When Silent Hill f is released later this year, the game will feature some massive differences from past series entries. The most notable change is that the game will not take place in the titular New England town. Instead, for the first time ever, the series is heading over to Japan. Specifically, the game will take players to the fictional town of Ebisugaoka. That location is actually based on a real-life area of Japan, called Kanayama. Kanayama is located in Japan’s Gifu Prefecture and images of the location make it seem eerily perfect for the game’s setting. However, the developers almost based the game in a very different location.
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In a new interview with Famitsu (translated by Video Games Chronicle), Silent Hill f writer Ryukishi07 revealed that he initially considered Shizuoka Prefecture, instead. The location would have made sense from a literal standpoint, as Shizuoka translates to “Quiet Hill,” which is pretty close to the name of the series. That would have been a neat connection to make, but there was a very big problem standing in the way. Namely, Mount Fuji is located partially in the Shizuoka prefecture, with the other part in the Yamanashi prefecture. At the end of the day, Ryukishi07 felt that the iconic mountain wouldn’t have worked well with the traditional foggy atmosphere of the series.
“In fact, since this is Silent Hill, we actually visited Shizuoka Prefecture as a potential location. However, when we actually went there, we felt that the presence of Mount Fuji as seen from Shizuoka was too overbearing and it didn’t seem suitable for a Silent Hill setting,” Ryukishi07 told Famitsu. “Mount Fuji looms over the entire area, so its presence would overwhelm the foggy atmosphere of the work. After visiting several other locations, I felt that the grid-like townscape of Kanayama was an interesting shape, so I suggested that.”
It’s interesting to get this glimpse behind the planning process for Silent Hill f, and how it might have shaped the finished product. At the end of the day, it makes sense why the developers went in a different direction, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of Kanayama feels like the right decision. We won’t know for certain though until the game actually comes out on September 25th.
Silent Hill f is the first truly new entry in the series in quite some time. While Silent Hill 2 came out on PS5 and PC last year, that was a remake of an already well-regarded game. Silent Hill f represents a real opportunity for Konami to push the concept of the series forward, while changing up some key elements, including the location and the age of the protagonist. Still, from Ryukishi07’s comments it’s clear that the key elements of the series fans have come to know and love aren’t going anywhere.
Are you disappointed that the developers decided on a different location for Silent Hill f? What do you think of everything revealed for the game so far? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
