Ten years ago, Konami ousted Hideo Kojima and shifted away from AAA game development, and as a result, multiple beloved franchises were put on ice. Just the year prior, Kojima impressed the world with P.T., a free playable teaser for Silent Hills, which boasted Norman Reedus as the lead cast member and iconic film director Guillermo Del Toro as one of the minds behind the project. Sadly, Silent Hills was cancelled and P.T. was removed from the PlayStation Store. Ever since, players have yearned for something to capture the potential of Silent Hills.
What no one expected was for the Silent Hill franchise to slowly begin making a comeback throughout the 2020s. This started with the release of a remake of Silent Hill 2 from Bloober Team, released last year to critical acclaim. Alongside the announcement, Konami also revealed Silent Hill: Townfall, from Screen Burn and Annapurna Interactive, and Silent Hill f, developed by NeoBards Entertainment and written by Ryukishi07.
While the former is still in development, the latter has finally been released after years of anticipation. Going into Silent Hill f, I’d heard great things about the story, but mixed opinions on the more combat-focused gameplay, so I was deeply curious to experience everything the game had to offer for myself. What I found was that Silent Hill f is a fantastic horror tale that never failed to impress, whether through its brilliant story or thrilling gameplay.
Lost in the Fog
Silent Hill f immediately sets itself apart from other entries in the series, not just in its gameplay, but with its story and tone. Instead of taking place in the present day in Silent Hill, Maine, the game firmly takes place in a small rural town in 1960s Japan. As such, we start with the protagonist, Shimizu Hinako, caught in a difficult moment in her life. Forced to reckon with the abuse of her father and the expectation to eventually marry, Hinako runs away from her home to spend time with her friends: Shu, Rinko, and Sakuko.
However, within moments, a fog sweeps the town. With this fog comes swarms of fleshy masses, red flowers that spread and overtake anyone unlucky enough to be caught in their grasp, and, of course, terrifying monsters. Hinako is separated from the rest of her friends and is forced to fend for herself as she unravels the truth behind the fog and comes face to face with her greatest fears and darkest emotions.
The narrative of Silent Hill f is deceptively simple. As the story continues, the stakes escalate and more and more concepts are introduced, which may be slightly overwhelming for players who may not know what to expect from the Silent Hill franchise. That said, if you are willing to power through and look deeper behind the scenes (or you’re familiar with previous entries in the series), you will find a magnificent story that conveys its themes beautifully.
What anchors the story of Silent Hill f and keeps it from becoming too convoluted is its protagonist, Hinako. Hinako is arguably one of the best horror game protagonists we’ve had in years, let alone in Silent Hill. She is so incredibly compelling, and there was never a point where I found myself bored with her journey. I played the game with the English dub, and Suzie Yeung beautifully captures her turmoil, rage, horror, and all of the various other emotions that Hinako feels throughout her tumultuous journey.
Throughout the game, Hinako ends up in a dream realm where she meets a mysterious figure with a Fox Mask. As these sequences continue, Hinako grows more and more subservient to the figure. She frequently remarks that she wants to do everything for him and stay with him forever, a fierce contrast from the stubborn hothead who is quickly able to tear apart any monster in her way. These were some of the most haunting parts of the game, and I was constantly on edge every time it cut to the alternate Hinako’s perspective.
It’s not hard to see the themes of Silent Hill f and what the source of Hinako’s conflict is. Hinako is trapped in a situation that many women faced during that era: the pressures of being forced into a loveless marriage and robbed of any choice in the matter. Every element of the game reflects this, from the monsters to the characters, to even the worldbuilding. It’s a bold subject for a game to tackle, especially a horror game, but Silent Hill f nails it perfectly.
Without getting too far into spoilers, one of my favorite examples of this storytelling is in Hinako’s journal. In her entries, you can see her thoughts and observations on each of the game’s characters, monsters, and areas. These entries are frequently updated and offer a lot of perspective on Hinako’s thoughts on her situation. Some of the most notable entries relate to Junko, Hinako’s sister, who was also married off, the way Hinako talks about the Fox Mask, and how she describes a monster that exclusively attacks women.
Even if you can’t personally relate to these experiences, these themes are handled so well that you immediately understand what the story is trying to convey. It was hard not to be moved by Hinako’s journey as she grapples with the weight of two different selves within her. One side of her wants to be married and to move into the future, whereas the other wants to live forever in the past. Every character is so beautifully realized, and much like Silent Hill 2, there is no one “villain” in this narrative. Instead, the monster at the heart of this entire game is an existential, societal threat that still persists in the real world to this day.
What helps the game’s horror is its presentation. Despite my poor quality TV, Silent Hill f looks fantastic and does a great job of capturing 60s Japan in both performance and quality mode. There are some blurry areas, particularly when you explore sections with more dense fog, but these moments are rare and don’t detract too much from the game itself. The music is also great, with the lyrical tracks in particular sticking out as some of its high points.
The best part of Silent Hill f‘s story is that it doesn’t stop when the credits roll. In traditional Silent Hill fashion, there are five endings, with the first being the default one you unlock in your first playthrough. However, instead of endings being unlocked based on your play style, you instead receive them based on completing certain conditions. Each ending advances the story, so New Game Plus is mandatory in order to appreciate everything Silent Hill f has to offer.
In any other game, the idea of the true ending being locked behind New Game Plus would be infuriating. Here, though, it feels earned and justified. This is partly because Silent Hill f clearly outlines in its menu the steps you must undertake in order to unlock the other four endings. The main reason this works, though, is because Silent Hill f‘s story is quite simply perfect. The thought of continuing to unravel the game’s mysteries fills me with so much excitement, and I can’t wait to go back and see what else it has to offer.
