Silent Hill f Is a Beautifully Executed Horror Story That Suffers From Core Franchise Problems (Review)

Silent Hill f is a great new entry in the series that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but reimagines it in effective and authentic ways. Moving the typically American-set horror franchise to 1960s Japan proves to be an effective decision, infusing the series’ trademark suffocating atmosphere with a J-horror edge that can be unsettling, horrifying, and even oddly beautiful at times. After a string of disappointments for the series (including the lackluster response to the western-produced sequels and the cancellation of Silent Hills), the critically acclaimed Silent Hill 2 remake re-inspired confidence in fans.

Konami has paid off that faith with one of the best entries in the series, a haunting horror game that never stops feeling painfully human. An authentic Silent Hill experience, even as it leaves behind the typical settings, Silent Hill f still suffers from the same format challenges that have always been among the more frustrating elements of the series. However, the execution of a compelling story and creation of a terrifying world is more than enough to make the game a must-play for horror fans. If you like Silent Hill, this is a must-play — and even if you don’t, Silent Hill f might be the game that converts you into a fan.

Rating: 4/5

Pros:	Cons:
The atmosphere and world-building is pitch-perfect Silent Hill, creating a dread-inducing but strangely beautiful setting.	An overreliance on straightforward combat can quickly become repetitive.
A strong story and cast of characters make for a compelling narrative that’s hard to put down	Controls that benefit the exploration and horror don’t necessarily translate as well to dodges, combat, and movement
The graphics, art design, music, and overall presentation are fantastic and arguably a contender for best in the series.	Silent Hill f can’t escape the typical trappings of the franchise as a whole.

Silent Hill f Is Horrifying, Beautiful, And Impossible To Escape

True to the franchise but bolstered by its own unique touches, Silent Hill f is a pitch-perfect addition to the franchise that can’t quite escape the gameplay elements that have long haunted the series. Most Silent Hill games are set in the United States, reflecting the series’ melding of Japanese horror with the stylings of authors like Stephen King. For Silent Hill f, the game shifts to the Japanese countryside in the small town of Ebusigaoka. Eerily beautiful even before the sinister mists truly settle in and litter the farmlands with monsters, Ebusigakoa is home to Hinako Shimizu.

A teenage girl who bristles at the collapse of her small mining town as well as her family, Hinako makes for an intriguing gamer avatar. Her true story slowly reveals itself, not just through cutscenes and flashbacks, but through journal entries and subtle interactions. It’s easy not just to root for Hinako but to embody her, her fear and panic translating well in the gameplay experience. At its best, Silent Hills f leans into its tremendous worldbuilding, both within the dread-inducing misty Ebusigakoa streets and amid the lantern-lit and enigmatic Dark Shrine.

These realms are fascinating from a visual standpoint, and exploring them for clues, puzzles, and paths around monsters are the best parts of Silent Hill f. Ambiguous touches keep the player guessing for much of the story, with enough strange twists and turns left open to interpretation that a second (and third, and fourth) playthrough almost feels required. Just making it through one run is heart-pounding enough, but the effectiveness of the horror and the surprising beauty of the worldbuilding (helped in no small part by Akira Yamaoka and Kensuke Inage’s phenomenally haunting music) is so enticing that it’s hard to stay away.

As Always, Combat Isn’t Silent Hill’s Strongpoint

Silent Hill has always thrived when the horror elements are firing on all cylinders, with less focus on combat than many other horror adventure games. Silent Hill f‘s biggest departure from the series’ past is in this regard, with Hinako capable of wielding makeshift weapons from an early point. From lead pipes in Ebusigaoka to ornate spears in the Dark Shrine, combat is always present as an option (and sometimes the only way forward). The combat is a bit of a mixed bag from a design standpoint.

It offers a new way for the game to challenge the players, forcing them to weigh their chances in a fight versus making a run for it. The game even infuses it with worldbuilding by incorporating Sanity along with Health and Stamina, which can only take so many mental and spiritual blows before it reduces and hinders Hinako in a clever bit of story/game integration.

However, these fights are still driven by Silent Hill‘s control and camera system, which is more naturally suited for exploration and horror. As a result, combat can feel sloppy at times, with big swings that don’t always connect or dodges going the wrong way. Worse than that, the combat eventually becomes repetitive. The relative lack of diversity in enemy types (at least in “Story” mode, one of three difficulty levels available to players) makes that point more pronounced. The game is better suited for puzzles and exploration, and these moments are far more effective.

While some are fairly straightforward combination locks that still benefit from a vivid sense of style, the best are the ones that incorporate exploration and tension into the challenge. An early puzzle in the Dark Shrine remains a personal stand-out, requiring Hinako to examine dozens of tiles with only a riddle as her guide even as the sounds of approaching monsters gets louder in the darkness As with much of the game, leaning into the horror and beauty of Silent Hill f‘s unique world-building improves the experience, and the more modern gaming touches like counter-centric combat and a gacha-style upgrade shop risk breaking the immersion. 

Silent Hill f Is Everything Horror Fans Love (And Hate) About The Konami Series

Those complaints could honestly be shared with much of the Silent Hill series as whole, speaking to the ways this title feels like a fresh addition to the line that doesn’t stray too far from the formula. The unique visual touches, setting, and story still feel like a part of the greater Silent Hill whole, a franchise that has always valued atmosphere and storytelling over silky smooth gameplay. When the execution of those elements is as effective as it is here, though, those flaws are easily forgivable. Silent Hill f is absolutely gorgeous, with the quasi-realistic real-world characters and elements clashing wonderfully with the gory, twisted touches that have always defined Silent Hill.

Exploring Ebusigaoka in the mists, searching through houses for supplies only to find enigmatic clues and terrifying monsters, is the kind of natural dread-inducing gameplay that makes this series so iconic. Bolstered by a fantastic story that only grows more engrossing as it goes along, Silent Hills f is very much everything that works about the series packaged up in a gorgeous new package. The combat, puzzles, and exploration are all in service of the worldbuilding, reinforcing the mysteries of the story and drawing the player deeper into its horror with an art design that underscores the duality of awe and horror.

It’s a tremendous work from Konami, developer NeoBards, and writer Ryukishi07 that invites plenty of discussion and theorizing on the part of the player. Silent Hill f lingers in the mind, in a way few horror games have in years. Silent Hill f is everything great about the series, told in a new J-horror style that perfectly fits the classic aesthetic. While it may not have the tightest combat, that’s reflective of a tone that values ambiance and thematic weight over the quick thrills of other games. Silent Hill f is the meditative, gorgeous, and absolutely terrifying entry that fans have been waiting for.

ComicBook was provided a PS5 code for the purposes of this review.