James and Maria originally modeled after the Ripper and his victim.
Early ideas for James and Maria played about with the idea of assigning them both opposing personalities. Maria's would have been Mary; James's second personality was going to be Jack. Given what is known about James' prior activities, a murderous hidden personality matches him. In many respects Mary Jane Kelly was a considerably more complicated person. Of the five main persons most academics agree were almost definitely Ripper victims, Mary is least known about. For Maria in Silent Hill 2, then, being the last victim of the Ripper oddly makes sense.
Regarding the way the combat mechanics of Silent Hill 2 Remake were portrayed in a recent teaser, many were quite outspoken. Given these ramifications, Maria's several deaths in Silent Hill 2 and her resemblance to James' late wife take greater weight. She was always a mirror of the conflicted thoughts of the protagonist, an idealized Mary that was never really genuine from start. She passes death several times during the game, guiding the story toward the certain disclosure that James was Mary's actual killer. Only James knows—that he is Mary's killer—in every conceivable ending for Silent Hill 2. Similarly, Jack the Ripper himself was the only person most likely aware of his actual identity.
Regarding psychological horror in video games, Silent Hill 2 is a master class in character study.
In many respects, the ethereal fog engulfassing the small village represents James Sunderland's trauma and the psychological damage it has done. Emerging from the mist, the monsters stand for the atrocities of Sunderland's past and his guilt over heinous acts. The fog itself mirrors Sunderland's mentality and how he shields himself from the terrible reality of his deeds. From its environment to its story, almost every element of the game is meant to induce anxiety.
Though the atrocities in Silent Hill 2 are projections from Sunderland's mind, the game's makers deftly include real-world components that enhance the narrative. The monsters Sunderland meets reflect elements of the work of eminent psychologist Carl Jung. They are his unconscious need for retribution and self-loathing. Remarkably close to a purportedly real paranormal phenomenon called "Electronic Fog," the famous fog that enhances Silent Hill 2's environment Early concepts for the characters apparently drew straight on one of the most well-known murders in history, Jack the Ripper and Mary Jane Kelly.
Not simply Jack The Ripper, Silent Hill 2 borrowed from many facets of history and popular culture.
Though most likely not deliberate, Silent Hill 2 features characteristics that fit the scene around the Whitechapel Murders. The dark fog enveloping the slumbering town reminds one of the murky Victorian alleys under Ripper's stalk. Jack the Ripper most certainly took advantage of the foggy streets to escape capture and identification, much like the creatures of Silent Hill negotiate the fog. Likewise, the Ripper would send hostile letters to London law enforcement, mocking them and leaving a trail of indications, much as the Silent Hill 2 narrative suggests about James' actual nature.
From the killer's name to the count of his victims, almost 140 years later most of what is known about Jack the Ripper is still a puzzle. Regarding what was fact and what was legend related to the "Red Fiend," even historians sometimes cannot agree. Although it's intriguing to see how Silent Hill 2 and the Whitechapel Murders share, genuine victims were involved. Jack the Ripper still has a big impact on popular culture even if the finished Silent Hill 2 lacks many of the initially planned parallels the developers previously envisioned.
Silent Hill: A study of the Dark
We get down with Mateusz Lenart, a board member and creative director of Bloober Team, and ask him what he finds the scary in movies, games, and other media.
Both the films and the games in the Silent Hill series center around the title town. Here is the real Silent Hill narrative, elucidated. The Silent Hill 2 remake at last has a release date; a new trailer appeared at the May 30 PlayStation State of Play. Here is what to count on.
