Silent Hill F Is Attractive, Grotesque, And Has The Potential Be The Best Game In The Series

As I sat down for the primary of many discussions with the Silent Hill f staff throughout my journey to Konami’s Tokyo headquarters, longtime sequence composter Akira Yamaoka talked about there was one philosophy particularly that guided his work on the upcoming title: wabi-sabi. Although I actually will not declare to be the most effective particular person to succinctly summarize this ideology, as I’ve all the time understood it, wabi-sabi is about discovering magnificence within the transient nature of life–in imperfection, impermanence, growing old, and even decay. In accordance with Yamaoka, capturing “the sensation of the passing of time” was one thing he strived to do together with his music; primarily based on the time I spent with the sport and music I encountered I feel he succeeded. However greater than that, Yamaoka made me notice simply why Silent Hill f was so affecting, and why I am unable to cease excited about the time I spent taking part in it two weeks later.

In Silent Hill f, magnificence and decay are interwoven; flowers soften flesh; clotted rot devours once-proud buildings. And but, all of this grotesquerie is attractive, each visually and within the sense of somber it stirs. I used to be moved by Silent Hill f’s visuals and the sheer artistry on show. However past that, I used to be additionally moved by how the sequence’ signature examination of the human mind–which on this case, honed in on the psyche of a younger teenage woman being violently thrust in direction of womanhood–brought me again to my very own adolescence; to a time I will by no means once more return to and was as isolating and horrifying because it was treasured and elementary. To part of me that, in a way, has decayed. Not each sport can invoke such a response, particularly in just below six hours, and but, Silent Hill f did.

I walked away each enamored and impressed by the point I spent with Silent Hill f. Regardless of the success of Silent Hill 2’s remake final yr, it is secure to say there was nonetheless some hypothesis as to if the sequence was really “again.” I might now go as far as to say it isn’t solely again, it is stronger than ever, and that Silent Hill f has the potential to be the most effective sport within the sequence.

It is a daring declare made bolder by the truth that, whereas a number of SIlent Hill video games have technically taken place exterior the titular Silent Hill, Silent Hill f is the primary that appears to be fully faraway from the foggy New England city. As an alternative, Silent Hill f embraces Konami’s concept that Silent Hill is a frame of mind. For protagonist Hinako, “Silent Hill” takes form as a fog- and rot-coated model of her hometown, the fictional rural village of Ebisugaoka, Japan. Silent Hill f distinguishes itself in one other method too, because it trades within the sequence’ extra up to date setting for the late Nineteen Sixties–a time frame which the Silent Hill f staff selected as a result of it felt just like the cut-off date through which the “fantasy” of Japan and its technologically-focused future collided.

Silent Hill f’s occasions kick off shortly, a truth I appreciated and that stored the lingering sense of dread tangible. After witnessing yet one more argument between her mother and father, Hinako leaves residence searching for someone–anyone–to hold her distracted and discuss to her. Based mostly on that and her journal entries, we will inform she is a deeply lonely character, even when she appears to have mates and an older sister she deeply admires and who appears to be like out for her; this truth shortly endeared her to me, regardless of not a lot having occurred at this level. By the point she makes her method down the fog-drenched foothills and to Ebisugaoka’s winding, Kanayama-inspired alleyways, she is thrust right into a nightmare state of affairs befitting the Silent Hill sequence, albeit with loads of added buddy drama, and a second, yokai-filled spirit world she is usually despatched to. And sure, the latter is simply as fascinating, darkish, and exquisite because it sounds; regardless of loving exploring Ebisugaoka, I used to be all the time wanting to return.

As a excessive school-age woman, Hinako isn’t any weapons skilled. Although she will be able to actually swing a steel pipe–and may even wield ceremonial daggers and a naginata when within the spirit world–its advisable to make use of her monitor and discipline expertise to evade enemies and decide your battles. A big a part of it is because Silent Hill f places an enormous emphasis on useful resource administration, partially by bringing again weapon degradation. Although this could be a contentious alternative, I assumed it labored extraordinarily effectively and mirrored the sport’s general theme of decay, be it bodily or psychological.

