Review: Silent Hill f Is Dark, Depressing, and Unforgettable

A schoolgirl in a tattered uniform, holding a bloodied steel pipe in her hand, staggers through an old Japanese town that has been consumed by abominations and flowers—a powerful image so different from what players expect from the long-running Silent Hill franchise that it instantly set Silent Hill f apart during its promotional run. By moving it away from the titular town and placing emphasis onto Hinako’s personal demons rather than associating it with familiar locales or mythos, Silent Hill f is a great entry point for series newcomers, while still providing veterans enough to sink their teeth into.

Set in 1960s Japan, the story opens with Hinako, a high school girl, who storms out of her house after an argument with her parents. Wanting to clear her head and talk to someone, she makes her way through her hometown of Ebisugaoka. Oddly, it’s devoid of people. When she gets to the local general store Chizuruya, though, she runs into her friends: Shu, Sakuko, and Rinko. They joke around as Hinako sits in silence, miles away in her own head. That’s when the horror starts. A thick fog settles over Ebisugaoka. Blossoms erode away at the infrastructure while monsters prowl the streets. Confused and afraid, Hinako and her friends must find a way out, solving puzzles and defeating monsters to survive.

As a Silent Hill game, deciphering and piecing together the story can be a mental workout. Many scenes left me wondering about their metaphorical significance. Or questioning whether the craziness I just witnessed was even real. To fully understand and get the whole picture, you need to play it several times. I also encourage you to find and read the collectible documents around town. The multiple playthroughs thing isn’t too daunting. New Game+ provides an experience that’s simultaneously abridged and expanded. It cuts out some gameplay segments (a welcome decision), while adding onto existing cutscenes. Essentially, New Game+ is more akin to a continuation rather than simply playing through the game again.

Gameplay-wise, if you played Silent Hill 2 Remake, Silent Hill f is very familiar. You control Hinako, whose only means of defense are breakable makeshift weapons she finds around town. Since she’s not an American and is a mere Japanese schoolgirl, Hinako can only use melee weapons. Fortunately, the monsters here feel like less of a threat than in 2, likely because of Hinako’s close-quarters limitation.

It doesn’t really feel like a limitation, though. If you time your commands properly, Hinako can mete out a powerful counter capable of stunning enemies and opening them up to punishing combos, or execute a perfect dodge that’ll replenish her stamina. The combat is enjoyable—maybe a little too enjoyable—and so easy to pick up. It took only my third combat encounter to bestow upon Hinako the unexpectedly apt moniker of “The Beast,” later upgraded to “The Machine.”

Whether this counts as a pro or a con depends on you, but the game is…not that scary. Obviously, this is subjective. But I can count on one hand the times I genuinely freaked out. I even burst out laughing at one point because it was so over-excessive. The game also has plenty of bright and open spaces, which were great for combat, but not at instilling anxiety. However, all of this contrasted well with the quiet and atmospheric segments, which became scarier in comparison.

Part of the reason the game isn’t that scary (to me) likely has to do with the artistic direction. In an interview, series producer Motoi Okamoto talked about how this game merges beauty with grotesque horror. Flowers show up constantly, sprouting from monsters or on buildings. The end result is a unique and ethereal look that stands apart from the usual grime and grossness associated with Silent Hill. Perhaps they were practicing this aesthetic hybrid with Sakura Head in The Short Message.

The scariness of Silent Hill f comes more from the plot. I had a constant, ominous weight in my chest as I played. The game takes place in Showa-era Japan and tackles ‌themes like the repression and erasure of a woman’s identity through marriage in a heavily patriarchal society. It’s a topic that the game approaches with gravitas, using disturbing imagery that can leave an emotional impact on even those who might not have to deal with situations like what Hinako goes through. Many of the criticisms levied against the era remain relevant today, modernizing a game set about 60 years prior.

Silent Hill f is depressing, never holding back as it puts Hinako through the wringer repeatedly. Its thoughtful narrative, full of moving parts and emotional depth, had me hooked. The suspense and tension so characteristic of J-Horror are tempered by Hinako’s combat skills. But maybe that’s the point. The true horror in this game comes not from the monstrous abominations attacking Hinako, but from the harrowing situations her society forces her and other women into.

Silent Hill f will come out on for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC on September 25, 2025.