Hit video game from Poland provides Halloween scares
Hit video game from Poland provides Halloween scares
17:17, 31.10.2024
Karolina Shapland;
Hit video game from Poland provides Halloween scares For those seeking a spine-chilling experience at Halloween, Polish video game developer Bloober Team has unleashed a Silent Hill 2 remake, an immersive horror gaming experience that drags players into their darkest nightmares.
For those seeking a spine-chilling experience at Halloween, Polish video game developer Bloober Team has unleashed a Silent Hill 2 remake, an immersive horror gaming experience that drags players into their darkest nightmares.
It’s the season to be scary. Photo: Konami Digital Entertainment courtesy of Bloober Team
With over a million downloads within a week of release, this remake of the Japanese classic is already proving the perfect companion for the season of scares.
The game follows John Sunderland, a man haunted by a tragic past and a mysterious summons from his late wife. Set in the desolate town of Silent Hill, Sunderland’s journey is a grim exploration filled with moral quandaries, monstrous creatures and chilling psychological twists.
Bloober Team’s involvement in the landmark remake came after an unexpected yet inspired choice by the Japanese publisher Konami.
In an interview with TVP World, Bloober CEO Piotr Babieno said: “We are extremely grateful to our partner for the opportunity to work on such an iconic title. The premiere turned out to be a great success – just three days after the premiere, the game sold over a million copies.”
Historically, Krakow-based Bloober Team was an underdog in Poland’s game development industry.
“It is quite a journey for Bloober,” Piotr Gnyp, a games industry expert, told TVP World.
“When they started, they were the ugly duckling of the Polish gamedev industry – they used to promise a lot, but their games were simply not that great.”
That changed with 2016’s Layers of Fear, a psychological horror piece that paved the way for Bloober’s distinctive, dark style. Since then, Bloober Team have embraced a role as horror experts, a position affirmed by the Silent Hill 2 remake.
"We are proud that our studio is now seen as a global leader in the horror genre, which is our long-term goal," Bloober’s CEO said.
Much of the success of the Silent Hill 2 remake lies in its layered storytelling. John Sunderland’s fate hinges less on how many monsters he slays and more on the choices he makes.
His journey is filled with encounters with terrifying creatures – distorted wiggling corpses, faceless blood-splattered nurses and, most notably, the sinister Pyramid Head, a symbolic foe embodying the protagonist’s darkest emotions.
Sound and atmosphere are essential to this frightful journey, and Bloober’s trademark blend of eerie soundscapes and dark humor gives the game both edge and depth.
One potential ending sees Sunderland discovering that his universe is ruled by an improbably comic figure. Falling to his knees, he cries out in Polish, “This can’t be true!”—a nod to Bloober’s Polish roots.
“Let’s remember that games such as Silent Hill 2 are great ambassadors of the Polish language and culture,” Gnyp emphasized.
With the success of the remake, Bloober now has the financial support needed to complete its next project, Cronos, a game set in Poland during the 1980s.
