Is Silent Hill f a soulslike? It’s a query the Silent Hill fandom has been debating for a while now. However in a latest interview with IGN, Konami insisted it isn’t, and expressed a level of frustration with the ongoing debate.
Silent Hill f takes us to Sixties Japan, the place we observe Hinako Shimizu, a young person struggling underneath the stress of expectations from her associates, household, and society. As IGN reported in our Silent Hill f hands-on preview, its fight has the same really feel to Silent Hill 2 Remake’s close-range fight. You’ll be able to dodge enemy assaults with the DualSense’s circle button and activate a lightweight and heavy assault with R1 and R2, respectively. Your restricted attain and prolonged assault motions give a sensible, weighty really feel to fight. Heavy assaults, particularly, really feel gradual and want to be timed effectively, “contributing to the feeling that Hinako is simply a young person with restricted energy.”
On high of that, Silent Hill f’s fight additionally options timed dodges and counterattacks, with the latter notably necessary in fight sequences. Enemies briefly present an indication when a counterattack might be utilized, however we advised that “except you have got skilled your reflex abilities by taking part in video games like of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, you’ll doubtless have a tough time reacting.” That’s the place the Focus mode is available in, which might be triggered by holding L2. It permits counterattacks to last more, whereas additionally charging up an influence assault that staggers an enemy.
Discuss of parries and counterattacks has come as a shock to some Silent Hill followers, and Konami’s suggestion that Silent Hill f’s fight sequences had been ratcheted up as a result of “difficult motion video games are gaining reputation amongst youthful gamers these days” has break up the fandom.
However in an interview with IGN at gamescom 2025, Silent Hill producer Motoi Okamoto set the report straight. He insisted Silent Hill f just isn’t a soulslike, regardless of the mechanics at play in its fight, and even stated making use of that label to the sport is “disingenuous.”
“That is one in all the issues that we see — the time period soulslike — being thrown round on the web fairly a bit,” he started. “And I feel it’s a label that’s a little bit bit disingenuous. Fashionable gamers will see like, oh there’s a stamina meter, there’s a dodge, and they’re like, ‘Okay, it’s a soulslike.’
“However to be very sincere, quite a lot of this stuff we truly pulled from basic Silent Hill titles. Take a look at Silent Hill 4 — there’s a cost meter in your assaults, type of like our Focus meter. And even for Silent Hill 3 there is a stamina meter. You see it later on.”
Okamoto went on to say Silent Hill f’s fight mechanics aren’t unique to the soulslike style, expressing a level of frustration with the on-line dialogue surrounding the sport.
“This stuff aren’t new and unique to soulslike video games,” he stated. “They’ve been part of motion horror video games for a really, very very long time. In case you have these belongings you’re labeled a soulslike. And we’d like to reiterate we’re an motion horror sport, however we’re not a soulslike.”
Silent Hill f comes out on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Collection X and S on September 25.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.