Silent Hill f

It was a long time I hadn't seen a good silent hill and now we have a masterpiece we should admire the work on this the atmosphere the horror the sadness the music the beauty all made this one of my favorites of all time.

If you're a horror fan like me give this game a chance so you can see what I mean .

SILENT HILL F is absolutely fantastic.

After Silent Hill Remake 2 well exceeded the expectations for most, this is the first new chapter in the franchise in so many years. And wow, it really earns that spot.

The story follows Hinako, a girl struggling through so much pain, trying to accept a future she really isn't ready for. She doesn't want it, she fears it, and the game makes you feel every ounce of that dread. Her journey hits you in the gut and sticks with you. Secrets revealed will make you sick. What happened and what she needs to accept, is horror.

The setting of 1960s Japan is unreal. The world design is gorgeous but twisted, every corner of a street feels like it hides a memory or a nightmare. Its Silent Hill like you know it, but also fresh in a way that keeps you hooked.

The mental horror is top tier. Not just jump scares but the kind that crawls under your skin and lingers. The atmosphere is thick, the tension never lets up, and you never really feel safe even when the music fades.

Combat is basic, nothing crazy. Swing, hit, dodge. But the point isn't to fight everything. Sometimes running is smarter. You'll get swarmed, and facing too many enemies head on is a fast way to die. Knowing when to escape is part of the fear.

The enemies are brutal too. Weird, Doll like, twisted things that don't even look human. Every encounter feels like a test of nerves more than skill. You'll feel powerless, which is exactly the way Silent Hill should make you feel.

The pacing is solid. You're never stuck too long, but the game makes you think, makes you breath in that rotten atmosphere. Its survival horror at its best, not just another action game with a horror skin.

And then there's Hinako herself. You grow attached to her. Watching her struggle, fall, and sometimes rise, it hurts because it feels real. It's not just a horror story, it's tragedy wrapped in fog and blood.

Silent Hill F proves the franchise isn't dead, it's more alive than ever. Fans who waited deserve this, and new players will finally see why Silent Hill is legendary.

Enjoy returning to Silent Hill.

Atmospherically, this game is a 10/10. A small Showa-era Japanese village has been fully realized in-game, and the setting almost reminds me of the 60's Japanese horror film Onibaba with how the eerie remoteness of its setting is weaponized to full effect. This is a game you HAVE to play with headphones. It is very immersive.

Gameplay was unique in that it was primarly combat focused, but made the right steps to not end up like another Homecoming. Although i would have preferred more scares, what we got in terms of gameplay isn't all bad and a decent step forward. Just bring back some real psychological horror next time with some blood curdling setpieces, not just repeated encounters with reskinned monsters.

For what it was, despite not being particularly subtle, I enjoyed the story. Hinako was a great lead with a great actor at the helm. How the game starts with her leaving her abusive parent's house to just suddenly exploring the unusually desolate village where everyone had disappeared was classic Silent Hill. In fact, it even got a little scary at the beginning having to avoid these grotesque creatures through narrow corridors, but that was before I picked up a lead pipe and beat the thing im supposed to be afraid of into a pulp with ease.

However, the side-characters and the way they interact with each other didnt have that uncanny valley effect i was hoping for - exchanges felt more anime-centric in their delivery and a little corny instead of aloof. The Fox-masked guy was hard tonal whiplash for a Silent Hill game too, and felt out of place. All the otherworld sections for that matter failed to hold my attention, unlike the village itself.

Unfortunately the biggest flaw this game has is its lack of enemy variety and really interesting setpieces which I can only assume is due to budgetary issues.

Every enemy has a reskinned version of itself slapped together, sometimes multiple times, as a lame attempt to differentiate them. The mannequins were pretty scary at first, until i realized id be fighting them throughout the entire game. Even the scarecrows used the exact same animations when they really needed a new design.

Overall, it is refreshing to finally see an original SH game out after all these years that actually branches out and tries something new. Whatever comes next, im looking forward. Just make it scarier, please.

