Dead Spaceis a fantastic game for a lot of reasons. The 2008 classic from Visceral Games took everything that madeResident Evil 4great and decided to do it in outer space where it is pretty hard for someone to hear you scream. That’s what the movies it pays homage to all seem to say at least. It was Event Horizon in video game form, which remains a killer pitch to this day in how it breaks down what made Isaac Clarke’s romp aboard the USG Ishimura so memorable. One thing I recall above all else though is the glorious stomp. Praise the stomp.
The key to dispatching necromorphs in Dead Space is to dismember them. Simply aiming for the head is a fool’s errand, since the infected humans will keep on sprinting towards you with their razor-sharp appendages. Every combat encounter becomes a strategic puzzle in which you slice off limbs, pick them up with telekinesis, and send them right back into the torsos of bloodthirsty alien creatures. But if you’re out of ammo, stasis energy, and find yourself stuck in a corner, there is always the stomp.
These Boots Are Made For Stomping
A touch of the shoulder button will cause Isaac Clarke to slam his engineer’s foot down onto the ground, tearing whatever object, creature, or piece of matter found beneath it into pieces. All these years later, it remains a wonderfully grotesque melee attack, and one that brilliantly expresses the panic our main character must be feeling when he’s suddenly covered in alien bugs or wants to pulverise a necromorph for good measure, just to ensure it stays down.
I’ll never forget doing Plasma Cutter only runs in Dead Space, running out of ammo, and being forced to become an unstoppable stomping machine. It worked wonders!
It is carried across all three games and the remake, and while Isaac also has a more traditional melee attack at his disposal, nothing beats the stomp. It even has a dedicated button, so you just know the game wants you to use it. But, for the most part, this disgusting, foot-based sort of aggression has remained confined to the Dead Space series. That is, untilSilent Hill 2decided to give James Sunderland a very similar attack as he bludgeons faceless monsters to smithereens.
Spoilers for the end of Silent Hill 2
Bloober Team’s use of the attack caught me by surprise, however, since stomping a strange and ultimately deceased creature into the ground is an inherently violent act, and one you’d seldom expect an otherwise timid character like James to perform. He is in Silent Hill after a note from his late wife calls him to the mysterious town, promising to reunite, despite James knowing that she’s dead.
But he keeps going regardless, and in the original game, the truth emerges that James himself was responsible for his wife’s murder, and the entire experience has been a manifestation of his guilt. All the monsters, people, and more are arguably just figments of his imagination. The truth is left up to debate, and that’s what makes it so stellar.
And That’s Just What They’ll Do
This brings us back to the stomp, which you can make James perform by continuing to hit the attack button once an enemy has fallen to the floor and stops moving. He swings a bit of decaying wood into flesh before slamming his foot down for good measure, all as he’s letting out a series of blood-curdling screams that, on the surface at least, seem oddly out of character from everything we’ve seen from James in the early hours of Silent Hill 2.
James will switch between his melee weapons and firearms naturally if you have either run out of ammo or are within hitting distance of an enemy, which is an amazing quality-of-life change.
You could write it off as being unintentionally hilarious and call it a day, but I think there is a far deeper meaning at play here. I believe the way James performs these attacks is feeding into his true feelings, and the tragic revelation that will greet the player as the narrative starts to unfold. James is depicted as a humble everyman who wants to help everyone he meets in the abandoned town, while even encounters with Maria are grounded by a naive innocence.
But when he’s stamping foreign creatures into the pavement, there is something more being explored. That perhaps James is expressing some form of suppressed anger, aggression, or misunderstanding that he refuses to make the player privy to. He doesn’t hesitate to defend himself, and it feels strange to go from a seemingly likeable protagonist to a killing machine in a matter of seconds when faced with unknown horrors in Silent Hill.
At first, I was thrilled to have a nostalgic reminder of Dead Space in Bloober Team’s remake, but the more I found myself striking and stomping as James Sunderland, the more I started to believe there was something bigger at play. Maybe it’s nothing, but one of the many great things about Silent Hill 2 is how it invites such questions, and how even the smallest actions feed into a greater whole. That’s what psychological horror does best, and here it shines.
Silent Hill 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Investigating a letter from his late wife, James returns to where they made so many memories - Silent Hill. What he finds is a ghost town, prowled by disturbing monsters and cloaked in deep fog. Confront the monsters, solve puzzles, and search for traces of your wife in this remake of SILENT HILL 2.High-end Graphics and SoundWith ray tracing and other cutting-edge technical enhancements, the world of SILENT HILL and its unsettling ambiance is even realer than before.And with the inclusion of new, immersive soundscapes, you’ll feel like you’re standing in the thick of it.Larger EnvironmentsExplore locations and buildings that were once inaccessible, or are newly added in the remake. Enjoy the same acclaimed story, even while you experience the town of Silent Hill with fresh eyes across an expanded map.Over-the-shoulder CameraThe remake moves from the original’s fixed-camera viewpoints to an over-the-shoulder perspective, putting you closer to what James sees, for a more thrilling, more immersive experience as you explore the town and come face-to-face with monsters.Evolved Combat GameplayFamiliar weapons like the steel pipe and handgun make their return, but now with an updated combat system. Avoid attacks with carefully timed dodges, aim down sights, and more, making monster encounters more engaging and nerve-wracking than ever.