With regards to degradation, and along with your normal well being and stamina bars, Silent Hill f provides a sanity meter to the sport, one other contentious alternative that, when dealt with poorly, can really feel off-putting. Nevertheless, I discovered it really works effectively inside the sport. In addition to avoiding stigmatizing psychological well being, it additionally does not really feel like simply one other arbitrary gauge, because it permits Hinanko to interact in a particular focus means that, when activated, higher alerts her as to when she will be able to get a vital strike on an enemy. Naturally, intently observing enemies causes her sanity to empty, and when it is empty, she loses the power to hone in and is left to search out advantageous instances on her personal.

In addition to weapon degradation, a brand new layer of useful resource administration is added through the way in which everlasting upgrades work in Silent Hill f. Scattered all through Ebisugaoka and the spirit world are shrines Hinako can pray at, which saves your progress. As soon as there, she will be able to additionally generate religion by enshrining objects, together with these used to heal. As soon as an object is transformed into religion, she will be able to then draw omamori, which supplies her a random accent with its personal boon, or completely improve one in every of her stats. This provides an fascinating aspect of alternative and technique: do you cling on to your numerous therapeutic gadgets to make use of in battle, or convert them into religion for everlasting upgrades? Granted, there are particular gadgets that may solely be enshrined, and loads of items that may solely be consumed, however on the subject of the remainder, it is as much as gamers to resolve tips on how to presume.

There was nonetheless some hypothesis as to if the sequence was really ‘again.’ I might now go as far as to say it isn’t solely again, it is stronger than ever, and that Silent Hill f has the potential to be the most effective sport within the sequence

For probably the most half, I loved Silent Hill f’s fight. It is extra fluid than earlier entries and I beloved how weighty Hinako’s swings–and fumblings–felt. It is nothing revolutionary, however I do not significantly search for top-tier motion in psychological horror video games. There’s a slight hiccup, although, as managing assets and avoiding partaking in each struggle means navigating Ebisugaoka’s tight alleyways. Whereas tight corners, dead-ends, and a detailed digicam add satisfying pressure to the sport, it might positively really feel a bit irritating and restrictive when a blood-covered model is stalking you and an arguably too slowly refilling stamina bar retains winded as you attempt to dodge its assaults. At a sure level, it made the worry give strategy to aggravation–and made me desperately lengthy for sooner stamina regeneration, even after giving myself a number of upgrades.

All this mentioned, the Silent Hill sequence is arguably higher recognized for its stable stage design and puzzles, and Silent Hill f positively delivers on each fronts. Very similar to the city of Silent Hill, Ebisugaoka is gorgeous, eerie, anxiety-inducing, and a delight to explore–even if it does imply going through off towards gore-covered abominations. It is also deceptively massive and feels so much much less linear than you would possibly count on. In truth, there are particular homes and areas which have wholly self-contained tales that, whereas not obligatory to do, can impression which ending Hinako winds up getting in later playthroughs (all gamers are locked into the canon ending the primary time they play), making exploration all of the extra attractive.

Additionally like earlier Silent Hill video games, Silent Hill f additionally has numerous nice set items together with huge farmlands, darkened temples, and a dilapidated center college, the latter of which is able to delight anybody who beloved navigating Silent Hill 2’s residences. Although the puzzles I encountered weren’t too troublesome to resolve, they had been nonetheless enjoyable headscratchers that noticed me intently analyzing scarecrows, deciphering locker code language designed by center schoolers, sorting by means of omamori to search out the precise photos to accompany prolonged poems, and extra.

Whereas with regards to issues the Silent Hill sequence does effectively, I might be remiss to not point out Silent Hill f’s music and sound design, each of that are phenomenal. Composer Yamaoka does an amazing job weaving collectively tracks that sound like Silent Hill whereas additionally incorporating extra conventional Japanese instrumentation, guttural singing, and a kids’s choir. All of this makes the general expertise way more haunting, whereas the 3D sound design makes it all-encompassing as effectively.