I've finished it now, and honestly? This game is a weird beast. On one hand, it totally sucked me in. On the other, I wanted to throw my controller through the wall at times.

Let's start with the positives: Atmosphere = 10/10. The game looks insane. The art direction is grim, creepy, and packed with heavy symbolism, exactly the kind of mood you want from a Silent Hill game. The soundtrack and sound design also hit hard, and you'll definitely get goosebumps sitting through some of these sections.

The story grabbed me too. You play as Hinako, who's actually a really interesting character. Not your typical horror victim, but someone with depth and her own struggle. At first, you know basically nothing, you're fumbling around in the dark, trying to piece things together. Only in the last 20 minutes or so do the puzzle pieces finally click. That's cool, but it also gets exhausting because most of the time you're just thinking: "What the hell is even going on?" The side characters like Sukako or Rinko are pretty weak though-barely fleshed out. It's basically Hinako's show from start to finish.

Now the big problem: gameplay.

At first, I thought, "Okay, this combat system is different and kinda interesting." You can dodge, counter, manage a focus meter, use weapons like pipes or a sledgehammer. Sounds good on paper. But about four hours in, it hits you: there's nothing else. Same enemies over and over, barely any variety, and the combat pace is slow as hell. The game constantly throws the same loop at you: walk into a room, fight a group of enemies, move on. Rinse and repeat.

What Silent Hill F does nail are the puzzles. They're clever, they can stump you, and they feel like true Silent Hill DNA. Honestly, I wish they leaned way more into that instead of forcing constant combat.

There's also a neat system where you can use items either for healing or offer them at shrines to gain Faith, which you spend on upgrades. It's a cool idea, but it doesn't go deep enough to save the stale combat loop.

So yeah, what you're left with is: amazing atmosphere, a strong main character, fantastic setting, but gameplay that drags the whole thing down. I don't regret my 10-11 hours with it, but I also know this isn't a game for everyone. If you're into Silent Hill and experimental storytelling, it's worth it. If you're coming for engaging gameplay you're going to be disappointed.

I'm a bit conflicted about this one. On the one hand it has very good atmosphere, great character designs (enemies are revolting, in a good way), and an interesting take on the message it wants to convey.

On the other hand the gameplay is indeed sometimes annoying. Especially every time a "mother" is on screen and you have to defeat her in order to progress. You will also get lost sometimes and won't exactly know what to do and where to go next - I had to run circles a lot of times, especially in the parallel "world".

The combat is also considerably more complex than previous Silent Hills, focusing entirely on close combat and no guns. But it just takes a bit to get used to, nothing you can't manage. I've seen people complain about this like they've never played a combat game before... then again maybe that precisely is the reason. I personally had no issues with it, it just seems overwhelming for your first couple of encounters.

Another thing that I've seen complaints about is the frame rate - or rather frame rate drops. I played this on a PS5 in Performance mode (since FPS is vastly more important to me than graphics and the game still looked good) and I sadly have to admit I witnessed the occasional drops as well, which unfortunately usually speaks for poor optimisation. However, they only occurred occasionally and they were not THAT bad in a way that they would ruin the gameplay for me.

Do I think this is 'worse' than the Silent Hill 2 Remake? It's definitely different, and I'd say I enjoyed SH2 more. But let's not forget that's a very high bar after all! Additionally, I like that they tried something different with the location and combat system - even if the execution might not be perfect in some aspects.

If you have any form of media comprehension, want to piece a story together yourself*, and enjoy horror (survival) games, you will not regret playing this - even if some people on here might disagree. I certainly enjoyed Silent Hill f. And maybe I will change my mind and rating for the better once I play the story again in order to achieve a different ending!

*The first ending is really not on the nose and still leaves a lot of questions unanswered (or maybe I just missed some clues) - the game invites you to play the story more than once in order to get different endings or find missed documents that might shed more light on things.