The importance of Silent Hill 2 remake's radio and how to get the Radio Silence achievement

Silent Hill 2 veterans already know this but the radio that James Sunderland picks up at the start of the game is more than just a heap of electronics and static. Apart from occasional transmissions, the static from the radio also tells players when enemies are nearby. This handy feature may have been useful in the original Silent Hill 2, but it isn’t as essential in the remake.

The Silent Hill 2 remake’s new camera gives players a better understanding of their surroundings

James inside a dark room in Silent Hill 2 remake. The street outside is full of fog

Unlike the original game’s camera, which made players feel like there was a drone flying over their character, the Silent Hill 2 remake’s camera offers a closer, over-the-shoulder perspective. This allows players to easily see what’s in front of James Sunderland, even in confined spaces. Collectibles, puzzles, and enemies like the Lying Figures can be seen more easily, which makes the radio static less useful than it used to be.

The radio still has its uses (particularly when exploring the foggy town and before opening doors), but the emanating static doesn’t tell you which direction enemies are coming from. Instead of relying on the static, players are better off rotating the camera to locate immediate threats.

The Silent Hill 2 remake has a nifty radio accessibility feature

Silent Hill 2 remake options menu showing the radio accessibility feature for the hearing impaired

While most players will notice the radio’s static by its sound alone, others aren’t as fortunate. Thankfully, the Silent Hill 2 remake has an accessibility feature that allows you to visibly see when radio static is coming through the speakers.

To activate it, go to “Accessibility” in the Pause menu and scroll down to “Audio”, where the Radio State Indicator option can be found. With this on, players with hearing problems (or who are playing the game in a library, for example) will be able to locate enemies more effectively.

The Radio Silence achievement emphasizes that you can play the game without the radio on

The Silent Hill 2 radio in the player's inventory

While turning the radio off in the original Silent Hill 2 did little more than make the game harder, completing the remake in this manner will award players with the Radio Silence achievement. To turn off the radio, all you need to do is inspect the item in the Inventory tab and interact with it. Take note that you need to do this as soon as you acquire the radio for the achievement to count.

The radio is still an important item in the Silent Hill 2 remake but gameplay improvements and a new camera perspective have lessened its impact. Nevertheless, it was nice of Bloober Team to include the aging relic in their game.