsters around the area, does not mean you have to chase them down and kill them. Don’t be afraid to run away from battle, especially if you’re weak.

Searching for Items

Silent Hill is a huge town. At first glance, you may think searching for items will be a bother, especially since the items don’t glow or anything like many recent games. However, searching for items may be a bit easier than you think.

Yes, searching for items will require a bit of exploring, but pay attention to your character’s head when moving around Silent Hill. As you get close to an item, your character will start looking at it until you get far enough away.

Don’t be afraid to look in every little nook and cranny in the entire game. As you explore Silent Hill, it’ll seem smaller and smaller with all the blocked off roads and such. Stick to the side walks on one side of the road, then search the side walk of the other road. When you’re in a building like apartments or a hotel, check every room until all doors are marked off on your map. Some items are more important than your basic healing items or weapons.

Exploring

You’ll notice right away that Silent Hill is a big town that requires a lot of exploring. As you explore, you’ll quickly learn that it’s not as big as it looks on the map. Many roads will be cut off or blocked. Then there are rooms that will have broken locks that can never be opened. Still, Silent Hill will take a bit of exploring. Don’t be afraid to look everywhere and check everything.

Here are some useful tips when exploring.

THE RADIO

First thing you should know about is The Radio. The Radio can be found in all important Silent Hill games. It will warn the player of any monsters in the immediate area. You have the option to maximize or completely shut off the radio in the Menu. If you hear a monster nearby, run or fight.

THE FLASHLIGHT

As stated in Silent Hill 2, the monsters are attracted to light and sound. That’s why they prey on creatures that need light to thrive. Silent Hill will be filled with many dark places. The Flashlight serves as a great tool when navigating areas, but it will easily attract monsters to you. You have been warned!

INVESTIGATING

There are many things in Silent Hill that can be investigated. Not all items are needed to complete the game. Some items will give you alternate endings, special unlocks, or more. See Searching for Items.

As stated earlier, don’t be afraid to look everywhere and check everything. Some investigations will require you to back track to an earlier location. Sometimes you may need to search every small detail in a room.

Menu

The Menu on Silent Hill 2 is obviously an important part to the game. Do not take it lightly!

STATUS

There is no health bar or health percentage in Silent Hill HD Collection. Instead, you are given an image of your character in the upper left hand of the menu. Use this to judge your player’s health.

Green = Good
Grey = Medium
Grey + Static = Bad
Red = Very Bad
Red + Controller Vibration = Brink of Death

EQUIPMENT

Your equipment will be all the items in the middle of the screen. This includes Weapons, Health items, and Important Key Items. Don’t be afraid to pick up as many items as you like, there will be no limit to how many items you can hold at once.

Options

COMMAND

Each piece of equipment has some type of command that can be used. Some are the basic “Use” or “Equip” and “Unequip,” but some items will allow you to Examine, which can play a big role in the Puzzles and Riddles throughout the game.

OPTIONS

The Options are the basic game settings. Some people prefer the 2D control over 3D, but 3D can be useful with all the camera cuts. Press R1 / RT to see another set of choices in the Options menu.

After beating the game, you can choose to increase bullet count by up to x3!

MEMO

Memos are very, very important in Silent Hill. Each important thing you read will be automatically saved in this section. Some Puzzles or Riddles will require you to learn information, or you may just need a specific code. If you forget, you can always look it up here.

MAP

The Map section will show you the map of whatever area you’re in, granting you picked up the map somewhere in Silent Hill. Most of the time, you’ll find a map right when you enter the area. For example, when you first enter the Apartment Building in Silent Hill 2, you can find a map of the area directly to your left in the lobby.

As you explore the area, the map will be updated with red pen. Any blocked off locations, locked doors, or puzzles will be added here.

Extra New Game

Extra New Game (Also known as New Game Plus or New Game +) is a feature found in Silent Hill 2. After completing the game once, you’ll unlock the ability to start an Extra New Game.

In an Extra New Game, you get the chance to unlock the different Endings and special Weapons that you normally can’t get. Everything will be reset, except for Costumes, and you’ll be able to find new items around the game. You also have the choice to change game and riddle difficulty settings each time.