To him who is in fear everything rustles.

Fifteen years later, we look back at the haunting story of Silent Hill 2…

This article contains spoilers forSilent Hill 2.

But seriously, this game has been out for 15 years!

Fear is as intimate to humans as sex.

Fear invades our minds, bodies, and souls when it strikes.

To understand an individuals fear is to have knowledge of the individual.

To understand humanitys fear is to have a great and terrible knowledge of the world.

Video game writer Takayoshi Sato is a man who possesses such knowledge.

Is that a bold claim?

But its a claim that requires little justification.

After all, Sato is the man who conceived the story of 2001sSilent Hill 2.

But this story is complicated by the fact that James is a man burdened by tremendous guilt and depression.

You could conclude that James killed Mary because he was merciful or selfish or both.

This is why some feltDestinyinitially suffered in the plot department.

For Eddie, Silent Hill is a place where he is constantly mocked.

The eight-year-old Laura, meanwhile, represents the innocence James lost.

The Devil of James personal Hell is the appropriately titled Pyramid Head.

There is another interpretation of these events and characters that suggests they are all manifestations of James inner-self.

For instance, Eddie represents James hatred towards others while Angela is the embodiment of James self-loathing.

Instead, Eddies monsters are easily killed, which we know because Eddie frequently boasts about murdering them.

Eddie seems to have embraced what Silent Hill has to offer.

We even see him scarfing down a pizza at one point.

Besides, havent we been told that Hell is other people?

James, however, is primarily deeply depressed.

What if that remorse puts James beyond the control of the towns cult?

In many ways,Silent Hill 2s gameplay is awful.

The controls are clunky, the puzzles are obtuse, and the combat feels painfully mechanical.

Well…at least not on the surface.

That is Sato and Team Silents greatest accomplishment.

Above all else, that is whySilent Hill 2must be considered gamings most intelligent story.

Its not just intelligent because of its plot devices and milestone moments.

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer forDen of Geek.

You canread more of his work hereor find him on Twitter at@SilverTuna014.