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 tune broke many a person whereas concurrently constructing one of the vital iconic horror recreation 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 actually go away. Or maybe extra aptly, it by no means leaves you.
The identical will be stated 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 is just not 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, partaking fight, and spectacular visuals, Silent Hill f firmly establishes itself as an exceptional work of psychological horror and among the many finest 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 recreation’s opening moments, it is made clear that Hinako’s relationships are rife with stress. As a younger girl rising up through the late Nineteen Sixties, a lot of this stress stems from her resistance in direction of being a “correct” younger girl, 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 might depend on for companionship and safety. This modified, nevertheless, as soon as she acquired married and left dwelling, leaving Hinako alone and drowning in resentment.
The occasions of Silent Hill f kick off shortly after yet one more combat at dwelling. Following the argument, Hinako leaves to search out someone–anyone–whom she will be able to speak to. As she makes her means by means of 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 purple streams of rot in its wake.
Hinako is compelled 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, wherein a disarming younger man known as Fox Masks guides her by means of unusual temples and darkish trials.
Although this premise is loads peculiar, Silent Hill f is in some methods a bit extra simple than earlier Silent Hill titles. Properly… at first, anyway. On the very least, it is not fairly as uncanny. Relatively than stumbling into struggling strangers who communicate 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 at all times 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 by means of 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 actually will not declare to be an arbiter of authenticity, however as I wove by means of alleys and watched concrete and chainlink give technique 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 stunning means. As I moved by means of Ebisugaoka, I felt as if I might style the humidity; as if I might odor the forest ground.
The spirit realm, however, feels appropriately unknowable–steeped in historical past and reverence. Once you stroll by means of its temple halls, it feels as if the world ought to be eerily quiet, finally 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 skill to construct stress on the drop of a hat, Silent Hill f additionally may simply showcase how stunning and consuming his work will be, too. I used to be impressed by how he makes SHF sound like a Silent Hill recreation whereas additionally giving it its personal id and celebrating its new setting, inserting 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 attain the sport’s mission of exploring the house the place the attractive and grotesque meet. Boss designs are constantly exceptional, drawing upon conventional Japanese apparel, weaponry, and folklore to raise them, whereas your normal enemies–from hewn mannequins to female monstrosities whose our bodies are coated in pulsing, pregnant bellies–are each bit as unsettling. Anticipate 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 necessary 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 acknowledged that Silent Hill ought to be considered as a frame of mind slightly than a bodily location, therefore why some video games within the series–including SHF–don’t happen within the East Coast-inspired city. That stated, 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 by means of 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 experience contradiction. All through the sport, we witness attractive grotesquery as flowers and gore devour 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 like Hinako and Silent Hill f itself, this world is just not 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 resolve, with a very necessary one sprawling throughout all the recreation and requiring at the least one playthrough to be accomplished earlier than you can begin it. Others are extra simple, and process you with issues like deciphering a coded language, discovering and accurately inserting medallions, or navigating advanced hallways by pulling levers to open and shut doorways.
By and enormous, these are all partaking and simply the suitable stage of issue on the sport’s Laborious mode, its default puzzle issue. After finishing the sport as soon as, you may additionally achieve Misplaced within the Fog issue, which provides a bit extra of a problem, although I did not discover it to be too extraordinary a leap. That stated, one or two of those puzzles stand out as far much less fulfilling (and extra convoluted) than the others, finally dragging on a bit too lengthy for my liking and leading to my going through off towards a grating variety of enemies.
Thankfully, Silent Hill f alleviates a number 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 good dodges and parrying on the right time to dish out injury to enemies. Although the studio has shied away from comparisons to soulslikes, there’s an undeniably acquainted feeling as you bounce forwards and backwards between light- and heavy-attacks earlier than rapidly dodging out of hurt’s means. 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 interesting system that enhances the sport slightly than detracts from it.
That stated, it is not good. 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 annoyed 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 typically, although, and contemplating horror video games aren’t identified for having significantly 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 may discover in Resident Evil 3’s Raccoon Metropolis.
And whereas fight is extra fluid than ever, this does not essentially imply it is easy or that you need to have interaction with each enemy you encounter. Preserving in step with former Silent Hill video games, there isn’t any 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. Actually, selecting to take action can come at a detriment, as fight will be fairly difficult and can at all times value you extra sources 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 may sound like loads to watch, in execution it really works extraordinarily effectively, and drastically heightens the stakes and sense that Hinako’s survival should be gained.
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 may 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 aspect of selection, as you should take into account whether or not you need to cling on to your numerous 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 Sport Plus, drastically heightening their usefulness and making subsequent playthroughs simpler. And whilst you may not usually be the kind to replay a recreation on New Sport 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 recreation. Inside the recreation there are 5 endings, one in all which you might be 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 know that every playthrough shouldn’t be considered as a separate expertise, however as half of a complete.
As such, enjoying by means of Silent Hill f a number of instances feels completely important to the general expertise. For these of you aware of the sport’s author, Ryukishi07, this may come as no shock, as his different works are identified for doing exactly this and infrequently use their first ending to boost questions slightly than reply them; Silent Hill f isn’t any exception. Fortunately, improbable gameplay, the flexibility to skip previous cutscenes, loads of new content material every playthrough, and dramatically totally different endings–complete with totally different bosses–make enjoying by means of the sport a number of instances an thrilling prospect.
But probably the most compelling purpose to replay Silent Hill f is solely 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 a view to protect the expertise for others, suffice to say I used to be blown away by the mastery wherein 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 stage of care and talent. And but, that does not make something about this recreation and what NeoBards has achieved any much less spectacular. Silent Hill f is not only a return to type, 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.
