Why is Silent Hill 2's Maria Change so controversial?

When the long-awaited remake Silent Hill 2 It received a release date and a new trailer during PlayStation State of Play on May 30, which sparked a lot of discussion. Launching on PS5 and PC on October 8, the title promises to offer players the same story with some significant changes. While some tweaks, such as those made to protagonist James Sutherland, aren't particularly notable, The changes to Maria's clothing were thought to remove much of the symbolism of her character.

[Warning: Spoilers for Silent Hill 2. Content warning for themes of suicide and sexual content.]

Silent Hill 2 is perhaps the most beloved entry in the popular series, so a remake would almost certainly come with some ill-received changes. Maria's new dress was only one particular criticism, but for many it was indicative of the remake's larger inability to grasp the deliberate design. from the original. Other criticisms of Maria's redesign were less legitimate, but based more on how she looked than why she looked the way she did. Silent Hill 2 initially. Either way, most of them were laid to rest when the game was finally released.

Silent Hill 2 Remake: Controversy over Maria's outfit explained

Mariah's Infamous Design Change Upset Some Fans For The Wrong Reason

Hours after the new gameplay trailer was released, fans of the franchise started commenting on its new look. In the remake by Bloober Team, Maria now wears a long black dress and a pink jacket belted around the waist. It didn't take long for some of the more unsavory corners of the internet to angrily blame the developers for removing the often unnecessary sexualization of female and femme-presenting characters. It's not that her new outfit doesn't make her attractive – this little change instantly cancels out her character.

The game was rebuilt with “modern audienceAccording to Bloober, however, as players who understand Maria's hidden symbolism point out, her new look not only covers her fair skin, but also takes her away from the subjects. Silent Hill 2 first he dared to discover. It's not about wanting another female companion to be visually appealing alongside the male protagonist, but rather The issue with the redesign is that it removed key parts of what made Maria such a complex antagonist (so ahead of her time)..

Marian's Sexuality Is An Integral Part Of Her Character

X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit users were quick to comment on Maria's new look, noting that the more discreet outfit is no longer sexy. This has sparked heated debate on the internet, with people over the years weighing in on everything from the hypersexualization of women in video games to those who think the original characters should be more accurately represented. However, a change of clothes can mean more than any of these points. Although the transition initially appeared to be an attempt to desexualize Maria's character, Instead, new concerns emerged about how the game's original themes would be handled.

In cases like Maria's character, sexualization is part of a larger interpretation. Silent Hill 2's themes take a critical look at masculinity – something not particularly common for games released in the early 2000s. Maria serves as a manifestation of James' sin both because he killed his wife and because he was sick because he was displeased with her appearance. By changing Bloober Team's attire, players were concerned about how these progressive themes would be explored in the remake.

As a character, Maria is the antithesis of Mary. James mentions this in their first encounter almost like his late wifeonly to note that “hair and clothes are different.” Where Mary is boring and moody, Maria is sassy and extroverted. Where Mary is unattractive due to her illness, Maria is beautiful and healthy. Where Mary is conservative, Maria is the opposite.

Mary's original outfit design is similar to what Christina Aguilera wore to the 1999 Teen Choice Awards, with a cropped cardigan, only partial buttons, a pink cheetah print skirt and a delicate gold belt. When James first encounters her in Paradise Night, she is implied to be working at a strip club. In between trying to get James's attention, His words about Laura and his memories with James bind an invisible thread between him and Mary.

How the player treats Maria throughout the game Silent Hill 2 determines which of the various endings they will receive. Rejecting Maria's advances and allowing James to come to terms with his guilt and grief over his wife's death would make the doppelgänger the ultimate boss, while accepting his love makes Mary the ultimate enemy. Choosing Maria leaves James in the same unhappy cycleand Maria's subtle cough suggests that Mary's illness (and James's resentment) will resurface.

Maria Is Supposed To Be More Than An Antagonist

A Screenplay Born of Desire Gives Her Sensitivity

Maria is often cited as one of the latter's more complex characters Silent Hill installment in the year Born of desire A script that serves as an introduction to James' character before meeting him, players see Maria searching for a goal. In between reminiscing about Mary, she helps Ernest Baldwin with a series of tasks before warning him about James, though he never sees his face.

Before leaving the Baldwin Mansion to begin her hunt for James, Maria holds her gun to her temple, apparently contemplating suicide. It's a sensitive moment where the character is More than a sexualized version of James' dead wife. Although he drops the revolver before looking for James, it's a brief glimpse of the man behind his target's reflection of guilt.

While the simple change in her outfit may seem like a minor difference between the original and the remake, this design fix immediately removed some of the comments that were embedded in Maria's character. As some players have theorized, it's possible that her original outfit will be available as part of a future DLC or add-on, and has been briefly referred to as an Easter egg in the remake. But this (otherwise unconfirmed) result does not explain the design decision.

Maria's reception after initiation

Bloober's Redemption Arc

Despite concerns that Bloober has changed Silent Hill 2 if the original game was a mistake, the remake was released to critical acclaim and hailed as a faithful adaptation. Takes the original fresh Silent Hill 2 It also spread to MariaAlthough he changed his clothes, he was accurately characterized as the polar opposite of Maryam. Mary is still following James a little too closely, dropping hints a little too often, and speaking in a tone a little too heated for the fog-shrouded, monster-infested town of Silent Hill. There is still a layer of shame behind all of James' dealings with her.

Seeing that her character remained largely intact, many players also warmed to Maria's new design after the game's release. Some like @JamesResEvil on X (formerly Twitter) commented that meeting the new Maria for the first time was nostalgic.

Frankly, the reason is still not entirely clear Silent Hill 2 the remake chose to change Maria's outfit – nothing about her character is different, so it's not like the redesign has any thematic purpose. This may be a somewhat misguided attempt to visually desexualize her by allowing her to retain the same role in the story. Perhaps Bloober is also an attempt by designers to do away with what they saw as the overly cheap fashion of the early 2000s. Still, in an otherwise faithful remake, criticizing Maria's transition from a pink cheetah skirt to a black dress seems cheesy and petty.

However, there are still those who cannot accept Maria's design changes. Only days later Silent Hill 2 remake launched, Nexus Mods user swiz19 released A mod called Original Maria Outfitit does exactly what it says on the tin. This isn't the only mod to change Maria's design in the remake, but it was one of the earliest. Otherwise, Maria's reception in the remake has been largely positive, and she remains a small but vocal segment of the fandom.

Players who enjoyed the original game's commentary on masculinity and autonomy had good reason to be hesitant about Bloober Team's direction for the remake. Maria was never an unnecessarily sexual character – being sexual was part of the larger message Konami wanted to convey to players in the original. Thankfully, although its design was different, it served the same purpose in the common faithful Silent Hill 2 to do again.

Sources: PlayStation/YouTube, @JamesResEvil/X, swiz19/Nexus Mods