Why Silent Hill 2's Maria Change Is So Controversial

The long-awaited remake of finally received a release date and a new trailer during the PlayStation State of Play on May 30. The title, releasing on PS5 and PC on October 8, will offer players the same story with some significant changes. While certain adjustments, like those made to protagonist James Sutherland, aren’t particularly noteworthy, Maria’s outfit change removes much of her character’s symbolism.

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

is perhaps the acclaimed series' most beloved entry, so a remake was almost assuredly going to come with some ill-received changes. Maria's new outfit is just one specific criticism, but is for many an indication of the remake's larger inability to grasp the intentional design of the original. Other critiques of Maria's redesign are less legitimate, though, harping simply on her appearance, rather than why she appeared as she did in initially.

Within hours of the new gameplay trailer dropping, franchise fans began to comment on her new look. In the remake developed by Bloober Team, Maria now wears a long black dress and a pink jacket belted at the waist. It didn't take long for some of the more unsavory corners of the internet to angrily blame developers for undoing the often unnecessary sexualization female and femme-presenting characters face. It's not that her new outfit makes her unattractive – it's what this small change immediately undoes for her character.

The game has been remade with "" in mind, according to Bloober, but as players who understand Maria's implicit symbolism pointed out, her new look doesn't just cover more of her exposed skin, it distances her from the themes originally dared to explore. This isn't about wanting another woman companion to be a visually appealing tag-along to the male main character, but instead, the issue with the redesign isabout erasing key parts that made Maria such a complex antagonist (who was far ahead of her time).