Highlights
- Bloober Team seems to have updated James Sunderland’s look in the Silent Hill 2 remake, addressing fan concerns about the protagonist’s appearance.
- The new game icon on Steam reveals subtle changes in James’ hair and under-eye area, aligning more with the original Silent Hill 2.
- With an ESRB rating already live, a release date announcement for the Silent Hill 2 remake might be just around the corner.
The developer behind the Silent Hill 2 remake, Bloober Team, has apparently updated the look of James Sunderland ahead of an expected launch later this year. The Silent Hill 2 protagonist’s new look features some minor but noticeable tweaks that set it apart from the previous one.
Ever since Konami made a surprise announcement revealing the Silent Hill 2 remake, fans have been eagerly waiting for it. The fact that it is the first game in the popular horror franchise since 2012’s Silent Hill: Downpour justifies the high levels of anticipation. While Bloober Team has described the remake as a faithful recreation of the 2001 original, fans have been apprehensive about the game, especially since the Silent Hill 2 remake’s gameplay trailer attracted criticism for its focus on combat. Recently, the developer seems to have addressed a different criticism from long-time fans regarding the protagonist’s appearance in the remake.
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As per a recent database entry on SteamDB, the Silent Hill 2 remake has received a new game icon on Steam, revealing an updated look for protagonist James Sunderland. Comparing the image with the character model from the trailer, it isn’t too hard to notice that certain aspects, such as the hair and the area under the eyes, seem to have been changed somewhat. However, it’s worth noting that the icon file itself is a low-resolution image and, hence, may not accurately show the finer details of the updated look.
On Reddit, players have overall welcomed the change and praised how James’ new appearance falls more in line with that in the original Silent Hill 2. A user mentioned, “His face got a cleaner shave, and the lighting became the same as in the original.” Another added, “Weird how the new one is so much better despite being very very [sic] similar.”
Silent Hill 2 Release Date Announcement May Arrive Very Soon
Back in March, the Silent Hill 2 remake’s ESRB rating went live. Taking note that games often receive age ratings when they are just a few months away from release, there are high chances that the remake is quite close to its arrival at retailers. To put things into perspective, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 got its ESRB rating in June 2023 before it launched a few months later in October. Similarly, Starfield received its rating in May 2023 before releasing in September that year.
Based on how close the release of Silent Hill 2 seemingly is and the fact that Sony has a PlayStation Showcase reportedly planned for May, it won’t be surprising if fans get to hear of an official release date during the stream. Regardless, Silent Hill 2 remake will likely set the tone for the future of Konami’s returning franchise when it rolls out.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
Silent Hill 2 is a remake of the classic 2001 survival-horror game, developed by Bloober Team and published by Konami. It features an over-the-shoulder camera and gameplay changes inspired by other horror game remakes.
