There were reasons to sexualize Maria in Silent Hill 2, which is why fans are criticizing her appearance in Bloober Team’s remake

Yesterday afternoon, the release date of Silent Hill 2 Remake was finally announced (October 8, 2024). Bloober Team’s long-awaited project appeared twice, as it showed an extensive gameplay divided into two parts, one during the State of Play and the other during the Silent Hill Transmission.

There is one element that has not gone unnoticed, and according to what has been seen on social media, it has not gone down well with fans of the original game: the new design of Maria, one of the most important characters in the title. The reason for the criticism lies in both her physical appearance and the clothes she wears.

NOTE: Spoilers for Silent Hill 2 are included below.

The sexualization of Maria in Silent Hill 2

Usually, the sexualization of a character is controversial, but in this case, it was different, as there were more than enough reasons for this character to look provocative, despite being in a cursed city full of monsters. At first, the context might make a perfectly groomed, made-up, and contoured woman feel a little strange in such a place, but there was a reason for it.

As with Pyramid Head and other monsters, everything around James in Silent Hill 2 represents something very important to understanding the game’s story and the protagonist himself. A woman with the same name as his late wife, with the difference that she is particularly provocative and extroverted, is roughly what James would have wanted the Mary he married to be.

In other words, Maria represents James Sunderland’s sexual desire and frustration. This, and nothing else, is why the character’s new design is drawing criticism from those around her. In the original version, details such as a tattoo on her waist - deliberately shown on more than one occasion - helped to convey sensuality.