In my stressed goals, I see that city. I see its fog-drenched foothills and derelict buildings. I see its dead-end alleys and blank-faced inhabitants. And although it is not the identical hang-out that ensnared Harry, Heather, James, and the others–the identical city that’s siren music broke many a person whereas concurrently constructing probably the most iconic horror sport franchises in existence–Silent Hill f’s Ebisugaoka remains to be a spot that calls for your consideration; a spot that, when you’re there, you by no means really depart. Or maybe extra aptly, it by no means leaves you.
The identical might be mentioned for Silent Hill f itself. Though the sport distances itself from earlier entries within the series–most notably by buying and selling in its Lynchian-meets-Boschian atmosphere and small-town America setting in favor of slow-burning Japanese horror and the humid foothills of Honshu–its general expertise is each bit as memorable as these provided by its predecessors. And but Silent Hill f just isn’t merely a somewhat-divergent continuation of a beloved sequence; it is an evolution, providing a number of gameplay enhancements whereas additionally paving a brand new path ahead. With its sensible writing, well-designed and strategic gameplay, participating fight, and spectacular visuals, Silent Hill f firmly establishes itself as an outstanding work of psychological horror and among the many greatest entries within the Silent Hill sequence.
Although Silent Hill f’s setting is, to be cliche, very almost a personality in itself, on the heart of the sport’s story is Shimizu Hinako, a younger highschool scholar who’s violently thrust right into a disturbing model of her hometown. Within the sport’s opening moments, it is made clear that Hinako’s relationships are rife with pressure. As a younger lady rising up throughout the late Nineteen Sixties, a lot of this pressure stems from her resistance in direction of being a “correct” younger lady, a lot to her mother and father’ dismay. In her journal, she writes that her father is the very definition of a patriarchal husband–demanding, extreme, and domineering–while her mom is passive to the purpose of cowardice. For a very long time, Hinako’s older sister, Junko, was the one individual she may depend on for companionship and safety. This modified, nevertheless, as soon as she received married and left dwelling, leaving Hinako alone and drowning in resentment.
The occasions of Silent Hill f kick off shortly after one more battle at dwelling. Following the argument, Hinako leaves to seek out someone–anyone–whom she will speak to. As she makes her approach via the eerily quiet Ebisugaoka, we’re launched to her three closest mates: Sakuko, Rinko, and Shu. In typical teenage trend, Hinako’s relationships with these three have an underlying sense of unease, although it is not instantly clear why. And but, teenage drama rapidly turns into the least of her considerations as soon as a fog-shrouded monster begins to hunt her down, leaving flesh-devouring spider lilies, chrysanthemums, and pink streams of rot in its wake.
Hinako is pressured to then navigate the slim alleyways and deserted buildings of Ebisugaoka as she makes an attempt to keep away from the infestation and the grotesque creatures who accompany it. And but, that is solely half of the harrowing expertise Hinako endures. At sure factors all through the sport, Hinako is thrust right into a spirit realm, during which a disarming younger man known as Fox Masks guides her via unusual temples and darkish trials.
Although this premise is lots peculiar, Silent Hill f is in some methods a bit extra easy than earlier Silent Hill titles. Nicely… at first, anyway. On the very least, it is not fairly as uncanny. Reasonably than stumbling into struggling strangers who converse in riddles, SHF makes use of these closest to Hinako to intensify intrigue and tension–to alarm and unease. Whereas earlier Silent Hill video games all the time felt a bit like David Lynch’s tackle a Hieronymus Bosch painting–alienating, dreamlike, and horrifying–Silent Hill f feels extra like a collaboration between surrealist filmmaker Satoshi Kon and horror manga legend Junji Ito. I would not dare to say one is best than the opposite, even when my private preferences skew me in direction of the latter, however I’ll say that Silent Hill f moved, unsettled, and awed me in methods few video games can.
No matter whether or not Hinako is trudging via rice fields, roaming the halls of her former center faculty, or traipsing alongside Fox Masks within the spirit realm, the world of Silent Hill f is gorgeous and atmospheric. Although I’ve by no means been to Kanayama–the real-life Japanese city that impressed Silent Hill f’s Ebisugaoka–I used to be extraordinarily impressed by the way in which Konami managed to copy a rural Japanese city. I definitely will not declare to be an arbiter of authenticity, however as I wove via alleys and watched concrete and chainlink give solution to worn-wood properties and dampened filth paths, I used to be reminded of the time I’ve spent close to Nagano, or south of Osaka: locations the place nature and tradition coexist in such a surreal however lovely approach. As I moved via Ebisugaoka, I felt as if I may style the humidity; as if I may scent the forest ground.
