Silent Hill f review: This terrifying horror deserves an A+

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A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Pinpointing what truly makes a Silent Hill game great is surprisingly difficult. Konami has had trouble recreating that magic lately, so the question is: does the new installment, Silent Hill f, succeed?

Following the breakup of Team Silent, every studio that took on a new Silent Hill game faced difficulties. Both Homecoming and Downpour were widely disliked by fans, largely because they failed to offer anything original, instead focusing too much on action and relying on predictable clichés.

Following the successful remake of Silent Hill 2 by Bloober Team, Konami has tasked NeoBards Entertainment with creating a new Silent Hill game. NeoBards has impressively delivered a terrifying and visually striking experience with Silent Hill f.

NeoBards clearly understands what makes a Silent Hill game great – it’s not just about creepy monsters and a familiar setting. They’ve moved the series’ signature atmosphere and psychological storytelling to Japan, and the result is a game I think fans will absolutely love. It’s the kind of game they’ll be analyzing for months, searching for every possible ending and carefully interpreting every detail, because even small things will likely hold deeper meaning.

In this game, you’re Hinako Shimizu, a student trying to figure out what’s causing strange creatures and thick fog to appear in her hometown of Ebisugaoka. She’s desperately looking for her friends while uncovering a mystery similar to those found in the Silent Hill series. The story also touches on personal struggles – problems at home, conflicts at school, and the pressure of family expectations – all set against the backdrop of 1960s Japan, a time when women were challenging traditional societal norms and expectations.

Honestly, the monster designs in this game really got to me. They felt… unsettling, like the game was treating women as just objects. It created some seriously creepy and memorable creatures, though. Konami said they were going for ‘terror in beauty,’ and they nailed it. The whole town is infected, but it’s not just scary – it’s *growing* things, like blood-red flowers and these weird, bulging masses everywhere. It’s messed up, but also strangely beautiful – like something you’d want to photograph, but also something that really haunts you.

Throughout the story, Hinako travels between the real world and a mysterious, shadowy realm. This isn’t the typical mirrored world seen in similar stories; instead, it’s a simple maze of shrines and altars, guided by a fox-masked god. This god puts Hinako through challenges that force her to confront her inner self and explore her relationships with loved ones.

The story isn’t straightforward – it’s Silent Hill, so clarity isn’t expected. Even after finishing the game, many questions remain open to interpretation, and I’m still pondering it weeks later. Every strange conversation with Hinako’s friends, or confusing line of dialogue, drives me forward, desperate to understand what’s going on, to find any kind of explanation.

Battles are fought up close and personal. While some worried the game would be like the ‘Souls’ series, the close-quarters combat actually fits the setting. You won’t feel like an unstoppable action hero blasting through tight spaces in Ebisugaoka or school hallways. Instead, you’ll use whatever you can find – pipes, bats, knives – but be warned, these weapons don’t last forever and will break.

It’s not just about wildly swinging your weapon until your opponent falls. You have limited stamina, so you can only attack a few times before needing to rest, which leaves you vulnerable to powerful enemy attacks. Instead, focus on well-timed attacks and dodges – a perfect dodge will fully restore your stamina.

Every enemy attacks in a pattern, but they all have a brief vulnerable moment where you can strike back with a powerful counterattack. You’ll know when to attack because the enemy will briefly flash with colorful lines around its edges – but you need to be standing still to notice it.

As a player, I’ve found that using Focus is a great way to quickly see when enemies are about to attack, but it comes at a cost. It slowly drains your sanity, and if you let that sanity meter empty, you start taking actual health damage! You really have to watch it, especially because a lot of enemies use attacks that mess with your mind and drain your sanity even faster. The good news is, filling up the Focus meter lets you unleash a super powerful attack, but… yep, that *also* uses up your sanity. It’s a balancing act, for sure!

The game isn’t overly complicated, but it strikes a good balance. You’ll have brief moments where you feel strong enough to face an enemy, but cautious enough to avoid overwhelming odds – and that feeling lasts throughout the entire game. You’ll improve with new skills, minor upgrades, and better weapons, but everything comes with a drawback, keeping you on edge as you explore new areas.

You can improve Haniko’s abilities by making offerings at shrines where you save. These offerings, like healing items, combs, and dried goods, earn you faith. You can then use faith to boost your core stats or purchase Omamori – special charms that give you helpful bonuses, like a larger window for perfectly timed dodges.

However, fighting in tight areas can sometimes create awkward camera angles. This might force you to waste stamina dodging just to find a good viewpoint, which isn’t great when you have limited stamina to begin with.

Throughout Hinako’s adventure, you’ll also encounter puzzles, and I don’t want to give any details about them! Some were quite challenging, but I especially enjoyed the return of the disturbing tasks where you uncover hidden, gruesome details by examining bodies and the world around you.

Sound is incredibly important in horror, and it’s a key element that continues to define the enduring legacy of the Silent Hill series.

Silent Hill f successfully delivers on its promise, particularly with its incredible sound design. Akira Yamaoka, a fan-favorite composer, returns alongside Kensuke Inage, and together they’ve crafted a haunting soundscape. It beautifully combines traditional Japanese music with the signature sounds that Silent Hill fans know and love. Yamaoka’s influence is felt throughout the game, heightening every moment of fear and suspense.

Silent Hill f feels like a greatest hits compilation of the series’ best features. It uses familiar techniques to build tension, like the iconic radio static, and features intense chase sequences reminiscent of Shattered Memories. There’s also a particularly memorable looping house section that strongly recalls the atmosphere of PT – it’s a moment that will stay with me for a long time.

Silent Hill f successfully brings the series back, delivering a fresh, thrilling, and genuinely scary experience. It opens up exciting possibilities for future horror games and expansions within the Silent Hill universe, and I’m eager to see what comes next.

Silent Hill f launches 25th September for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

We reviewed Silent Hill f on PS5, and you can order your own copy now.

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2025-09-22 13:39