It’s been a year since Konami successfully resurrected one of their most popular IPs with the release of the Silent Hill 2 Remake, and that game absolutely brought psychological horror back to the forefront – with developer Bloober Team delivering more than just a faithful recreation to the survival horror classic sequel that was first released for the Sony PlayStation 2. Adding modern mechanics such as an over-the-shoulder camera set up and making the combat system more action oriented, the SH2 remake sold pretty well and was a good entry point into the series for new fans who have never tasted the cult classic series originally developed by Team Silent.
Now as Konami moves forward with the franchise and has even announced a new remake of the original Silent Hill being developed by Bloober Team once again, a brand new entry has finally made its way to PC and consoles. That game is Silent Hill f – a standalone spin-off installment that carries a lot of fresh potential. As the first Silent Hill game not to be set in the eponymous town and instead takes us to 1960’s rural Japan, its connection and ties to the original series have been kept secret and mysterious. All players know is that they take control of a young female high school student – who finds her town overrun with dense fog, a mysterious plague of flowers, and creatures that literally have stepped out from someone’s worst nightmare.
Set in 1960’s Japan in the seemingly quiet village of Ebisugaoka, Silent Hill f follows a young high school student named Hinako Shimizu – who harbors a rebellious side and whose family life is far from perfect apart from sharing a loving relationship with her older sister Junko. After her sister gets married and leaves town, Hinako gets into an argument with her family and leaves to be with her friends. Unfortunately the timing couldn’t be worse as a mysterious fog and red lilies engulf the town, with everybody mysteriously disappearing as strange events and monstrous creatures arrive and separate Hinako away from her friends. Left with no choice but to figure out what is happening while braving the dangers ahead, Hinako will find out that the madness and mysteries surrounding her hit closer to home than she ever realized.
Much like last year’s SH2 Remake (which I reviewed here), Silent Hill f is played primarily in an over the shoulder third person perspective, with players taking control of Hinako and guiding her as she explores Ebisugaoka as well as the mysterious Dark Shrine – which are similar to the foggy town of Silent Hill and its dark and mysterious Otherworld counterpart. Unlike the western setting in the original games, Konami and developer NeoBards Entertainment have decided to tackle a Japanese based setting for this game – with folklore, traditions, and Japanese horror influencing much of the narrative and story of this game. In fact, Silent Hill f is written by acclaimed Japanese manga and novel writer Ryukishi07 – who is no stranger to horror and much of the game’s influences can be compared to movies like Ringu and Ju-On (The Grudge) and even Junji Ito’s works.
While gameplay, puzzle solving, and fighting remain fairly similar to SH2 Remake, much of the combat and upgrade system is unique to Silent Hill f. The game is more action oriented and that is a deliberate choice – Hinako will have more weapons and abilities at her disposal to fight the monsters she encounters along the way, and her upgrades will come to finding different items that she can use as an offering to the shrines she can save her progress in and pray to. On the down side and depending on the difficulty players choose, Hinako can get stressed and lose stamina easily when fighting enemies, and weapons will eventually lose their durability when overused. To that end, players need to play smart and work around item management, upgrading skills, and getting around different situations to avoid the dangers they face in Ebisugaoka and the Dark Shrine.
As far as design and presentation go, Silent Hill f is a breath of fresh air for the franchise to expand its roots beyond the eponymous town the series takes its name from. Japanese developers have always been at the forefront at making this franchise the unique survival horror and psychological horror experiences that fans love, and this entry is no different and even expands the lore to a greater degree by literally spreading the influence of the fog to eastern shores. It also feels great to see another female protagonist taking the spotlight – with the last primary lead being Heather Mason from Silent Hill 3 way back in 2004. Hinako’s adventure may not be set in a creepy town or its neighboring locations, but it isn’t a walk in the park either and we see just how scary Japanese horror can be when it’s put right on the spotlight.
Silent Hill f is now available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
