Silent Hill 2 remake has an achievement for taking the easy way out

When starting the Silent Hill 2 remake, most players take protagonist James Sunderland’s sad monologue to heart and make for the foggy town to find his wife Mary. But those less courageous (and possibly with more common sense) will find that they will also be rewarded for trying to leave the area early. Here’s how to get the “No Turning Back Now” achievement and make sure that you pick up the first map of Silent Hill.

Silent Hill 2 remake James looks out over foggy Silent Hill in the game's intro

The Silent Hill 2 remake begins much like the original 2001 game; with protagonist James Sunderland looking over Silent Hill from the Observation Deck. Every hint, from the street signs to James’ starting position, directs players to head left, down the stairs, and into Silent Hill proper.

But what if players don’t want to go to the gloomy, obviously haunted town?

Silent Hill 2 remake screenshot of the first map of Silent Hill on the seat of James' car

Interacting with the driver’s seat in James’ blue-green car won’t allow players to drive off to sunnier pastures. You can, however, pick up the map on the seat; further prompting progress in the desired direction.

Silent Hill 2 remake attempt to walk James back down the road out of town for the No Turning Back Now trophy

The next best thing is to try walking away from Silent Hill. Attempting to exit to the right will reveal that an invisible wall prevents this from happening, but it also awards the “No Turning Back Now” achievement. James Sunderland will automatically turn around, prompting players to face their fears head-on.

As the achievement title suggests, there is no avoiding the nightmares that await in Silent Hill; nor is there a new secret ending for trying to leave the town. Players will have to muster whatever courage they have and play the game the old-fashioned way. Still, it was nice of Bloober Team to include an achievement that rewards those who have seen one too many scary movies and don’t want to be a part of the horrors that are about to take place.

Silent Hill 2 is available now on PC (Steam) and PS5. There is also a Silent Hill Historical Society website that was launched to mark the remake’s release, complete with hardcore quizzes and secret pages.