After years of agonizing silence, the Silent Hill series made a triumphant return last year. Bloober Team’s remake of the second game was an unforgettable experience for both veteran fans and newbies dropping into the fog for the first time. Because of that, when Silent Hill f was announced, many of us expected Konami to keep the hype train rolling and restore the series to its glory days. However, after finishing the latest entry in this Silent Hill f review, I can confidently say that some poor decisions have made this game a step backward for the franchise.
Table of contents
A Combat System That Fumbles the Fear
The moment you first swing a metal pipe at one of the horrifying creatures in Silent Hill f, you’ll realize its combat system is unlike anything in the series’ past. With perfectly-timed dodges, counter-attacks that demand Sekiro-level reflexes, and battles built around stamina management, the mechanics sound more like a soulslike than a Silent Hill game. But this is exactly the system developer Neobards designed, and on paper, there’s nothing wrong with that.
In fact, the idea of putting the main character, Hinako, in a position of weakness is a positive trait for a horror game like Silent Hill f. After all, she’s a young girl trapped in a terrifying world; no one expects her to fight like Dante or even handle a firearm. The problem is, the game struggles with fundamental design flaws in its combat.
For example, you can lock onto enemies, but if you try to dodge, the long dash distance often messes up the camera, causing you to completely lose sight of both Hinako and the enemy. This gets exponentially worse and incredibly frustrating when you’re facing more than one foe. Furthermore, because of her physical weakness, Hinako struggles with melee weapons, especially heavier ones like axes. This means your timing has to be perfect. But even when you calculate everything, if you’re fighting in a tight space, your attacks will often hit walls and objects, giving enemies a free shot to deal massive damage.
Related article: Silent Hill f Review: Unearthing Fear and Beauty in the Franchise’s Bold Rebirth
Issues like these turn Silent Hill f into a game where you’ll die a lot or constantly be chugging health items. Not because the game is challenging or because you lack skill, but because the combat mechanics are clunky, rigid, and broken. This creates an illogical and annoying limitation that, for me, seriously damaged the overall experience. I was constantly frustrated, both in boss fights and against regular enemies, because I simply couldn’t execute what I had in mind. On the bright side, the focus system in combat is well-designed, and Hinako can acquire different Omamori (charms) that grant new abilities, adding a bit of depth.
A Story with Wasted Potential
You might be wondering why I jumped straight into the game’s biggest weakness without setting up the story in this Silent Hill f review. To be honest, my feelings about the new Silent Hill are like seeing a game in your favorite genre with massive potential, held back by bizarre design choices. I usually replay Silent Hill games multiple times for different endings, but with Silent Hill f, I have very little desire to go back for more, at least for now.
But this doesn’t mean Silent Hill f is a bad game; on the contrary, it has its merits, and the story is one of them, despite its own flaws. The narrative takes us to a small village in 1960s Japan, starring a young girl named Hinako. She rejects the routine life of her peers and doesn’t see happiness in an early marriage like her sister. As a result, she’s bullied not only by her family but by her own generation. Though the game is set in the past, its theme is something many modern societies still grapple with, making the story of Silent Hill f even more valuable.
However, despite its valuable narrative core, my main complaint is the incredibly slow pacing. For the first few hours, almost nothing significant happens. We just see Hinako argue with her parents, meet her friends, and then watch as a creature called the “Fog Monster” turns her village into a living nightmare. The game constantly switches between two different worlds, and mysterious characters like the fox-masked man in the temple are the only intriguing story elements in the first half. Once you reach a specific point in the story, you start to understand what’s happening, but from there, it becomes easy to predict the ending.
Even with these narrative issues and the lack of shocking, classic Silent Hill plot twists, the overall story is still a worthwhile experience. It uses its characters and symbolic events effectively to tackle important themes head-on. On your first playthrough, you’ll get one specific ending which, despite being predictable, is well-executed. To see the other, more meaningful endings, you’ll have to dive into New Game Plus.
The Saving Graces: Puzzles and Atmosphere
When you’re not wrestling with the combat system, you’ll either be exploring the environment or solving puzzles. Interestingly, Silent Hill f excels in these areas. The puzzle design is clever and, especially on higher difficulties, presents a satisfying challenge. Exploration is paired with fantastic world-building, and that signature psychological horror feel of the Silent Hill series is effectively delivered. However, the horror is a bit tamer compared to the Silent Hill 2 Remake. The game’s themes aren’t quite as mentally taxing, and the sound design isn’t so masterfully terrifying that it forces you to take off your headphones for a break.
A Visual Treat with an Audio Catch
Built on Unreal Engine, Silent Hill f is visually stunning, though it doesn’t seem too demanding, at least on the PC version. The foggy environments of Hinako’s village are beautifully designed, and this quality extends to the temple interiors, character models, and animations. The music is also solid, but I highly recommend playing with Japanese audio. The English dub is not only lower quality, but the poor lip-syncing is often jarring and pulls you out of the experience.
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Conclusion of Silent Hill f review
As mentioned at the beginning of this Silent Hill f review, Silent Hill f feels like a step backward compared to the last masterpiece we got from the series. But we have to remember it’s being compared to one of the greatest horror games of all time. This point in Silent Hill f review doesn’t mean Silent Hill f is a weak or worthless game. Its decent story, valuable psychological horror, and great puzzle/world design create a noteworthy horror experience that’s worth playing at least once. However, its significant weaknesses in gameplay, especially the combat system, prevent it from reaching its full potential and becoming more than just a “good” game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
No, the combat is the game’s biggest weakness. While ambitious, it’s described as clunky, rigid, and frustrating due to poor camera controls, hit detection issues, and unresponsive mechanics.
Yes, for the most part. The story has a powerful theme about rejecting tradition, but it suffers from very slow pacing in the first half and becomes predictable later on. It’s still considered a strong point of the game.
If you are a die-hard fan of the series or the horror genre, it’s worth playing once for its atmosphere, story themes, and excellent puzzles. However, you should be prepared for a frustrating combat experience.
The game is built on Unreal Engine and is praised for its stunning visuals and well-designed environments.
