Cooper Miller

Contributing Writer

Set in a brand new Japanese setting that has been unfamiliar to the series up to this point, Silent Hill f, developed by Konami, stays on that theme of originality, with a new main character by the name of Shimizu Hinako, who has some pretty big James Sunderland-sized shoes to fill.

While being haunted by an unexplained event in her past, Shimizu must now find the will and grit to survive when, staying in theme for Silent Hill games, a strange fog moves in and unleashes unknown horrors on what used to be her hometown of Ebisugaoka.

Thankfully, with a revamped combat system that feels more fluid and complex than anything we’ve used in any prior games, killing nightmarish abominations feels immersive and quite fun.

Dealing with the past is one thing, but our new main character just cannot seem to escape the uncertainty of the future. Before the fictional horrors of the fog flip Shimizu’s life upside down, she had to think of the terrifying decision of what life was going to be like for herself after high school, which is an issue many young adults must face at some point.

Unfortunately, with tensions being high with her parents and the bulk of her friends being obnoxious teenagers, her support system is lacking.

When piled on top of each other, these problems take a toll on her sanity – along with her health and stamina. There is good news for the player, however, because scattered throughout the map are omamori. These omamori are able to boost your stats, the durability of your weapons, and give you different perks to fit your individual play style.

Aside from the gameplay, it would be a crime not to talk about the beautiful graphics, with many moments that can be mistaken for paintings, topped off with great composition and ambiance that comes with all of this, mixed with the new setting.

The voice acting is also wonderful, with Konatsu Kato giving making Shimizu feel like a real, compelling character. Really, every character feels real on a level that will be sure to make your immersion that much better.

Some negatives that were discovered on a personal playthrough included the combat, though it was great, was still taken away from a bit by the extremely claustrophobic environment.

The combat system really shines in areas that are more open, but in many of the sequences in the game where you have to fight enemies, the dodge mechanics feel almost useless.

An argument can be made that Silent Hill, in its entirety, is designed to make you feel like you’re back is always against the wall, but when a game goes out of its way to give a player a brand new way to play the game, maybe add more situations where a player can really use it.

Back to positives, because the game is so chock full of it, the sound design is crisp and makes the effort put in to make each step, wet crack and terrible moans sound realistic, extremely noticeable.

The music also fits with the Japanese theme, with all the scores being native to the country in which the game was developed in.

So, after comparing all the pros and cons, the game really is great. The way the franchise is directing itself, while using this game as a launch pad, opens itself up to exploring many new horizons. Fans should definitely be excited for what is to come from Silent Hill.