Silent Hill f Guide – 15 Best Tips and Tricks

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NeoBards’ *Silent Hill f* is now available for those who purchased the Deluxe Edition, and early reactions suggest it’s a strong game. It’s also incredibly scary – even fans familiar with the work of writer Ryukishi07 will likely find it disturbing, thanks in part to the unsettling artwork by kera.

This game is still a survival horror experience, so managing your supplies and approaching enemies strategically are key to staying alive – and keeping your sanity! Here are 15 helpful tips to help you overcome the challenges of both Ebisugaoka and the Otherworld.

Study the Map

Ebisugaoka seems simple at first, but it’s surprisingly easy to get lost, particularly when you’re trying to escape the frightening creatures in the fog. Your map will be a huge help! It shows where characters are, highlights blocked paths, and generally helps you get your bearings, no matter what’s happening. Use it often – the game even pauses when you check, so it’s always a safe moment to do so.

Explore as Much as Possible

Okay, so one thing I’ve learned is to *always* explore! Even if an area looks a little scary, it’s totally worth it. I’ve found tons of healing items hidden off the main path, and those are lifesavers, especially during those really tough boss fights. They help me keep Hinako going strong. But, and this is important, don’t try to fight *every* enemy you see. That’ll just drain your resources and make things way harder!

Avoid Combat Whenever Possible

Silent Hill f features a complete combat system with dodging, countering, and different attack types. However, the game truly shines when you choose to avoid fights altogether. If you stumble into a non-story battle, it’s often better to run away, even to preserve your weapons. While enemies generally don’t reappear, trying to clear every area isn’t usually the best strategy. Ultimately, avoiding combat is the more effective approach.

Conserve Toolkits

In Ebisugaoka, weapons are common and hard to come by if they break, while toolkits are rarer. These toolkits can fix weapons, but since you don’t find many during gameplay, it’s best to save them for when you really need them – ideally for your favorite weapons.

Check Your Journal for Clues

Stuck on a puzzle, especially if Hinako recognizes a symbol? Take a look at her Journal! She automatically records puzzle information, along with her thoughts and impressive drawings of the monsters. It’s a helpful way to remember all the symbols and numbers you find throughout the game.

How to Unlock More Charm Slots

Omamori, or charms, give you helpful bonuses when you wear them. These can include things like making your weapons last longer, speeding up your Focus ability, and other benefits. At first, though, you won’t be able to equip many at once.

To get stronger, collect Ema Plates and earn in-game currency as quickly as possible. This will help you survive the early parts of the game, but remember you’ll also need to find the Omamori. Keep in mind that you only have three equipment slots during your first time playing – you’ll unlock a fourth one if you start a New Game+.

Expanding Inventory Space

Having more space for items is always helpful in a survival horror game, and *Silent Hill f* lets you increase your inventory size by finding different bags. You’ll discover these bags while exploring the game’s locations, though not all of them will be available during your initial playthrough. Keep in mind that each bag only adds one extra inventory slot, so you’ll still need to carefully decide what items to carry.

Upgrading Stats

Ema Plates do more than just unlock special slots. They also help you improve Hinako’s abilities, like health, stamina, and sanity, by using them with in-game currency. Stamina and sanity are good choices to focus on, but if you’re taking a lot of damage, boosting health can be helpful too. Just remember, collecting all the plates takes multiple playthroughs of New Game Plus, so plan your upgrades accordingly.

Mind Your Surroundings

If a fight is unavoidable, always be aware of your surroundings. Ebisugaoka has a lot of narrow streets and alleys where enemies can easily trap you. Try to create distance and defeat each enemy one at a time, instead of wildly attacking and hoping to win.

Conserve Stamina and Prioritize Perfect Dodges

While not a traditional ‘Souls-like’ game, *Silent Hill f* shares a key strategy with many games that use stamina: manage it carefully. Don’t just repeatedly dodge, especially when there’s no immediate threat. Instead, focus on timing your dodges perfectly – this slows down time and creates opportunities to attack or get away. Mastering perfect dodges could be crucial for survival.

Study Enemy Attack Patterns and Movements

It sounds obvious, but always watch what your enemies do. Knowing their attack patterns and how they move is key – whether you’re planning an attack, trying to dodge perfectly, using a special move, or just escaping. This is true even when facing something truly frightening, like a monster cobbled together from different body parts and grinning at you.

Restoring Sanity

Focus Attacks are powerful and can stun enemies, creating opportunities for more attacks. But using them costs Sanity. While Sanity refills over time, attempting to use Focus with no Sanity will damage your health. You can restore Sanity with items like Chocolate, Kudzu Tea, and Ramune. Although it might be tempting to use these items as quick fixes, it’s usually better to save them, as they offer other benefits – Kudzu Tea can heal you, and Chocolate prevents Sanity loss for a while when you use Focus.

Best Combat and Puzzle Settings

As a big fan of *Silent Hill*, I really appreciate that *Silent Hill f* lets you adjust the difficulty separately for fighting and puzzles. If the combat is getting you down, or you’re tired of worrying about healing costs, you can switch to Story mode. But if you want a real brain-teaser, you can crank up the puzzle difficulty to Hard! And if you’re the type who likes a tough fight but doesn’t want to get bogged down in puzzles, you can do that too. It’s awesome that you can really customize the game to exactly how *you* want to play.

Play With Japanese Audio

While the English voice actors are great, we recommend playing with the Japanese voiceover on your first playthrough. The lip sync is much more accurate with the Japanese audio, which really enhances the experience. Ultimately, preference is personal, but the Japanese voices add a lot to how immersed you feel in the game.

New Game+ and Unlocking Endings

New Game Plus is a significant feature in *Silent Hill f*. Many items and improvements are only available on subsequent playthroughs, and it’s required to unlock all four additional endings beyond the initial one. Essentially, if you want to experience the full story, you’ll need to play through New Game Plus – without giving away any spoilers, it’s a crucial part of the game.

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2025-09-24 14:47