23 years later, Silent Hill 2 composer Akira Yamaoka can barely recall what making it felt like – aside from having to down-tune his guitar because he couldn't afford a bass

Silent Hill 2 Remake in-development screenshot of a broken juke box — (Image credit: Konami)

When looking back on his life for Silent Hill 2 Remake inspiration, original composer Akira Yamaoka made an exasperating discovery: he couldn't remember much except being kind of broke.

Appearing at the Tokyo Silent Hill 2 preview event on August 8, Yamaoka was asked how it felt to return to the game more than two decades later. "The first thing he had to do was a bit of self-counseling," Yamaoka's translator says. "He had to ask a lot of questions to himself, like, 'what was I thinking back then? How did I live my life back then? Who was I? What was my mental state, and how was I approaching life at that time?' And he says that he couldn't remember."

The passage of time has made some details frustratingly hazy for the celebrated music composer, but he does remember one thing about the 2001 game's production process. "He was not very financially stable at the time. And he did not have enough money to buy a bass guitar. So what he had to do was tune down the guitar strings so that it would sound more low key. He had to take all these extreme measures and be very creative with what he was doing at the time in order to [make the game,] but he still had the passion to want to make something great."

Sure, Akira Yamaoka "can't replicate the same circumstances that he was in 25 years ago," but now he has a new goal: "to deliver something that feels fresh for both existing fans and for newcomers. So, long story short is he tried to get in touch with his younger self, but he couldn't. He still ended up trying to make something [out of] who he is right now."

Silent Hill 2 Remake is set to launch on October 8 on PS5 and PC, and with a stellar soundtrack comprised of "over nine hours worth of music," it seems almost certain that Yamaoka is set to deliver excellence once more.

Check out all the upcoming PS5 games ready to launch in 2024, from Dragon Age: The Veilguard to Assassin's Creed Shadows.

CATEGORIES

Jasmine is a Senior Staff Writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London, she began her journalism career as a freelancer with TheGamer and TechRadar Gaming before joining GR+ full-time in 2023. She now focuses predominantly on features content for GamesRadar+, attending game previews, and key international conferences such as Gamescom and Digital Dragons in between regular interviews, opinion pieces, and the occasional stint with the news or guides teams. In her spare time, you'll likely find Jasmine challenging her friends to a Resident Evil 2 speedrun, purchasing another book she's unlikely to read, or complaining about the weather.