How is combat going to be handled?

[aj4x94]

I'm very curious to see how they're going to handle the combat this time around. We see that Bloober are going with a more modern over the shoulder camera, so will we get free aiming like Homecoming? Or will it be lock on like most of the games in the series?

I'm hoping it's something like Siren Blood Curse where melee combat was just pressing one of the face buttons, and your character could do slow, but clunky combos. Firearms were primarily lock on based unless using a rifle. You never felt over powered in that game, but the combat wasn't flat out awful.

With this in mind, do you guys think that modernizing the combat could tone down the scare factor?

[Caim]

I remember really liking Siren's combat system, same with Silent Hill. Call me old-fashioned but I love some basic ass "hit square to hit squares" games sometimes. That said, I think keeping lock-on is more cinematic. Hopefully if they go the free-aim route, there's a lock-on option and a no HUD option/no reticle. Really, just let me keep my screen clean. I love when games let me do that. It's way easier to get immersed that way.

I would like the combat to have some weight to it. The more intense it feels, the more that's at stake. Make gunshots loud, make that wooden plank swing like a bat, and make monsters react to it. The couple of seconds that we saw James beating a monster felt heavy. I mean, dude was really laying into that thing. So hopefully that translates to the game play.

Aside from that, hopefully we get some more weapons. Maria's revolver is slick, it would be nice to use it in the main game.

[Jonipoon]

This is the one thing that I'm willing to overlook for the sake of modernized controls. I honestly don't really mind if the combat is less clunky and more smooth (call it action-oriented if you may), because the world has changed in 21 years and this game is not only targeting old fans but also modern gamers. For me, keeping the story and atmosphere intact is more important.

I suspect weapon-changing will be similar to the new Resident Evil remakes, where you can quick-switch between weapons in real-time while also still being able to select weapons in the pause menu. It's only natural for this to happen and while I'm sure some fans will be bitching about it I honestly see it as an improvement.

[NanayaShiki]

Combat has always been a delicate balance with this series. I feel like with 3 to 4 to Origins the monsters got more annoying and frustrating than scary with each game. But then you have something like Homecoming where people complain that you were too capable and that made it less scary. Then Shattered Memories where they just replaced combat altogether with chase sequences (which worked for me but obviously not everyone).

But if we're getting more modernized controls and combat I definitely think they need to expand what the monsters can do. Lying Figures walking forward and spraying some brown mist every few steps isn't really going to land the same way if we have the capabilities of a modern Resident Evil game. Not sure what they can do to them off the top of my head, maybe give them more of an attack when they're crawling on the ground? Honestly though I never found too much about the monsters as combat encounters to be "scary", even in the original SH2.

[Caim]

I hope that we can still pause the game and select weapons and healing items haha. Please give me my safe space with 10 ampoules where I can catch my breath. I like hard games but trying to sort through menus while Pyramid Head drives his knife up my keister sounds a bad kind of stressful. It was one thing that kind of drove me nuts about Red Dead 2. Even though the game slowed to a crawl, I still found it maddening to sort through hundreds of cans of beans while I was slowly getting murdered.

The monsters in 3 weren't awful until you got to the slurpers. My god those guys were annoying. The combat in SH4 was tough and occasionally a real pain in the butt. Downpour was an absolute nightmare in combat. Janky in all the worst ways, and near the end of the game I remember enemies infinitely respawning. Terrible. Just terrible.

I remember liking the combat in Homecoming, but I was 18 so that sort of stuff might appeal to an 18 year old boy. Alex was military capable (for some reason...) but I still remember getting my ass handed to me sometimes. The game had its problems and the fighting maybe wasn't tonally appropriate, but at least it was competent.

I guess a lot of the challenge in SH2 combat comes from fighting slow, stupid, barfing monsters in really tight spaces. Even with modern controls, they could still be a threat in places like the apartments. This being a remake though, I wouldn't be surprised if some monsters get the 28 Days Later treatment and can give chase a bit better. That might be fine too; I replayed SH1 a few months ago on hard and running through Silent Hill is an absolute nightmare. There is Nowhere (lol) to go, you're always being pursued by air screamers or the dogs. Silent Hill 2 didn't have those kinds of enemies and it made the streets of SH feel much less threatening.

[Jonipoon]

Silent Hill 2 has always been one of the easiest game in the series, even on hard mode.

I think one way to improve and modernize the combat would be to have the lying figures (for example) twitch their head and body from side to side while you're aiming at them, making it more difficult to make a direct hit. Melee would of course have to be more dangerous to make up for for the increased difficulty in aiming. Slim monsters such as the mannequin would especially be a pain in the ass to hit.

I hope they don't add a dodge mechanic though, we really don't need that in a Silent Hill game.

[Skele]

FFS, I hope we get good combat/gameplay. Clunky/braindead combat was fine 21 years ago, but it is not acceptable today. It doesn't have to be on the level of The Last of Us 2, but it's got to feel fluid and responsive.

[aj4x94]

I remember really liking Siren's combat system, same with Silent Hill. Call me old-fashioned but I love some basic ass "hit square to hit squares" games sometimes. That said, I think keeping lock-on is more cinematic. Hopefully if they go the free-aim route, there's a lock-on option and a no HUD option/no reticle. Really, just let me keep my screen clean. I love when games let me do that. It's way easier to get immersed that way.

