2024’s Silent Hill 2 remake wasn’t a brand new game, but it was the game that gave fans renewed hope for the long-dormant franchise. Also, it proved that Konami could at least find a good studio to develop a great game for them. Now, just a year later, there is a brand-new Silent Hill title, after over a decade of fans waiting for the series to return: Silent Hill f.
In many ways, Silent Hill f is wildly different from past Silent Hill entries while also being somewhat predictable gameplay-wise. It does a lot of great things for the series, but its disconnect from previous entries also makes it a great place for series newcomers to start out.
A New Setting
A Silent Hill For Anime Fans
Silent Hill is an anthology series, so every game is a good jumping-on point in some sense, but Silent Hill f is more groundbreaking than most entries. That’s because it doesn’t take place in the US, nor is it set in the literal town of Silent Hill.
Instead, the game is set in the 1960s in a little Japanese town called Ebisugaoka. It’s the first time a Silent Hill game has been set in Japan, which is unreal since the series was created and has always been developed in Japan. This makes it feel like a reboot, and reboots are often a good place for newbies to jump into a series.
Reduced Puzzles
And Different Challenge Settings
If players don’t like heavy action or puzzles in their horror games, then Silent Hill f has a solution. It allows players to choose their Action and Puzzle difficulty settings. Enemies are more aggressive than past entries, but the easiest Action setting will give players a slight edge in combat.
Even if the puzzles are challenging on the easiest setting, players can at least feel some relief knowing that there aren’t many in the game compared to past entries. Also, Hinako’s journal often gives players significant hints on how to solve them.
Accessorizing And Leveling Up
Make Hinako Stronger
Any horror gamer who likes RPGs as well will be glad to know they can customize Hinako in a few ways beyond just her costume. Players can find items called Ema in Silent Hill f, which they can use at shrines to increase Hinako’s stats, like her HP. They can also find or buy accessories called Omamori, which will grant various boosts, like increasing HP, and the maximum number of Omamori items that Hinako can equip can be increased at shrines, too.
It’s kind of like a Soulslike system of upgrading at rest points, except players won’t lose their currency upon dying in Silent Hill f, unlike in Elden Ring or some other Soulslike games.
Combat Upgrades
Dodging, Countering, And Focusing
The upgrade system is not the only similarity Silent Hill f has to Soulslike games. The combat feels weighty even though Hinako is a small teen. Her melee skills are not great, but she does have a few moves to aid her, like dodging and countering. Plus, a new system in Silent Hill f, called Focus, will let players charge up their attacks.
Each enemy encounter will be deadly, so players have to pay attention and time their strikes when they see an opening. Overall, if players take their time, they will find it more engaging as a melee-focused horror game, which is a good reason why beginners may enjoy it more than previous Silent Hill combat systems.
An Abundance Of Healing Items
And The Item Wheel
How many healing items and resources players will find ultimately depends on the Action difficulty setting they choose. That said, there are a lot more healing items players will come across in Silent Hill f than in previous series entries.
Instead of mostly using healing kits, players will be using a new resource called Red Capsules. They won’t heal as much, but they are good in a pinch. Also, there’s an item wheel that is easy to sift through during and outside of combat. More ways to heal are good for any horror game, and a good example of how Silent Hill f is more accessible as a starting point.
Not As Linear
Explore Ebisugaoka, Or Don’t
The Silent Hill 2 remake experimented with more open-ended area designs. Its version of Silent Hill wasn’t open-world per se, but there were side objectives to make the campaign feel less linear, and the same is true for Ebisugaoka in Silent Hill f.
Players can explore the town or head toward their designated location on the map at their leisure. They may find more resources by exploring, but they may lose some as well, like health items, if they get caught in battle. This choice, at least, is more freeing than most Silent Hill games and another good reason why Silent Hill f is a good jumping-on point.
If You Want Something Scary, This Is It
The Most Horrifying Entry To Date?
Some players will enter a horror series deep into its narrative to witness a more terrifying experience, such as Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which remains the series’ scariest entry to date. Similarly, Silent Hill f feels like one of the scariest Silent Hill games to date. This is interesting considering that players will spend a lot of time spent outside in the daylight, and yet it can still be horrifying.
That’s because the enemies are unrelenting, like animals hunting their prey. For anyone looking for something terrifying to play during spooky season or at night, Silent Hill f is a great place to start.