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Buying and selling smalltown America for a Sixties rural Japan works properly for Silent Hill f. Recognizably the identical model of horror, that is nonetheless Silent Hill as you recognize it, from its twitchy physique horror monster designs to the way it blends literal frights with the psychological. The brand new setting permits for some attractive stomach-churning visuals because the fog brings with it sprouting blood pink spider lilies that start to take over the city, reworking it into one thing altogether fleshier. Criss-crossing lanterns out there avenue start to present option to strands of, properly, one thing else fully. “Magnificence in terror” is the pitch Konami gave for this revamp, and Silent Hill f nails the touchdown by whacking mentioned nail with a hammer and watching it gush.
So too do the fears of schoolgirl Hinako Shimazu, coping with the pressures of likewise encroaching womanhood, present new avenues of horror for the sequence to discover. Mixing these anxieties into a combination the place you grow to be unsure of what is actual and what is not the extra you play, the unease dialling as much as match and drilling down into the animal a part of your mind that stops you from caring concerning the distinction – the horror changing into manifest regardless. Definitely, the unbelievable foggy environment of Hinako’s hometown, Ebisugaoka, and the mysterious Darkish Shrine she additionally finds herself transported to, is a few of the finest Silent Hill has to supply.
With well-realized themes that basically stare down and wrestle with Hinako’s trauma, plus terrific writing throughout cutscenes in addition to heaps of lore notes, that is the most effective written Silent Hill has ever been (scriptwriter Ryukishi has a background in cult basic horror visible novels, equivalent to Higurashi and Umineko – and you may really feel his expertise at work in each aspect of Silent Hill f). As Silent Hill has already given us a few of the finest horror video games ever made, it is no small feat that Silent Hill f would not simply reside as much as its legacy, however surpasses it.
Fogged up
Quick info
Launch date: September 25, 2025
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Collection X/S
Developer: NeoBards Leisure
Writer: Konami
Hinako seems like she’s thirty years early to mixing it up on preventing video games within the native arcade.
It is a disgrace then that Silent Hill f, which has my favourite writing and environment within the sequence, additionally has probably the most annoying fight. I do know, I do know – Silent Hill as a sequence has by no means had significantly good fight. However no entry has fight encounters on the forefront as a lot as Silent Hill f does. Virtually each pickup from restorative objects to equippable omamori charms revolves round how they have an effect on fight, from simple buffs to well being, stamina, or sanity, to extra complicated results like altering the properties of counterattacks, dodges, or your stun harm. The deeper you get into Silent Hill f, the extra plentiful enemies grow to be, throwing a number of fight gauntlets your means within the closing hours.
James Sunderland’s survival expertise in Silent Hill 2 remake look downright placid in comparison with what Hinako can pull off. The place James’ brawls have been tight, intense clashes of whacking and hoping for the most effective whereas attempting to side-step threats, Hinako seems like she’s thirty years early to mixing it up on preventing video games within the native arcade.
She will mash out combos of sunshine and heavy assaults on the triggers. Maintain one other set off, and she will cost up her Focus to deplete Sanity (identical, woman) to ship an excellent stronger weapon-specific strike that has a level of tremendous armor. Although attacking makes use of up stamina, Hinako can carry out an ideal dodge to twist out of the way in which of oncoming enemy assaults to revive it, persevering with to bash out harm. Alternatively, when an enemy flashes with a chromatic aura, Hinako’s in a position to rush in direction of them, beautiful them with a counterattack and opening her foe as much as much more harm.
Fight is lots, and there is loads of it to match. Utterly melee targeted (weapons break as properly after an excessive amount of use), it seems like nearly each close-quarters fight mechanic you possibly can consider is in right here. Even in the most effective instances the place I can carry out properly in dicey dust-ups with the creepiest monsters haunting Ebisugaoka, I can not assist however really feel the preventing system is just overengineered in a means that is counterintuitive to making a horror environment. When Hinako is ready to completely pull off all of the strikes at her fingertips, she will really feel nearly comically unstoppable.
However, all too typically, you undoubtedly aren’t. Fights are a little bit too clunky for that, resulting in conditions the place a number of enemies descend on Hinako and it finally ends up feeling extra irritating than terrifying. Counterattack home windows for enemies are a little bit few and much between, with the enter for them – a heavy assault – typically locking Hinako into a protracted, winding animation should you mistime it, that means she’s more likely to simply get pummeled (so typically that I simply dodge as a substitute).
Frequent seize assaults wrestle management from you too, locking Hinako into a protracted restoration animation after the little scene performs out. Numerous assaults really feel like they take management away from you in a means that is simply irritating. Later sections within the sport even lampshade this a little bit bit by making fight a bit extra responsive in sure sections solely – an attention-grabbing juxtaposition, however not one which lessens how aggravated I generally felt getting nook stomped.
Horror marathon
Silent Hill f took me about 8 hours to beat the primary time, and with prior data it is quicker to replay, hitting that candy spot that basically encourages replays – particularly as there’s extra to find after first credit.
You would attempt to run – and for about half of Silent Hill f there’s typically a pleasant dynamic with choosing your battles. However with out the extensive streets of America, Ebisugaoka continuously has you in claustrophobic alleyways, small homes, or slim mountain trails the place you are doubtless simply to get pinned towards a wall. To not point out fairly just a few enemies are extraordinarily quick of their pursuit of you with assaults that cross vaster distances than you may anticipate. Getting them off your again could be a ache, particularly as most enemies really feel like huge harm sponges that take a great deal of hits to fell.