Even taken purely at floor stage, Silent Hill f’s is a superb expertise, and the story woven in its first 5 hours–one of a younger woman navigating rot-filled alleys and teenage psychological warfare –completely pulled me in. And but, there was each room and this compulsion to dive deeper; deeper into Hinako’s headspace, and what it meant to be a girl coming of age in Nineteen Sixties Japan.

It was a topic I used to be a bit shocked to see so blatantly explored in Silent Hill f, particularly contemplating the present local weather. Though horror as a style is definitely phenomenal at facilitating conversations about adolescence and womanhood–and I might argue that the Silent Hill sequence itself has finished this subtly however extraordinarily effectively within the past–this is not a subject typically approached in video video games. Throughout my interview with the Silent Hill f staff, I requested them if it was their intention to discover gender roles, relationship dynamics between women and men, and the “horrors” of being a teenage woman. Ryukishi07 then instructed me that not solely was it intentional, it was part of the sport he took “a variety of effort into depicting purposefully,” and it reveals.

“Because the protagonist is a woman, I believed that it was essential to discover the issues that might be most intimate and private to her. From her perspective, it was essential relationships–to her household and those that she has along with her mates,” Ryukishi07 mentioned. “The relationship she has along with her household might be probably the most intimate and visceral, in a method. So I consider these are components that I took a variety of effort into depicting purposely.”

Although how issues unfold precisely stays to be seen, to date I’m extremely impressed by the boldness, subtlety, and acuteness with which Konami is exploring a younger woman’s psyche and the way isolating turning into a girl will be. Be it jabs thrown at Hinako relating to how “manly” she speaks, the refined methods one in every of her “mates” undermines her femininity in entrance of one in every of their male mates, the pressure that now exists between her and her aforementioned male buddy as attraction turns into a priority, the shallow magazines with articles claiming “a girl is barely full as soon as she is beloved,” or, most compellingly, the various journal entries Hinako pens that designate how marriage has ruined her older sister and the way her mom and father’s abusive dynamic has affected her, Silent Hill f is unabashed in its efforts to carry gamers into Hinako’s thoughts.

And but, I feel there may be one different thrilling vessel for exploring Hinako’s inner-workings that must be touched on: a brand new, unnamed character that I can already inform goes to be extraordinarily common within the Silent Hill fandom, the fox-masked man. Although I am unable to converse too in depth about his character but, suffice it to say that those that had been *ahem* woke up by Spirited Away’s Haku or Labyrinth’s Jareth are going to like the white haired demon and his k-pop idol good looks–even if there’s something vaguely threatening about him. After encountering him a number of instances all through the sport, my face almost blushing as I watched him coax Hinako with variety phrases and lead her by means of the darkish spirit world he appears to inhabit, I made a decision I wanted to ask the Silent Hill f staff is that they supposed to create a personality that followers had been going to obsess over.

“Sure, that is the preliminary reply,” director Al Yang laughed. “There will certainly be individuals who like him. In the corporate, I do know half of the persons are like, ‘Oh, this man’s a dream boat.’ And the opposite half is like, ‘I do not belief this dude.’ It’s totally each methods, however that is good. For us, that is the type of interpretation we want–especially as we progress deeper within the story.”

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The masked man–and the character of this new “Silent Hill” that Hinako finds herself in–are not the one mysteries to resolve in Silent Hill f. Because the sport was introduced, many have speculated as to what that little purple “f” within the sport’s title might imply. Although many have been fast to imagine that–based on its curvature–it stands for forte, the Silent Hill staff has been coy on the subject of revealing what it really stands for. In truth, primarily based on their feedback and the truth that the sport has 5 completely different endings (sure, together with a UFO one), it appears as if it might stand for numerous issues, with completely different gamers having completely different interpretations.

“We do have a variety of completely different meanings infused into the letter F. However that is one thing that we want to go away as an open-ended query for the gamers to discover and are available to their very own conclusions,” sequence producer Motoi Okamoto mentioned.

Fortuitously, we cannot have to attend an excessive amount of longer to get to work on answering these questions and discovering simply what that “f” would possibly imply. Silent Hill f launches on September 25, 2025, and shall be accessible on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.