Oh man, where to even start with the whole Silent Hill thing? So, remember that wild P.T. teaser way back in 2014? Yeah, feels like yesterday but also like a lifetime ago. Anyway, after that, the series kind of slipped into this weird limbo. Fast forward to October 2022, and bam! Konami’s back, waving around two big projects like they’re announcing a comeback tour. There’s Bloober’s Silent Hill 2 remake—which, honestly, tread lightly there—and then this new beast, Silent Hill f. NeoBards Entertainment is at the helm, steering this ship straight into the unknown.
I was lucky—or crazy?—enough to dive into Silent Hill f for about five hours at Konami’s HQ in Tokyo. The game starts off, boom, right into the action, no fuss. We’ve got Hinako Shimizu, who’s got this messy teenage life and an even messier family. Like, her dad? Not winning any parenting awards. As you dig into the game, you find all these journal entries—why do these always make it feel like you’re reading someone else’s diary?—and you get this picture of her world. It’s a lot, but it’s the kind of a lot that Silent Hill fans chew over like a dog with a bone.
Okay, so then Hinako meets up with her pals—Sakuko, Rinko, and Shu—on a trek down the hill, and there’s this whole thing because her friendship with Shu gets side-eyes from the grown-ups. But hey, let’s be real, adults can be clueless sometimes. The game tackles heavy stuff like womanhood and all the unwritten rules and nonsense that come with it. Classic Silent Hill vibes here—making you think while you’re trying not to scream.
Ryukishi07, some big-deal horror writer, laid it out that this game isn’t just one ending fits all. There’s five. But you only get the full menu after replays. Sneaky, huh? Meanwhile, Hinako’s wandering through this fog-covered town, which feels like déjà vu, but it’s set back in the 1960s somewhere in Japan called Ebisugaoka—not your typical Silent Hill spot, but it works. The game throws you right into these narrow alleys and creepy farmyards with some new nightmare fuel chasing you around.
Speaking of messed-up mindscapes, Silent Hill f’s got its own “Otherworld” thing happening. It’s a mix of freaky Japanese myths and Silent Hill’s usual brand of “let’s mess with your brain.” And this art style?! Motoi Okamoto wanted a blend of horror and beauty, and somehow it’s like, unsettlingly gorgeous. Like, imagine flowers blooming on a corpse. Too much? That’s the vibe.
And the sound design—OMG, the sound design! You think you’re surrounded by these monsters because the audio’s so realistic you can almost feel their wooden limbs creeping up behind you.
But, no game’s perfect. Silent Hill f tries this all-in melee combat gig—bye-bye guns, hello swinging whatever-is-on-hand—and it’s… meh. Something’s off with the stamina system. You dodge, your stamina drops faster than my bank balance during a steam sale. Plus, there’s this first boss, right? Tough as nails. Like, forget dodging skills; it’s more like why-is-my-bar-so-low struggles.
Despite some hiccups—okay, big hiccups—the game’s got these shrines where you can mess with progression systems using “Faith Points.” I know, sounds kind of cultish, but it’s just game mechanics. Go with it.
Then after getting stomped on by the boss for a solid hour—felt like a master class in frustration—I walked into what might be peak Silent Hill: middle school creepiness. Puzzles left, right, and center. Silent Hill does love a good mysterious quiet-before-the-storm moment, and this was chef’s kiss. Even with its rough edges, Silent Hill f seems like it’s got potential if they just polish out those wrinkles. Here’s hoping NeoBards gives it the shine it deserves.
And that’s that! Game Rant had me up there, so shoutout to them for the preview trip and, well, the fresh trauma. Silent Hill f’s on its way, lurking around the corner, waiting to pounce. Dare to step into the fog again?
