Well, I hadn’t planned to write an extra “Horror Videogames Series” article and I also often tend to avoid internet arguments too. Not to mention that, because of things like the likely system requirements for it on PC, the likely cost of it and my almost decade-long policy of not buying or playing games with online DRM (yes, even Steam), I’m probably not going to be playing the upcoming remake of “Silent Hill 2” (2001) any time soon….
This article may contain SPOILERS and DARK SUBJECT MATTER.
Still, I was surprised to see that there was a bit of an online fuss about the redesigned version of Angela in the trailers. Leaving aside how the new version of the character is apparently based on the original early 2000s concept artist’s sketches or how she is canonically meant to be an older teenager, a lot of the criticism seemed to focus on her visual design.
Some of the more crass video thumbnails I’ve seen seem to criticise the fact that she doesn’t look “glamourous” or “beautiful” or anything like that. And I have to wonder if the people criticising her appearance have actually paid attention to the story of the original game.
Without going into too many horrific details – most of which are mercifully only implied – she’s a deeply depressed character who has suffered some extremely terrible things and then acted in self-defence. And her new character design accurately reflects this. She’s someone who doesn’t have a huge amount of energy, probably doesn’t have much money and is plagued with bad memories and – arguably unfair – guilt.
So, yes, she probably isn’t going to have the energy or resources to wear lots of make-up, shape her eyebrows or have lots of fashionable outfits. Also, given that the game is set in a rural area over two decades ago (unless they’ve updated the setting) then, although the people who hurt her are solely responsible for their actions, it isn’t impossible that Angela also believes outdated ideas about “not attracting attention” as well.
This isn’t the designers being “woke”, it’s just good visual storytelling. It’s using visual design as one of many forms of subtle characterisation. It also means that Bloober Team have actually studied the original game as well. And, make no mistake, virtually every element of the original “Silent Hill 2” (2001) was a carefully-chosen creative decision.
For example, whilst the original game does include a glamourous and beautiful character – Maria – she’s a paranormal apparition who reflects the person that the main character – James – wanted his wife, Mary, to be. And, in some editions of the original game, there’s also a brilliantly eerie side-game called “Born From A Wish” where Maria grapples with the fact that she’s literally just a ghost designed to reflect someone else’s desires.
(On a side-note: As for Maria’s redesigned costume in the trailers, whilst I can understand some of the criticisms, I think that the designers were just going for the same idea but in a more subtle and/or timeless way. Maria’s new outfit still looks more glamourous than Mary’s, but in more of an “expensive designer clothes” way.
Plus, as iconic as Maria’s original outfit is, it is unmistakably “late 1990s/early 2000s”. And her new outfit looks like it could have come from any time period between about the mid-late 1960s to the present day. So, this could be a way to make the game more timeless whilst getting the same general idea across.)
The original “Silent Hill 2” (2001) was a genuinely mature game, an intelligent work of art with lots of psychological depth. And, as a side-effect, the characters in it are a lot more realistic than the stylised characters found in some other games of the time. This was also a “mature” game which – unusually for the time – was aimed at a more general older audience as well.
Yes, unless you grew up in the 2000s and were a fan of survival horror games back then, it can be difficult to – legally – play the original game these days. Greedy collectors and/or re-sellers have driven up second-hand prices and the 2012 attempt at a remaster didn’t go well. So, I can understand some of the critics just not understanding the original game (although there are no shortage of websites and videos explaining it).
And, whilst there probably are valid criticisms to be made of the trailers – such as the generic modern “over the shoulder” camera, the unfinished-looking UI design etc… – the more realistic visual storytelling in the new version of Angela probably isn’t one of them. And, if they released a DRM-free edition of the remake, optimised for really low-spec PCs and costing about £15-20, then I’d probably still buy and play it in a heartbeat.
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Anyway, I hope that this was interesting 🙂
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The so-called “woke” labeling is a lazy way to criticize media and is an indirect way to tell people you are unserious and only causing drama. Good on you for being more serious and calling out actual issues like the game’s graphical user interface, inclusion of DRM, and awkward camera angles. Great post!
Here is a relevant quote:
“You are chasing angry hallucinations created by grifters who make money off your rage” – Jason Schreier
Thanks 🙂 Excellent quote as well 🙂 And this whole thing pre-dates the modern internet as well – I mean, British tabloid newspapers have been doing this exact sort of thing for decades….
The game is still in development, so hopefully they will fix the user interface. I think the part I really noticed in one of the extended gameplay trailers was the healing items counter – it looked so basic/quick/generic compared to everything else. Still, actually seeing James write on the map was a really neat detail though.
As for the camera, the thing I don’t get is that a low-mid budget indie survival horror game called “Them And Us” from 2021 actually let players choose which camera to use (eg: “Over the shoulder”, fixed camera angles or first-person). And, yet major “AAA” studios like Konami and Capcom somehow don’t think to do this [Edit: I’ve just remembered that one or two of the modern “First-person” Resident Evil games later added “over the shoulder” mode as an update and/or DLC]. I mean, I’ve also seen footage of someone who modded the Resident Evil 2 remake to use fixed camera angles and it looks really cool. So, it puzzles me why this sort of thing isn’t at least an optional feature in these games. Clearly budget and practicality aren’t major obstacles to it….
And, yes, I miss the days when people actually owned the games that they bought – rather than having to ask permission to play something which they spent money on. Thankfully, there are still a few shops (like Itch, GOG etc…) which still sell honest games.