The spirit realm, however, feels appropriately unknowable–steeped in historical past and reverence. While you stroll via its temple halls, it feels as if the world ought to be eerily quiet, in the end making the rattling chains of four-legged enemies, chattering of dolls, and Akira Yamaoka’s phenomenal compositions all of the extra impactful. Sure, composer Yamaoka returns for Silent Hill f, and whereas he naturally retains his potential to construct pressure on the drop of a hat, Silent Hill f additionally would possibly simply exhibit how lovely and consuming his work might be, too. I used to be impressed by how he makes SHF sound like a Silent Hill sport whereas additionally giving it its personal id and celebrating its new setting, putting conventional Japanese instrumentation, guttural singing, and haunting choirs alongside his signature industrial sound.
But constancy and sound aren’t all that contribute to how artistically profound Silent Hill f is. Among the many extra essential components are the sport’s haunting visuals and nightmarish creatures, each of which disturb as a lot as they fascinate, and achieve the sport’s mission of exploring the area the place the beautiful and grotesque meet. Boss designs are persistently exceptional, drawing upon conventional Japanese apparel, weaponry, and folklore to raise them, whereas your commonplace enemies–from hewn mannequins to female monstrosities whose our bodies are lined in pulsing, pregnant bellies–are each bit as unsettling. Count on to see flesh fall, bones snap, and loads of viscera throughout your time with Silent Hill f, in addition to cinematic cutscenes that really feel completely otherworldly.
Extra vital than being each visually and audibly exceptional, nevertheless, is how Silent Hill f’s areas serve the sport’s narrative and themes. Previous to Silent Hill f’s launch, Konami said that Silent Hill ought to be considered as a way of thinking somewhat than a bodily location, therefore why some video games within the series–including SHF–don’t happen within the East Coast-inspired city. That mentioned, if we’re to view the areas these protagonists discover as metaphors for the human psyche, I can not think about a extra appropriate world than the one crafted right here.
Ebisugaoka’s alleys lower via the city like neural pathways–twisting, turning, connecting, and coming to abrupt ends. Each the city and the spirit realm disorient simply as a lot as they dazzle, heightening this sense of confusion and loss. Additionally they enjoy contradiction. All through the sport, we witness beautiful grotesquery as flowers and gore eat the city in equal measure; we stumble throughout sacred locations that really feel completely profane, and watch because the supernatural and otherworldly collide with the luxurious and pure. Very similar to Hinako and Silent Hill f itself, this world just isn’t meant to be completely understood.
Naturally, this sense of thriller additionally heightens one of many Silent Hill sequence’ most notable options: its puzzles. All through Silent Hill f, there are roughly a dozen puzzles to unravel, with a very vital one sprawling throughout the whole sport and requiring not less than one playthrough to be accomplished earlier than you can begin it. Others are extra easy, and job you with issues like deciphering a coded language, discovering and appropriately putting medallions, or navigating complicated hallways by pulling levers to open and shut doorways.
By and enormous, these are all participating and simply the best degree of problem on the sport’s Exhausting mode, its default puzzle problem. After finishing the sport as soon as, you may additionally achieve Misplaced within the Fog problem, which provides a bit extra of a problem, although I did not discover it to be too extraordinary a leap. That mentioned, one or two of those puzzles stand out as far much less pleasurable (and extra convoluted) than the others, in the end dragging on a bit too lengthy for my liking and leading to my going through off towards a grating variety of enemies.
Fortuitously, Silent Hill f alleviates a few of the annoyance these moments fire up with remarkably enjoyable close-quarters fight. In comparison with earlier entries within the sequence, Silent Hill f is extra action-oriented, counting on executing excellent dodges and parrying on the right time to dish out harm to enemies. Although the studio has shied away from comparisons to soulslikes, there may be an undeniably acquainted feeling as you bounce forwards and backwards between light- and heavy-attacks earlier than rapidly dodging out of hurt’s approach. And whereas some horror video games stumble once they lean too far into motion, Silent Hill f manages to take action to nice success, making a fluid and fascinating system that enhances the sport somewhat than detracts from it.
