Silent Hill f was on the radar for a long time. The expectations were high, and the mystery surrounding Hinako and the town of Ebisugaoka was the target of several different theories. It’s been a couple of months since its release, so there’s been plenty of time to digest the experience. Is Silent Hill f any good? Yes, it is. Should you play it then? Well… It depends. Let’s break it down together for a more precise conclusion and why you should try Silent Hill f to find the beauty in terror.
Silent Hill f is available for $69.99 on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Story – An Atypical, Brilliant, and Wonderfully Executed Narrative
Silent Hill f introduces the fictional town of Ebisugaoka during the 60s time period. Our protagonist is Hinako Shimizu, a young schoolgirl with a mysterious aura surrounding her. Her friends (Shu, Sakuko, and Rinko) are there with her as well, but something feels off since the very beginning of the game. You only have to watch the trailers to understand what I’m talking about. I’ll avoid any crucial spoilers, because the story is objectively the most brilliant aspect of this game.
All in the Attention to Detail
The narrative unfolds Hinako’s traumas and insecurities very gently. Only looking at the monsters in the trailers, we could already figure out some of the backstory, but you need to pay close attention to the details. The developers made it very clear several times: the game has a very strong Japanese essence. Being familiar with this culture will help you understand several of the dialogues and scattered documents while we explore the town.
Even though the story often feels like it’s missing crucial information to understand what’s happening, everything starts to make sense once you finish the game and start it all over from the beginning on New Game +. There aren’t many Survival Horror games where this affects the narrative as well as it does on Silent Hill f.
Hinako is a very well-written character with many secrets beneath the surface.
Different Endings
There are 5 different endings to get, each one a completely different outcome in the most Silent Hill fashion. Everyone is locked to the same ending during their first playthrough, though (which I also believe to be the best ending of them all). You’ll likely think “what the hell was that?” when the credits start to roll, confused and unsure about what the story was even about. But it just takes a few minutes into the next playthrough… And everything starts coming together very naturally.
What Ryukishi07 achieved with the narrative and storyline is absolutely brilliant. As a Higurashi fan, I expected a lot from this game. And in terms of story, it delivered much more than we could have ever predicted. The alternative endings also provide more lore and information regarding the story and certain characters, although the storyline doesn’t change much, excluding a couple of cutscenes.
Connections to Other Silent Hill Titles
And in case you were worried about that, Silent Hill f does have certain plot connections with other Silent Hill titles. Even though they are scarce, they are not only present but strong and consistent as well. If you’re an avid fan of the series, they will certainly not go over your head easily. On the other hand, if this is your first time visiting this series, Silent Hill f is also great as a starting point.
Even if this game doesn’t have the best atmosphere and gameplay of the series, it surely has that “Silent Hill” feeling imprinted on it, especially in the story. Holding a twisted narrative with secrets hiding in plain sight, Silent Hill f has one of the strongest video game stories of this year, so I’m glad it’s nominated for best narrative at The Game Awards. I stand up and applaud Ryukishi07 for his wonderful job adapting the series to the Japanese format with this new entry, because there is only one word to describe the story of beauty and terror in Silent Hill f: Perfect.
Unfold the twisted narrative behind Silent Hill f.
Gameplay – The Irregular Ludic Imperfections of Silent Hill
There are many people on the internet claiming that “Silent Hill f doesn’t feel like a true Silent Hill”. And it just takes playing two random games of this series to understand why this may be a foolish train of thought. Silent Hill has almost always been distinguished for its complex narrative, storytelling, and its concurrent questionable gameplay design. Not a single Silent Hill game has ever been more fun to play than any Resident Evil game, for example. Silent Hill always stood out for having a daring story and a complex narrative, but with clunky gameplay. And it doesn’t get more Silent Hill than that: Silent Hill f is no exception to this usual pattern.
Too Much Combat?
Silent Hill f has many, many questionable gameplay design choices. At first glance, it seems like it may be a more atmospheric entry, with scarce resources and taking advantage of the horror elements to make it more terrifying… But this is rarely the case for this game.
Silent Hill f has a lot of combat. It’s excessive at times, to the point that the game becomes heavy to play. Hinako can defend herself with a variety of melee weapons. The classic pipe, bats, knives… But these resources are far from being scarce. You’re going to be punching your way out of the fog. And it wouldn’t be as tiresome as it becomes if it wasn’t for the very overused combat design.
The combat is fair, but too overused.
Prioritizing Action
The atmospheric tension of the game continuously breaks when you enter a new area. Because you’re never nervous about what you’re going to find in the next section. There’s a point you’ll likely ask yourself, “How many enemies will I have to defeat now to open the next door?”. And surprise, that’s exactly what you have to do. It’s sad because most of the puzzle designs are mediocre, and the game prioritizes action over anything else. These elements combined are the nastiest sins of Silent Hill f.
If it had been carefully measured, the combat wouldn’t have been as flawed as it is. The game randomly throws enemies at you every single step you take, so there’s a point at which combat stops being a resource to defend yourself and becomes the whole point of the game. And it’s simply not fun most of the time. There are some sections where the tension is so great that not even the overexploited combat manages to break it, but during the second half of the game, you’re going to find yourself rolling your eyes back and mashing the attack button, hoping to just get this over with.
Exploration and Level Design
The exploration and level design of Ebisugaoka was wonderful, though, being more atmospheric and measured than other parts of the game. And even if the combat is exploited to the point it has a negative impact, the overall exploration and level design of the game is almost always on point. I wouldn’t dare to say the game becomes unplayable because of the combat; it’s just a little heavy to play.
If you’re here for the story and don’t mind killing several enemies to unfold Hinako’s journey through Ebisugaoka, your experience should remain unharmed for the most part. If having fun with the combat is an undisputable requirement for you, then maybe you should skip this entry altogether.
The few sections that prioritize atmosphere over action are sublime.
Graphics and Sound – Beautiful and Terrifying
There is nothing to worry about Silent Hill f regarding its visual quality or aesthetics. Even if Unreal Engine 5 is one of the most terrifying aspects of horror games nowadays due to its inconsistent nature, NeoBards has done an absolutely wonderful job polishing this game. The overall visual quality and art direction are definitely among the best of this year. The town of Ebisugaoka seems to envelop you with its invisible claws, pulling you in to find the beauty in terror in Silent Hill f. The only negative aspect I could mention is this weird blurriness effect present on PS5 Pro, but it doesn’t affect the experience too much.
The audio design is amazing as well, every single flower seemingly trying to grow inside your ears and whisper the secrets behind the town of Ebisugaoka. And how not to mention our beloved Akira Yamaoka, bringing back its both cursed and beautiful melodies for a slightly different vibe than usual. The OST feels like a mix of new, unheard melodies of Silent Hill and a reimagination of some tracks from previous games. Delightful and chilling as always!
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- The atmosphere is brilliant when the game applies it correctly.
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- Explore the wonderfully crafted town of Ebisugaoka.
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- What does everyone seem to hide about Hinako…?
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- The game has some engaging boss fights.
Silent Hill f was reviewed on PS5 Pro.
