Survival horror took a step onto chilling new floor when Silent Hill first emerged from the mists in 1999 on PlayStation. Since then, every return to the titular fictional American city has been hotly anticipated, resulting in this newest instalment which provides a eager new perspective to its bleeding edge. I acquired to discover the fictional Japanese city of Ebisugaoka within the closing model of Silent Hill f to find what’s new to the collection, in addition to acquainted components that followers will love.
4 methods Silent Hill f modifications the collection’ method:
1. Fight is extra trendy
Intriguingly, there are a pair carryovers from the remake of Silent Hill 2, with a brand new spin. It pays to be strategic together with your gentle assaults (R1) and heavy assaults (R2), the latter able to a staggering counterattack towards some enemies, letting you strike them with out threat. It feels responsive with out overpowering the vulnerability important to the style.
On the flip aspect, protagonist Hinako Shimizu is a bit more agile than your typical Silent Hill essential. Time your press of the Circle button good and also you’ll activate an ideal dodge, replenishing Hinako’s stamina. Attacking and dodging saps stamina, making good dodges essential to grasp.
2. Uncommon Yokai will break your sanity…
Memorable monster design is essential to any horror story, and Silent Hill f delivers in blood-soaked spades. The place issues differ right here is using Japanese folklore and mythology to encourage a lot of its brutal antagonists. References to the slit-mouthed Kuchisake-onna spirits and tentacle god-beast Akkorokamui had been creepy sufficient, however there are a variety of enemies that warp the visuals of conventional Japanese dolls and figures, too.
Including extra nervousness to those scuttling monstrosities is Hinako’s sanity meter, which drains from psychological assaults, lowering your means to make use of Hinako’s highly effective Focus strikes (charging with L2 then hitting R1 to execute) and ultimately consuming into her well being.
3. …However Religion helps restore it
Holding inside the theme of therapeutic from psychological trauma, Religion is a mechanic which affords some hope for Hinako. Dotted across the intimidating atmosphere are objects equivalent to drinks, snacks and desserts. Whereas they’ll assist restore well being or stamina, you too can convert them at hokora shrines for Religion, which you should use to assist get better sanity, and commerce for omamori trinkets which supply buffs equivalent to reducing an enemy’s line of sight. You’ll be able to even pray with clean ema tablets to extend most well being, sanity, stamina, or omamori slots.
4. Completely different themes and a recent perspective
Silent Hill f’s Nineteen Sixties Japan setting provides the collection an opportunity to delve into societal and cultural expectations of gender roles, one thing mirrored in ever-present dolls each as artefacts and a part of its monsters, and the difficult and typically poisonous relationships between the characters.
This bleeds into the collection’ examination of trauma, isolation and decay, however can be current by Hinako’s journal, accessed by urgent the Up Directional Button, which particulars a few of the lore, characters and puzzle clues. Hinako’s descriptions change over time to mirror her expertise, which performs into the story each on a literal and meta stage.
4 methods Silent Hill f stays true to the collection:
1. It appears and looks like Silent Hill ought to
It may be set in a special nation and time interval, however Silent Hill f stays as powerfully creepy as you’d anticipate. The minimal UI, muted color palette and atmospheric compositions (partly crafted by long-time collection composer Akira Yamaoka) all make for a classically chilling expertise – together with these slim, claustrophobic, misty maze-like areas.
You’ll additionally really feel a slight heartbeat-like tremble from the DualSense wi-fi controller when Hinako runs or is near demise. Unsettling.
2. Regardless of its fight, this isn’t an motion sport
Like Silent Hill: Origins and Silent Hill: Downpour, your scarce weapons deteriorate over time, their situation handily referred to by their visible state and Hinako’s feedback, so evasion slightly than fight typically affords higher probabilities of survival.
There have been instances the place I used to be overwhelmed by simply two enemies, and there have been visible puzzles I needed to remedy whereas being stalked by brutish beasts in the dead of night. That conventional survival horror vulnerability remains to be very a lot current.
3. An Otherworld awaits
Hinako’s hellish journey isn’t restricted to Ebisugaoka. Identical to many different Silent Hill video games, you’re transported to a mysterious Otherworld which acts as a darkish reflection of Hinako’s psyche. There, the puzzles take a extra legendary tone, equivalent to discovering and appropriately inserting sacred objects, whereas my first monster encounter continued the normal Silent Hill trait of not having a clearly seen face – on this case, a hollowed out, maggot-infested head cavity.
4. New Recreation Plus and a number of endings
No spoilers right here, however Silent Hill f options 5 completely different endings, unlocked through the New Recreation+ mode after first completion. And sure, a kind of endings options some traditional Silent Hill humour in it. If you already know, you already know.
Are you able to already really feel the concern? It’s not lengthy earlier than you’ll see the horrors of Ebisugaoka for your self when Silent Hill f claws its approach onto PS5 on September 25.
