Memorable Moments: Silent Hill 2 (SPOILERS)

 WARNING - THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

There are so many great games out in the world to be digested by individuals.  Some games have many memorable moments that can stay with us for a long time in a similar way to certain pieces of art, books, music or film.  What make games special is they have the unique ability to allow a person to interact with the story and the world in ways that other mediums cannot.  Games like 'Life is Strange' and 'Until Dawn' allow the audience members to participate in a story that has branching narrative paths, which mean many people's experiences can differ in the same title.  It can create that water cooler effect where people can talk about the same title and have an interesting discussion about their own unique experiences.  Even games without branching narrative paths can create some impactful memorable moments, which can affect us all uniquely.

Silent Hill 2 is an excellent example of a game that is open to the interpretation of the individual participant.  The experience and events may mean something to one person and be perceived to be something completely different by another person, and that's ok, it makes the discussion and the debate all the more enticing.  Below, I have written a small piece on my take on a certain moment in one of the scariest and terrifying games in existence.

Moment: James's Revelation

Format played on: PlayStation 2

The revelation is actually subtlety hinted throughout the game, but it is not until near the climax of the story that the truth is revealed.  The moment involved one of the scariest characters in horror entertainment, none other than the helmeted juggernaut Pyramid Head. Pyramid head kills Maria throughout the story, it is like Pyramid head is there, not too punish James, but to make him remember what he has done.  Why does Pyramid kill Maria over and over? Why does Maria, with the exception of her clothes and attitude, seem to be a doppelgänger of James' deceased wife, Mary?  It appears that James' mind had become so flooded with guilt, he managed to forget the dreadful act which he committed.  Mary's true fate was revealed when James entered a room where he was confronted by two pyramid heads and he witnessed the final death of Maria at the hands of the mysterious Pyramid head.  At that moment he dropped to his knees in despair because he remembered what had happened to Mary and spoke in a sombre tone: "I was weak, that's why I needed you, needed someone to punish me for my sins, that's all over now, I know the truth, now it's time to end this."  The truth James speaks of is he remembered his deed, he remembered that he killed his wife.

Up until that point of the game it appears that Pyramid Head is determined to pursue James until his soul no longer inhabits his body, but if you actually look back on your encounters with Pyramid Head it could be suggested that only Maria was targeted by Pyramid Head.  If Pyramid Head was a manifestation of James's guilt then, the purpose of its existence could have been not to hurt James, but remind him of the terrible act which he had committed.  He obviously does not remember what he did until the he reaches the room with two Pyramid Heads as the whole premise of the game was cantered around the belief that his wife may still be alive even though he was convinced that she had died of cancer three years prior to the events of Silent Hill 2.

During the moment of revelation there is a brief battle with the two Pyramid Heads and after some time they simply impale themselves on their own spears.  That moment both Pyramid Heads take themselves out of the equation seems to be the exact moment James fully accepts what he has done, thus they are no longer needed to remind James as he now fully remembers the truth.  The battle was unwinnable as James was battling his own mind and it would not have ended until James remembered and accepted what really happened.

 

The Revelation

So what was James's motivation behind the act?  Was it out of selfishness, was he tired of looking after his cancer stricken wife or did he do it out of love because he could no longer bear the agony of witnessing his wife slowly dying from an illness where there was no cure?  Was it was out of love because he could no longer see her suffering? There is much debate among fans questioning whether this was his true intention at the time and the multiple endings can give a slightly different interpretation, depending on what version you deem to be the true ending.