I would like the combat to have some weight to it. The more intense it feels, the more that's at stake. Make gunshots loud, make that wooden plank swing like a bat, and make monsters react to it. The couple of seconds that we saw James beating a monster felt heavy. I mean, dude was really laying into that thing. So hopefully that translates to the game play.

Aside from that, hopefully we get some more weapons. Maria's revolver is slick, it would be nice to use it in the main game.

I agree with all of this. A big thing modern games are doing is allowing the player to disable parts or all of the HUD. Jury's still open on if this remake even has a HUD.

If the game does have free aiming, then this opens up the question as to how the monsters have changed to facilitate this. Headshots? Other weak points? Will they gain some new nasty moves to compensate?

Regarding melee combat, I always found it unrealistic how your plank or pipe would bounce off an enemy whenever James would hit it. It's just not how that works in real life. I'd want melee to feel really brutal and weighty with the strikes.

Lastly, did they mention if we're getting any new enemy types with this remake?

[Caim]

Regarding melee combat, I always found it unrealistic how your plank or pipe would bounce off an enemy whenever James would hit it. It's just not how that works in real life. I'd want melee to feel really brutal and weighty with the strikes.

Lastly, did they mention if we're getting any new enemy types with this remake?

Yeah, I'm hoping for some Last of Us style weightiness. That plank has nails sticking out of it, it should do some rippin' and tearin' when ya swing it!

My knee-jerk reaction is that we're not getting new enemy types, but who knows? Did the RE2 and 3 remakes have them? I'll never stop comparing those and SH2R in my head until the latter is released.

[Jonipoon]

My knee-jerk reaction is that we're not getting new enemy types, but who knows? Did the RE2 and 3 remakes have them? I'll never stop comparing those and SH2R in my head until the latter is released.

Quite the contrary, they actually cut monsters from the original, most notably several of the bosses. The RE2 remake was more faithful to the original however, whereas RE3 is noted for omitting a lot of content.

[Chris Sunderland]

I think the key is to create a combat system that feels heavy and sluggish and like you controlling someone normal but have the actual combat itself control well. Have shooting be hard to land but the controls themselves responsive.

[Droo]

The small bit of mocap for battle we saw (James versus a nurse I believe) looks more like Downpour's combat than anything else to me.

Hopefully it's executed way more competently than Downpour's if that is the case.

[WaffleMaker]

Realism. Similar to LOU or RE2 style but don’t make James a super cop either.

[Chris Sunderland]

TLOU is a great example. Bullets do major damage on you and other enemies and aiming takes time for both player and the CP. The melee has weight but is responsive not complex and flashy. I'd like animations for every little thing like RDR2. It's immersive and would be perfect for a survival horror game. Make enemies tough to fight and maybe add stealth so James can avoid combat like running past everything. No backstab though. I think making James too capable in any area takes away from being just some dude in a fucked up situation. And for gods sake no rolling like my Samurai in Eldin Ring. Shit was goofy as hell in Homecoming. Engaging with monsters should feel viceral, like your fighting for your life. Not flashy bullshit.

[DinoNerd89]

I think a mix of the classic lock on sight and free aim should be options for those who prefer either one. Older fans can enjoy the old mechanic that they know if they choose, while more "modern" gamers that are used to free aim can choose that


While im an older fan(started in very early 00s) I personally would prefer the free aim, just for the fact that i used to hunt, and know how to use a firearm, and characters(especially Harry lol) missing obvious shots, makes me cringe a lil, since i know i could make the same shot.

[leftshoe18]

> I think a mix of the classic lock on sight and free aim should be options for those who prefer either one. Older fans can enjoy the old mechanic that they know if they choose, while more "modern" gamers that are used to free aim can choose that

There's always a group of people who say this for any remake of a classic game but I'm not sure where the idea they would even do such a thing comes from because, as far as I'm aware, there isn't a single game that actually does anything like this.

[Burning Man]

Can anyone who's knowledgeable with Bloober Team's games comment on how they implemented combat in their games? I'm under the impression that they excel at creating atmosphere, but a combat system seems mostly non-existent...?

[leftshoe18]

This will be their first game with combat.

[The Adversary]

Interesting to see how they go about it, then.

I'd definitely like a no-combat option, as was originally intended with SILENT HILL 2, though I'm sure that's a lot to ask in the modern gaming world. I still want to see the monsters, but half the bosses in the game can be defeated without combat: both Pyramid Head encounters and Mary/ia. I'd like to see a way to introduce all of the monsters and have still be able to defeat them without having to fight them or anything.

This could easily be accomplished with the Abstract Daddy/Ideal Father with Angela dealing the finishing blow after some time, and with Eddie maybe just killing himself—all of which could be done as alternate scenarios based on actions taken previously.

[Droo]

I personally won't be surprised if the Eddie fight is removed entirely. Unlike the Cybil fight he isn't possessed by a monster or anything. He's still just a dude. It's entirely unrealistic for him to be able to take multiple bullets without them slowing him down, crippling him, or killing him.

The whole thing is very out of place. I can see the encounter playing out in just a cutscene this time.