Silent Hill 2 Remake Redesigns Main Character Much to Fans' Appreciation

The Silent Hill 2 Remake is getting fans' appreciation as the game will have a redesign for its main character, James Sunderland.

The reveal of the character's new look was made as it is seen as the game's new icon on its Steam page. It also marks the first time that players get a glimpse of what they can expect to see within the remake in terms of the main character.

Silent Hill 2 Remake Character Redesign

Silent Hill 2 Remake Redesigns Main Character Much to Fans' Appreciation — The Silent Hill 2 Remake is receiving positive fan feedback after a change in the main character's look that resermbles the design of the original.
(Photo : Bloober, Konami / Screenshot taken from Steam)

A new update on the project's Steam page noticed on SteamDB showed off Sunderland's new look and many fans have had a positive reaction. Some people have also claimed that the Silent Hill 2 Remake has restored the franchise's original 2001 looks.

While there were no major changes that were made to Sunderland's base look, what appeals to fans is how the franchise has managed to provide a nostalgic factor with the new look. Fans have taken to social media to express their glee and anticipation of the Silent Hill 2 Remake, according to WCCFTech.

The development comes after the remake's gameplay trailer was met with criticism as it had a lack of noticeable changes. On top of that, the Silent Hill 2 Remake is also getting rated by the ESRB and the game will be powered by Epic's Unreal Engine 5. It will come to PC and PlayStation 5 but a release date has not yet been announced.

Sunderland's previous look that came with the announcement of the Silent Hill 2 Remake prompted concerns about how old he looked. The upcoming game will give the classic horror title a fresh coat of paint regarding its gameplay and visuals. However, its story will remain the same as before.

One of the biggest changes that the remake will have is that players will have to fight their nightmares in an experience that Bloober said has no loading screens. The developer added that despite recent criticism, they are confident that the remake will stay true to the source material, said IGN.

Fan-Appreciated Change

Anticipation for the Silent Hill 2 Remake is primarily due to it being the first main series game in the franchise since Silent Hill: Downpour, which was released in 2012. One of the main things that fans criticized about the gameplay trailer of the upcoming game was its focus on combat.

Many players on Reddit praised the change in Sunderland's look, noting how the new appearance falls more in line with the one seen in the original Silent Hill 2. One user also mentioned that the character's face got a "cleaner shave, and the lighting became the same as in the original."

The Silent Hill 2 Remake's ESRB rating went live back in March and was a big deal because games often receive age ratings when they are a few months from release. There was also talk that the remake was quite close to making it to retailers' shelves.

One example is that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 got its ESRB rating in June 2023 before it launched a few months later in October of that same year. Starfield also received its rating in May 2023 before launching in September of that same year, according to GameRant.