SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Silent Hill 2 is one of the most celebrated horror video games of all time. Released in 2001, the game became a classic thanks to its complex storytelling and terrifying world. Now the game has hit store shelves again, this time in the form of a remake for today's audiences.
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MONICA HORGAN: (As Mary Shepherd-Sunderland) In my restless dreams, I see that town.
DETROW: NPR's Vincent Acovino says returning to the town of Silent Hill is exciting for fans of the original game but also for a company trying to win back the favor of those same fans.
VINCENT ACOVINO, BYLINE: James Sunderland is looking for his wife, who has been sending him letters from a town called Silent Hill. There's only one problem with that.
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GUY CIHI: (As James Sunderland) It's ridiculous. Mary died of that damn disease three years ago. So then why am I looking for her?
ACOVINO: When Silent Hill 2 first came out, it was totally different than most other scary video games. It didn't star a rugged cop, a hero fighting zombies like in Resident Evil. You play as a regular guy who is basically battling his own inner demons.
MIKE DRUCKER: These weren't brave characters going on a quest. These weren't one-dimensional villains who just want to burn down the world. These were people who had suffered and made a lot of bad mistakes, and that's fascinating to have in a game.
ACOVINO: That's Mike Drucker, who wrote a book about the history and fanfare of the original Silent Hill 2. He says the horror is more abstract, psychological than other games. It was influenced by the David Lynch TV series "Twin Peaks" and the paintings of Francis Bacon.
DRUCKER: I think the game is supposed to unsettle you. You don't want to fight a mannequin that's made of two legs put upon two legs. You don't want to do that. You want to run. And rather than giving you a bazooka, it makes you feel like you might feel in the game itself.
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ACOVINO: Video game publisher Konami has had little success with Silent Hill games in the last 15 years. The last time it tried to bring back Silent Hill 2, fans panned the game as a low-effort cash grab. But with this remake, Konami promised something even more ambitious - a complete overhaul, basically a brand-new game, cutting-edge graphics and gameplay but the same familiar story and atmosphere. Critic Kelsey Raynor, who reviewed the remake, was a skeptical fan herself.
KELSEY RAYNOR: Ultimately, a lot of fans just lacked trust in Konami to do something good with the Silent Hill series, especially after being let down time and time again.
ACOVINO: But she says against all odds, the game delivers. And the fans seem to agree.
RAYNOR: Let's just say they've managed to do it successfully. Even though the original was very much a product of the times, they've definitely managed to do something with the technology that we have now.
ACOVINO: The reception is great news for video game publisher Konami. Jason Enos was a product manager for the company throughout the 2000s, and he says it moved away from the bread-and-butter franchises that people loved - Silent Hill, Castlevania, Contra.
JASON ENOS: There really wasn't much logic behind it, I mean, other than just like, oh, I wonder what's on the other side of the end of that rainbow - could be a big gold pot if we just follow this rainbow.
ACOVINO: Konami still makes a lot of money-making video games, turning out Yu-Gi-Oh! games, yearly sports titles. It posted record profits in its last fiscal year. But rarely do they make the kind of big-budget, inventive and thematically interesting games they were once known for. The Silent Hill 2 remake is a return to that kind of video game. And next month Konami is coming out with another remake of a popular 2000s game, Metal Gear Solid 3. Enos says this is a good strategy from Konami. Regain trust in your fans by faithfully recreating already-beloved works.
ENOS: If they can kind of harness that formula - not that it's a simple formula, but if they can harness that and apply that now to other things inside the Konami portfolio, then this could be a huge new change for the company.
ACOVINO: For now, the dreams of Silent Hill fans can finally get a rest. A new Silent Hill is here. Vincent Acovino, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF AKIRA YAMAOKA'S "PROMISE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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