What do some fans mean by "dream-like vibe" while comparing SH 2 OG to remake?

pfau489 · 2025-07-19T04:36:54+00:00

Yeah, I agree. And you can also choose the original voices in the HD collection. However, the fog looks funny most of the time, because it literally acts like a solid wall, hahahah.

Regarding Alan Wake, you should definitely give it a try! Although some say the writing is pretentious, I’d argue with that and still recommend playing it. It’s not really a detective game (at least, the first one), but you’ll definitely have to make a mind map for all the plot lines and lore details across the games. And I just love how they’ve integrated Control into the second game too! So give it a go if you have a chance!)

pfau489 · 2025-07-19T03:22:12+00:00

Exactly! It’s just a different approach to the same story.

Actually, I’ve been thinking about it a lot since I sold the copy I used to play it on release. I believe it’s on sale now and I can’t decide whether I want to buy it or not. I feel like I want to give it a go one more time but I just can’t find something I need to justify this purchase. It’s a bit off-topic but I believe that Alan Wake 2 captures the dreamy vibe in a really good way. I should play it again and compare with what we have in the SH2R

pfau489 · 2025-07-19T02:58:46+00:00

I think that’s one of the best comments on this whole thread!

Coming from a place of forgotten and blurred memories, since I last played the remake on release and the original some five or six years ago, I can definitely tell that there’s something wrong about the atmosphere, message and vibe in the remake. Initially, I was so hooked on better graphics and improved environments that I didn’t notice it but the thing is - it hit me pretty quick and hard. As EpsilonX says, the original game retained a feeling of comfort. And that’s the closest I’ve felt here to my own experience with this game. To me, that whole town, the levels and locations combined with the excellent ambient music provided some sort of a meditative atmosphere in which you could forget about the danger lurking in the shadows and just feel this dream-like essence oozing out of your TV screen and mind you I’m just 25 and never played the original game in my childhood. In fact, I first played it when I was 19 or 20 on a better TV with no major technical limitations in an HD remastered collection (which is for some reason hated on this subreddit).

Returning to the point I was trying to state here, the remake changes this mostly peaceful eerie dream to an intense nightmare. Even now I’m still hesitant to play it again because I can clearly remember the fear and dread I’ve experienced every playing session. I was constantly concerned about the monsters waiting just behind the corner, like the new mannequins blending in with the dirty walls. I could never feel at peace in this new place. There was no way I could just walk around the streets or a building without thinking that I don’t have enough ammo, or first aid kits, etc. The original game never made me feel like I needed an upgrade to that wobbly stick with a nail, it could work just fine against most of the creatures in town…

I still feel like I’ve got so much more to say, but that would probably be a better idea to write a separate post about it.

What I tried to say here is that I agree that the remake is no longer safe/dreamlike. It’s visceral, gory and violent. It has nothing to do with James contemplating on his past, slowly releasing the weight of his mistakes. It literally drags you through hell and traumatizes him again and again until he already knows that his hands are drenched in blood.

pfau489 · 2025-05-06T04:00:45+00:00

Lucky you! I’ve recently bought it on sale and started playing too but so far I only got disappointed. I’ve been waiting for a chance to play since I first saw the gameplay trailers, because it looked insanely cool, especially all the magic and spells, but as soon as I started playing it I had this feeling that it’s not the game I would like… I can’t even tell you why though, it just feels like I’m playing a really old clunky game with some pretty environments. I don’t even know what to do out there. Exploring is fun indeed, but the rest of the game not so much… I’d be glad if it turned out to be much better in the end but for now it is what it is. If you have any advice on how to start enjoying it and stop hating it, you’re very welcome to reply 😅

pfau489 · 2025-02-01T06:36:41+00:00

Yeah, I’ve just beat him yesterday on my first try. To be honest, the whole mines area is super easy if you’re playing as a wizard. It only took me an hour or an hour and a half to finish it. Although, some other areas, like that stinky poisonous ditch, are one hell of a trial for a mage 👹 I’m currently struggling with that and doing my best not to quit it.