Silent Hill f defaults to suggesting you play with Motion issue set to Story, and Puzzles set to Onerous. Oddly, there’s solely three difficulties in any respect: Story, Onerous, and Misplaced in Fog (a form of excessive mode). I performed with the default settings for probably the most half, as I normally do, although I did strive some Motion on Onerous as properly, and it is enjoying on Story that gave me all of the above points.
I made it via with out an excessive amount of problem, however squaring off towards enemies is commonly simply grueling, consistently attempting to dodge out of the way in which to keep away from getting stunlocked by teams of foes and mashing assault many times and once more. One seemingly utterly common enemy on Story mode I counterattacked, after which had to make use of seven heavy assaults (admittedly with a light-weight knife weapon) earlier than I killed it.
Oddly boss fights utterly keep away from this sense. Whereas I had a tricky time in my early hands-on just a few months in the past, they’re now completely pitched. These hulking boss fights have some really gnarly, standout designs which can be sequence all-timers, with each enjoying a serious function in Hinako’s emotional journey as she tries desperately to flee no matter foggy hell has come to Ebisugaoka.
From haunting dialogue that usually happens as flesh flies in these encounters, to the mechanics of how every boss assaults, all of them contribute massively to the grander narrative. So why, even on simpler modes, do I take pleasure in these clashes with close to Eldritch-like nightmare boss enemies a lot greater than a few knife-limbed mannequins in a hallway? It feels just like the tuning is just off someplace.
Again at it once more in Ebisugaoka
And but, for as many occasions as I will find yourself ready for Hinako to get better from stun animations and going ‘golly, why does this must be so annoying?’, I’ve by no means needed to place the controller down and stroll away. Silent Hill f is an intoxicating horror expertise that I all the time need to dive again into. Though I believe the ultimate few hours are drawn out and saturated with far too many enemies, I’ve already completed the sport thrice with no break in between. I am not allowed to say a lot about subsequent playthroughs, nor would I need to spoil something, however there’s a lot extra to unravel about Hinako’s story post-credits, and no Silent Hill has felt as rewarding to revisit as this one.
All roads in Ebisugaoka level proper again to Hinako, and the way in which the Sixties Japan setting has stacked the percentages towards her for all her life. Whether or not it is wanting via diary entry paperwork from main characters, studying the headlines for ladies’ mags that sport issues like ‘a woman is simply full when she’s beloved’, or thumbing via Hinako’s personal observations of every monster in her continuously up to date journal, it is clear that her life is considered one of many horrors – even with out all of the fog and spider lilies added to the combo. Sure monster designs could also be terrifying to have a look at when first launched, however as you be taught extra about them and piece collectively journal entries to be taught what it’s they honestly symbolize, the implications make your abdomen churn much more.
Silent Hill f is implausible at evolving that sense of unease and vagueness that is so outlined the sequence prior to now.
Silent Hill f is implausible at evolving that sense of unease and vagueness that is so outlined the sequence prior to now, and matching it with actually sensible writing that is aware of simply when to present you particulars and when to depart the participant to fill within the blanks. Silent Hill f has the most effective capital ‘W’ Writing within the sequence thus far, making a dense weave of story throughout small, digestible chunks you unravel as you discover – however it’s additionally the way in which the narrative is delivered as you slowly poke across the streets of Ebisugaoka and the unusual Darkish Shrine realm that add to it. The latter area serves an identical perform to basic Silent Hill’s industrial, rusty Otherworlds, however right here with a becoming religious twist that embraces Japanese folklore and faith.
So too do the puzzles contribute – they usually can get fairly tough (I performed these on Onerous, which is, as I discussed, weirdly the center issue). Silent Hill f is normally paced out so totally different areas highlight totally different types of play extra, and it is the slower, extra exploration targeted ones that includes extra puzzles that I like the most effective. The college is a selected spotlight, mixing collectively puzzle containers, in search of keys, and unravelling an entire ‘woman code’ to find locker combos with the intention to progress.
Narrative is entwined with puzzle design in Silent Hill f much more than in favorites like Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3 – and within the faculty that entails piecing collectively scraps of details about pupil drama, from souring friendships to budding relationships, and even the vice principal’s hobbies. All whereas studying extra about how the college was based and the historical past of the city’s exports, naturally. Every thing is there to prop up the horror story being instructed.
Each a part of Silent Hill f is a bit of a jigsaw, and people jigsaws, as soon as accomplished, are larger jigsaw items of an excellent bigger jigsaw puzzle. And when you get a way of what the jigsaw image is, even with items nonetheless lacking, you start to really feel a little bit unwell. Which is why I am a little bit upset that uneven fight encounter design threatens to drag me out of it, and makes it onerous to advocate for many who might discover the simplest settings too irritating to push via. However these horror highs increase the bar for the style. Standing by itself, Silent Hill f is a superb place for newcomers to get into the sequence.
I’ve by no means been extra enthusiastic about the way forward for Silent Hill. Visually, Silent Hill f is beautiful, from the uneasy fantastic thing about a small city being choked by attractive pink spider lilies, to gnarly monster designs which can be a few of the finest Japanese horror video games have to supply. However that preliminary visible hit is simply the beginning, the phobia mendacity beneath the fog as you discover extra a couple of world hostile to Hinako in each sense of the phrase – supernatural or in any other case – that Silent Hill f turns into much more horrifying.
Silent Hill f was reviewed on a PS5 Professional, with a assessment code offered by the writer.
Craving extra foggy concern? Take a look at our finest Silent Hill video games rating!