That mentioned, it is not excellent. At instances, I felt enemies weren’t fairly as conscious of my assaults as I wanted and lacked correct suggestions. Different instances, I discovered myself a bit pissed off by how the sport’s tight corridors, rapidly depleting stamina bar, and imperfect controls created conditions the place I used to be unable to do something as an enemy repeatedly wailed on me. This did not occur too usually, although, and contemplating horror video games aren’t identified for having notably jaw-dropping fight, I did not thoughts these few moments of unreliability and overwhelm. In some regards, it served as a reminder that Hinako is only a highschool lady, not a military-trained operative you would possibly discover in Resident Evil 3’s Raccoon Metropolis.
And whereas fight is extra fluid than ever, this does not essentially imply it is simple or that you must have interaction with each enemy you encounter. Holding in step with former Silent Hill video games, there isn’t a actual incentive so that you can tackle enemies you are not required to kill to progress–no gadgets are dropped, and no expertise is given. The truth is, selecting to take action can come at a detriment, as fight might be fairly difficult and can all the time price you extra assets than you internet, together with your weapons.
Sure, along with your well being, stamina, and sanity, you may wish to take note of your weapon’s sturdiness as you play, as weapon degradation is again. Whereas this would possibly sound like lots to observe, in execution it really works extraordinarily properly, and significantly heightens the stakes and sense that Hinako’s survival have to be received.
Along with weapon degradation, Silent Hill f’s permanent-upgrade system additionally provides one other layer of technique and useful resource administration. All through Ebisugaoka and the spirit realm are shrines Hinako can go to to enshrine choose objects, together with a few of these used to heal or regenerate sanity and stamina. Enshrining an object converts it into Religion, which might then be used to attract an omamori–a talisman granting Hinako a random boon–or to completely improve one in all her stats. This provides an attention-grabbing factor of selection, as you have to contemplate whether or not you must hold on to your varied therapeutic gadgets to make use of in battle or convert them into religion for everlasting upgrades.
Buying and selling in your gadgets for upgrades is made much more tempting by the truth that each Hinako’s stat upgrades and omamoris carry over to New Recreation Plus, significantly heightening their usefulness and making subsequent playthroughs simpler. And when you won’t sometimes be the kind to replay a sport on New Recreation Plus, Silent Hill f makes an especially compelling case to rethink your stance.
Though a playthrough of Silent Hill f takes round 10 hours to finish, you would be remiss to name it a 10-hour-long sport. Inside the sport there are 5 endings, one in all which you’re locked into the primary time you play, and it was solely after unlocking two of them that I started to really feel as if I considerably understood what was taking place to Hinako and her hometown; that I started to understand that every playthrough shouldn’t be considered as a separate expertise, however as half of a complete.
As such, enjoying via Silent Hill f a number of instances feels completely important to the general expertise. For these of you acquainted with the sport’s author, Ryukishi07, this would possibly come as no shock, as his different works are identified for doing exactly this and infrequently use their first ending to boost questions somewhat than reply them; Silent Hill f isn’t any exception. Fortunately, unbelievable gameplay, the flexibility to skip previous cutscenes, loads of new content material every playthrough, and dramatically completely different endings–complete with completely different bosses–make enjoying via the sport a number of instances an thrilling prospect.
But probably the most compelling cause to replay Silent Hill f is just to expertise each little bit of its sensible, horrifying, and, oftentimes, deeply cathartic story. Although I will not dive too deep into the concepts and themes of the sport with the intention to protect the expertise for others, suffice to say I used to be blown away by the mastery during which Silent Hill f explores gender roles, company, isolation, id, relationships, and womanhood, in addition to by the way in which it completely balances readability and ambiguity to create one thing profound and reflective. Amongst AAA titles, there are few video games that dare to broach the identical subjects developer NeoBards Leisure does on this title–and far fewer that deal with them with even near the identical quantity of grace, nuance, and conviction.
Maybe this is not stunning, contemplating that just about each a part of Silent Hill f is crafted with the identical degree of care and ability. And but, that does not make something about this sport and what NeoBards has achieved any much less spectacular. Silent Hill f isn’t just a return to kind, it is a exceptional evolution; it is a visible spectacle, a mastercraft in psychological horror, a piece of narrative brilliance, and a brand new benchmark for the Silent Hill sequence.
