Silent Hill f review: Melancholic and bittersweet

The fog has rolled in once again in the horror community. A new Silent Hill game has emerged from the mist, and with it, it’s summoned all manner of blood-soaked, flower-toting demons. Silent Hill f is the latest instalment in the legendary survival horror series and it’s unmissable. 

If you’ve been wondering whether to pick up this psychological horror title for yourself, you’ll find The Escapist’s full, spoiler-free review below, looking at everything from the melancholic story and tense atmosphere to the disgusting monster designs and punchy combat. 

The Escapist recaps

• The newest entry in the Silent Hill franchise is Silent Hill f, a psychologically twisted survival horror, set in rural 1960s Japan. The story centers around a student named Shimizu Hinako, a new protagonist for the series. 
• The game is a bold new step for the Silent Hill franchise, drastically changing the typical setting and aesthetic that one might expect from a game in the series. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of fog, and you’ll still get a steel pipe to batter monsters with. 
• Silent Hill f is arguably the scariest Silent Hill yet; it’s dripping in atmosphere and blood, with gnarly monster designs, gorgeously terrifying settings, and a twisted narrative that unwinds right alongside the protagonist.
• The game is a delight to play through, with no notable performance issues or quirks. It’s visually stunning and has spectacular sound design, too.
• While some fans of the classic games may argue that Silent Hill f feels too different from the previous titles, it’s the revitalizing lift the franchise needed. 

A masterclass in atmospheric horror

Silent Hill f places you in the shoes of Shimizu Hinako, a student in rural Ebisugaoka, Japan. The game starts subtly, setting the tone and indicating that something is slightly off in the town, then elegantly spirals downwards from there, soaking Ebisugaoka in mist and plunging Hinako into a nightmare.

The town ends up deserted fairly quickly – because of course it does, it’s a Silent Hill game – with the exception of Hinako and a few others. It’s not immediately obvious why these particular characters are present, but they all have a key role to play in the story. 

Offering up the classic blend of tricky puzzles and horrifying monsters, you’ll need to guide Hinako through fog-drenched streets, candlelit alleyways, and abandoned houses, carefully hoarding resources and keeping an eye out for the monsters that lurk around every corner. 

Player choice is significant in this game, and in keeping with the tradition of survival horror, managing resources is of the utmost importance. Having a tool kit or bandages can make the difference between life and death. This is pure survival horror, as Silent Hill should be.

Something that stood out about the story in Silent Hill f is how subtly it built up dread. Instead of just revealing key threats or enemies outright, they were softly hinted at in throwaway lines, tattered notes, or items dotted around. This made key reveals feel even weightier. 

The quality of the dialogue and audio helped to sell the narrative, too. Hinako was immediately likable and felt like a well-crafted character from the get-go, which made it all the more gut-churning when things started to spiral for her. While the story is unsettling and scary, there’s also a deep melancholy to it. 

Bags of gore, hidden under delicate petals

Combat in Silent Hill f is thrilling. It feels quite different from previous games in the series, with Hinako feeling just strong enough to survive, but not too strong to remove the threat of the monsters lurking throughout the town. 

She gets access to weapons like steel pipes and baseball bats, with the ability to dodge, counter, and power-up her attacks. Combat feels quick and intuitive, with a weapon durability system that presses the importance of choosing your battles mindfully. 

The creature designs are always a highlight in Silent Hill – arguably, the nurses and Pyramid Head are two of the most recognizable creatures in the horror world – and Silent Hill f had hordes of meticulously-crafted beasts to show off. 

The regular enemies were suitably gross and disconcerting, popping up at inconvenient times across the map with frightening agility, but the real stars of the show were the bosses.

Without spoiling it too heavily, the bosses felt monumental and, for the most part, deeply significant to the story. Every battle presented its own slew of unique challenges, with each victory feeling like a genuine triumph for Hinako. 

Another particularly enjoyable element was that every enemy had its own attack pattern and combat style, forcing Hinako to adapt and come up with new strategies on the fly. 

Candlelit shrines to help you find your way 

Something that stood out during our time with Silent Hill f was the shrine system. As you explore, shrines will pop up that act as save points.

They’re not just save points, though. They also act as a leveling and power-up hub of sorts, allowing Hinako to get stronger by generating a currency called Faith and spending it on either random omamori pulls or buffs to her key stats. So yes, they serve a similar function to bonfires in Dark Souls, but to be clear Silent Hill f is not a Soulslike.

Omamori make up a crucial part of Hinako’s gear in Silent Hill f, acting as keepsake charms that provide individual buffs. They can be obtained via random pulls at shrines or by exploring the overworld, and they offer a slew of benefits. The buffs can include boosts to key stats or battle effects, for example. 

Faith is generated by finding valuable items and offering them up at the shrines. These can be dedicated offering items, but in a pinch, you can offer up important resources like bandages instead. Getting the most out of the shrines requires thinking ahead and being hyper-aware of your inventory.

The Silent Hill series has always been spectacular, but its latest entry, Silent Hill f, propels it to new heights. This blood-soaked fever dream combines exquisite survival horror with a gripping narrative, making for an unforgettable experience. It performs brilliantly, looks gorgeous, and has a gut-wrenching story. What more could you want?

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