Summary
- The Labyrinth is one of the most mysterious locations in all of Silent Hill 2.
- The consensus is that it’s a manifestation of James, Angela, and Eddie’s psyche, but beyond that, the symbolism is up for debate and often personal to the player.
- But when it came to reimagining the penultimate chapter in the remake, Bloober Team was inspired by the many theories that the community shared over the years.
Towards the end of Silent Hill 2, you enter the Labyrinth, an underground, liminal maze with no map, leaving James Sunderland to scrawl the vague outlines of its twisting corridors onto a dirtied sheet of paper. It feels completely disjointed from the rest of the town. And true to its enigmatic nature, there’s no concrete explanation behind what it is.
Most agree that it’s a manifestation of James’ psyche, with certain pathways representing other characters, like Angela Orosco and Eddie Dombrowski. A popular idea is that the Labyrinth’s purpose is to guide these waylaid travellers to the truth, helping them discover why they came to Silent Hill. One such theory posits that it’s James behind bars, not Maria, for the murder of his wife, paving the way for his confrontation in the finale.
Back in 2009, fans theorised that the Labyrinth was a maze of winding tunnels because it represented each character’s version of Silent Hill colliding.
Bloober Team expanded on the area in the remake, fleshing out each pathway and implementing an entirely new Otherworld sequence, all while retaining the core mystery that made it such a gripping penultimate chapter. And to do so, they looked to fan theories, pulling from over two decades of speculation.
Silent Hill 2 Remake Devs “Wanted To Incorporate As Many Things” As They Could
“I can’t tell you how many hours we spent watching, reading, discussing all the elements that we can [find’ on the internet,” senior level designer Anna Oporska-Szybisz revealed at GDC (via GamesRadar). “Our main goal has always been to respect the fans and never, ever disregard any of their theories.
I don’t like everything that I found there, to be honest.
“I don’t like everything that I found there, to be honest, but when we started analysing them and finding all the cons and pros behind them, I started to love the way that people were thinking about the Labyrinth, and wanted to incorporate as many things as I can in it.”
So, if you’ve ever started a conversation about the Labyrinth in the last 24 years, there’s a chance that Bloober Team was inspired by it for their reimagining. What exactly they took on board from the community, however, isn’t clear, but maybe it’s for the best — a big reason there’s been so much debate about the Labyrinth for two decades is because we don’t have all the answers.
Survival Horror
Horror
Adventure
Action
- Released
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October 8, 2024
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence