Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
There’s little doubt within theSilent Hillfandom that the games, especiallySilent Hill 2onwards, just wouldn’t be the same without the brilliant OSTs by Akira Yamaoka.
However, Yamaoka’s approach to music has significantly evolved over the years, as seen through his recent works onDecarnationandThe Medium. Now, perhaps as a direct result of said evolution, the artist seems to be facing a major challenge with recreating his most iconic tracks for the upcomingSilent Hill 2 Remake.
Akira Yamaoka Discusses the Aspects of Remaking Silent Hill 2’s Soundtrack
Take anylist covering any particular aspect of horror games, and it would be almost impossible not to mention the impact of sound design and music on said aspect. Of course, most fans of horror are aware that this statement stands the truest forSilent Hill.
“My wallet is ready”: From Silent Hill 2 To A Quiet Place, Halloween 2024 Is Shaping Up Nicely For Gamers
For Akira Yamaoka, though, it seems that recreating the sounds for one of his greatest works has been a rather tricky task, as shared by the artist on X:
Remade all the original tracks and added new ones. After 25 years, my approach to music has evolved. This work reflects that change, blending past passion with today’s sound, challenging me like never before.https://t.co/GDdPYbhuJj
People often assume that revisiting past sounds should be easy for a musician, but that is hardly ever the case, as an artist is always on the path of continuous evolution and iteration. It’s actually far harder to look back on one’s previous piece of art, and without being too harsh on its faults, recreate and evolve it.
Yamaoka’s sounds have also undergone enormous change with the passage of time, so it makes sense why revisiting a nearly two-and-a-half-decade-old soundtrack and evolving it forBloober Team’sremake according to his current sensibilities would be quite hard.
Since 2001’s Silent Hill 2, Yamaoka’s Sound Design Has Been Constantly Evolving
It’s important to remember how each new entry in theSilent Hillfranchise has had a considerably different and iterative soundtrack from the previous title. Not to mention, it’s easy to trace an evolution path between these games while carrying a few basic characteristics from one to the other.
For instance, underKonamifor the firstSilent Hill,Yamaoka combined Western rock themes with undertones taken directly from Japanese instruments such as the Koto to create a sense of a thrilling but disturbing adventure.
Then, forSilent Hill 2, the same music was tuned to be a lot more melancholic and disturbing while ditching the Japanese tones to better fit the game’s theme and narrative.
“Wonder what they’re adding”: The Silent Hill 2 Remakes’s Runtime Will Be Twice As Long As the Original
Similarly, forSilent Hill 3,the soundtrack was iterated to better suit a teenager’s perspective and Heather’s overall journey. Then, forThe Room, Yamaoka presented his darkest rendition of his past sounds to match both the rise of the more extreme sub-genres of heavy metal and the game’s narrative.
All this while ensuring that each OST feels like a living organism, somehow alive and breathing.From what we’ve seen ofSilent Hill 2 Remakeso far, it seems that the impact his old track produced is alive, too, ready to take our hands and drag our hands through the series’ most disturbing tale once more.
With that said, what are your thoughts onSilent Hill 2 Remake’ssoundtrack so far? Should Yamaoka keep the soundtrack largely unchanged for the remake? Let us know in the comments below.
Akshit Dangi
Writer - Gaming
Articles Published :266
Akshit is a supposed human being and gaming writer who lurks in different corners of the internet in search of fascinating rabbit holes. Outside of that, though, you’ll most likely find him staring at a piece of art for days or completing another playthrough of Silent Hill.