That said, replaying Silent Hill f wouldn’t feel so tantalizing if the gameplay wasn’t good. Thankfully, despite some small issues, the gameplay mechanics and pacing feel great and never failed to keep me hooked throughout the entire 7-hour playtime.
Fight For Your Freedom
Much like the story of Silent Hill f, its gameplay is unlike anything else in the genre. While there have been plenty of combat-focused horror games, such as Dead Space, Resident Evil 4, and the recent Cronos: The New Dawn, f is different in that it focuses entirely on melee combat. While there’s been a lot of discussion on the execution of these mechanics, I can confidently say that I was consistently impressed with how Silent Hill f balanced Hinako’s strength with her horrifying surroundings and situation.
When Silent Hill f truly starts, Hinako is left defenseless as monsters roam the streets of Ebisugaoka. At first, you only truly encounter mannequins that depict a deformed and faceless woman, but more monster-variants are introduced as the game continues. After a while, though, Hinako finds her first weapon: a steel pipe. From here, Hinako finds herself deftly able to outmaneuver enemies with a swift dodge, counter some of their attacks, and defeat them within moments.
At a glance, Silent Hill f‘s combat may come at the expense of its horror. Personally, while the game felt a bit too easy at first, my own concerns about the gameplay loop were quelled after just a few hours. What helped is that there are multiple difficulty settings for both puzzles and combat. Even though it was slightly disappointing that you couldn’t raise the difficulty during the game, it’s still a great option for accessibility. What also helps is that the difficulty is consistently escalating, and the combat loop is genuinely fun.
Certain enemies are extremely difficult to take on, such as the aforementioned monster that only attacks women and requires a great deal of thought when encountered. You can’t just run into every fight gung ho: countering enemies requires sanity, which drains very quickly. Furthermore, weapons have durability, and new weapons are a rare commodity. Later on in the game, I purposefully tried to run away from battles because I only had one weapon left and didn’t want to lose it in a pointless battle.
It also helps that each monster looks menacing and behaves unpredictably. While I wish there were a lot more enemy variety, as you’ll usually encounter the same set of monsters throughout the game, the designs that are present make an impact. I will never forget playing Silent Hill f with a good friend of mine, and climbing up a ladder with a mannequin hot on my tail. I laughed and said, “It can’t jump after me!” only for it to instantly leap over the obstacle and meet me head-on. The design of the mannequin, combined with its behavior, constantly had me on my toes, which applied to every other enemy in the game.
If you find these encounters too easy, however, the boss fights that occasionally pop up will quickly put you in your place. Each boss fight requires you to really put your dodging, countering, and attacking skills into practice. You’ll also need to take stock of how each weapon behaves, because some weapons, like the kitchen knife, may do more damage, but run out of durability quickly. It’s a constant dance of strategy that never got old, and I found myself wanting to go back and try the game again on hard difficulty.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Silent Hill game without puzzles, and f has multiple puzzles that are central to each dungeon-like labyrinth you encounter. There were a few that had solutions that were far too obtuse for my liking, namely one requiring you to place crests in specific slots during the late game. Thankfully, most of the puzzles have the right amount of difficulty even on the easiest setting, which made solving them feel extremely satisfying.
That said, my biggest problem with Silent Hill f is how it handles exploration. While the map is certainly a big help, exploring Ebisugaoka often felt like navigating through a tedious maze. I understand that that was probably intentional, especially with the choice of setting, but the constant dead ends were extremely frustrating, and the setting didn’t really have as many notable landmarks compared to its predecessor. However, maybe I’ll feel differently once I beat the game a few more times.
Overall, though, Silent Hill f‘s gameplay is extremely well done. Whether it’s the exciting thrill of combat or the satisfying puzzles, I was constantly engaged from the very first encounter with a monster, all the way to the final boss. The best thing I can say about Silent Hill f is that, as I’ve mentioned before, I cannot wait to jump right back in for my second playthrough.
Welcome Back, Silent Hill
If you had told me ten years ago that the Silent Hill franchise would return after the cancellation of Silent Hills, I probably would’ve thought you were crazy. Yet, here we are, with two back-to-back hits: the remake of Silent Hill 2 and now, Silent Hill f. While nothing could ever fulfill the promise of Silent Hills and everything it represented, Silent Hill f in particular has given me more hope for the franchise than I’ve had in years.
Everything in this game is handled masterfully. For starters, Ryukishi07’s writing is brilliant, and lends itself to one of the most compelling stories I’ve seen in a horror game in a while. The themes are handled with love and care, and Shimizu Hinako has cemented herself as an incredible character in the pantheon of iconic horror game protagonists. Furthermore, the gameplay is exciting enough to be worthy of the great story. The combat is addicting, yet the monsters and their behaviors never failed to make me anxious at every turn.
Even though I had some problems with the game’s exploration and enemy variety, these are minor issues in the grand scheme of things. Everything is handled so well that Silent Hill f has quickly cemented itself as one of my favorite games of the year. Better yet, thanks to the inclusion of New Game Plus and multiple endings, I get the opportunity to truly enjoy everything this game has to offer with fresh eyes. As such, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if I find myself enjoying this game more with each subsequent playthrough.
For now, though, I cannot recommend Silent Hill f enough for players. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the series, a newcomer to the franchise, or looking for an entry in the horror game genre as a whole, this is the perfect stepping stone for you. With this, I can confidently say what I’ve been waiting ten years to declare: the Silent Hill franchise is finally back. I can’t wait to see where the series goes next.
Disclaimer: Silent Hill f was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