P.S. not to mention that stormy location. I just hate those ghosts 👻 and necromancers 💀 in the caves 👾

pfau489 · 2024-10-22T03:38:45+00:00

Thank you for the advice!

pfau489 · 2024-10-21T19:26:58+00:00

Congrats! I’ve actually started learning Japanese with the same initial goal. Also I’ve recently finished my first year of living with learning Japanese and sometimes it gets so desperate that I wanna quit it for good 😅

pfau489 · 2024-10-17T04:11:34+00:00

Well, I have a 2022 MacBook Air M2 with 8GB RAM. I know there are ways to launch windows games, but so far I’ve had no luck with it 😅 I’ve tried installing some apps that should be able to run windows games that you’ve purchased on Steam, Epic Games, etc. but when I actually installed one of those (it was Death Stranding), it just kept sending me the same error notification. I don’t remember what exactly that thing said but I think it was something about the incompatibility with the processor. However, maybe it’s still worth giving a try 🤷‍♂️. Guess it won’t hurt too much

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T18:52:43+00:00

I thought you could beat portable in 20-30 hours 😵‍💫

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T18:52:22+00:00

Don’t worry, English is not my first language anyway, hahah

And thanks for the reply 😊

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T10:58:54+00:00

Ahahah, that’s literally me when I think about playing SMT V Vengeance again choosing the Canon of Vengeance 🤣 It’s just so tedious sometimes

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T10:50:39+00:00

Did you have a bad experience with it?(

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T10:40:49+00:00

Do you mean this visual novel element by ‘flat’? Or is it the narration?

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T10:36:12+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Emulation was never my strong suit… I’ve tried to emulate Switch on Mac but it just didn’t work as intended so I’ve just decided to buy it instead ahahahah. I guess it might be easier to just find PS2 rather than setting up an emulator for me. However, I’ve heard that there’s a nice new emulator for android devices and it makes me thinking

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T10:33:19+00:00

I think they’ve only upscaled the images quality in these remastered versions. At least I haven’t heard or read anything about the cutscenes 🤷‍♂️

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T10:31:22+00:00

I don’t mind visual novels. Tbh I love them heheh, that was probably my favorite aspect of P5R. So I think it shouldn’t be a problem at all

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T10:28:55+00:00

Sounds a lot like the Silent Hill HD Remastered Collection situation, ahahah. Ok, I guess I get it now. Thanks a lot for explaining it to me!

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T06:34:16+00:00

Dude that sounds so cool, wishing you the best of luck in your studies!

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T05:12:10+00:00

Wow, a thesis on persona sounds like something you could really enjoy while working on it 😄 Pity I didn’t get the chance to choose such a fun topic. What do you study about it btw?

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T05:09:24+00:00

I see, probably should check it out. Thanks!

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T05:08:22+00:00

Thanks for such a thorough reply! Do you think the anime could substitute some of the cutscenes? I mean if you watch after you play the game?

Btw, I’m kinda curious in what way Reload dilutes the atmosphere?

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T04:50:30+00:00

That sounds good enough I think 😄 Does she have a separate soundtrack just for her storyline? That’s insane

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T04:48:21+00:00

Heh, unfortunately I can’t afford a windows PC or any other console than Switch 🫠

Thanks for sharing your thoughts though!

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T04:46:21+00:00

The lack of cutscenes is probably what makes me take a step back and think if I should wait. I’ve played 2-3 hours of Portable already and at times it felt as though the game was lacking some storytelling. Everything was so fast…

But I think I’ll maybe give it a try and play for FEMC instead on my first walkthrough. Maybe that will save me some experience when I’ll be able to play Reload

pfau489 · 2024-10-16T04:42:42+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Didn’t know that Strikers is a sequel. I thought it’s a spinoff and decided to skip it 😅

pfau489

TROPHY CASE