It looks like publisher Konami and developer Bloober Team have redesigned the main character in their Silent Hill 2 remake, and fans are taking the news pretty well.
Some Silent Hill fans took notice of the change thanks to an update to the project’s Steam page (via SteamDB). It changed the Steam icon, revealing a look for its lead, James Sunderland, that lines up closer with his original 2001 design. Bloober hasn’t officially spoken about a change to the character’s looks, but this new image does appear to be completely new, signaling that this may indeed be what James looks like in the Silent Hill 2 remake.
It’s worth noting that the image can only be found as part of this new update, and its public Steam page still features the same James that we got when the project was revealed in 2022. It’s possible there hasn’t been a significant change from the previous design, but that hasn’t stopped fans from latching onto the new look.
One user shared the find on Reddit, and it was immediately met with positive responses from the community. The post’s top comment puts it plainly: “If this is real, it looks very fucking good!”
“Looks really nice,” another Reddit comment says. “The dark, deep shadow/shading under his eyes is perfect now and not overly bright, hair color is fixed as well.”
Following the Silent Hill 2 remake’s reveal, some fans had criticized how Bloober chose to recreate James’ appearance. While some wondered about how the Layers of Fear developer might recreate the original experience’s gameplay mechanics, many were more concerned about how old the main character looked. If today’s new image sticks, it’s not only a sign that James has changed, but that Bloober is listening to what its fans want out of a modern retelling.
“My god, my expectations are going over the ROOF,” one comment said, “they heard us, they really did.”
“I like him more now,” another comment reads. “We still need to see it on a video and with different facial expressions, but this is definitely an improvement. Old remake face was awful, so glad they listened to feedback.”
Konami and Bloober’s Silent Hill 2 remake will give the foggy horror classic a fresh coat of paint when it comes to its gameplay and visuals, but its story will remain the same. One of the biggest changes will see players fighting their nightmares in an experience that Bloober says has no loading screens. While some fans still have their reservations after the project’s most recent gameplay trailer, Bloober says it’s confident that their take on the classic horror game will stay true to the source material.
Silent Hill 2 will eventually launch as a PlayStation 5 console exclusive and on PC via Steam. For more, be sure to check out our interview with Series Producer Motoi Okamoto, Concept Artist Masahiro Ito, and Composer Akira Yamaoka.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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