Silent Hill f - Review

Silent Hill f - Review

Going full Japanese horror was the shakeup that Silent Hill needed.

Silent Hill f comes with a lot of expectations on its shoulders. The series hasn’t exactly had a consistent run of quality in recent years (outside of last year’s Silent Hill 2 remake), so a fresh mainline entry was due. Add to it that the game is set in Japan for the first time. A popular horror game franchise coming to Japan is enough to push the curiosity to another level.

After spending 17 hours with the game, I can safely say that Silent Hill f marks the return to form for the franchise. The 1960s small-town Japanese setting, the new protagonist, and the focus on folklore-infused horror combine to breathe a new life into Silent Hill.

Small Town, Big Nightmares

Instead of the usual American backdrop, Silent Hill f takes place in Ebisugaoka, a fictional Japanese countryside town in the 1960s. You step into the shoes of Hinako Shimizu, a high school student whose once-quiet hometown is swallowed by fog and twisted into a nightmare. As she explores the town, she pieces together secrets about the people around her, tackles puzzles, and fends off disturbing monsters to stay alive.

Silent Hill f marks the return to form for the franchise

The whole vibe of trauma, guilt, and flaws manifesting as disturbing monsters and twisted realities, carries the classic Silent Hill energy. Hinako has plenty of personal baggage. She is tomboyish, close to her childhood friend Shu, which strains her friendship with Rinko, who has feelings for Shu. Her distant father and the struggles of growing up in a society with rigid gender roles feed into her insecurities and loneliness. All this bleeds directly into the horror you face as you find meaningful info about the world and characters through every step by collecting notes and checking Hinako's thoughts in her journal.

At first glance, the new setting might feel far removed from the Silent Hill town in America. But it is still very much in line with the series’ DNA. Hinako moves between the foggy streets of Ebisugaoka and the Dark Shrine, an “otherworld” where twisted rituals happen and people’s inner ugliness takes terrifying shape.

A New Identity for Silent Hill

Konami brought in Ryukishi07, the writer behind Higurashi When They Cry, to pen the story. It looks like he clearly got the memo: this is pure Japanese horror, yet still recognisably Silent Hill. The game taps into folklore, shrines, rituals, and the dark corners of small-town life and Japanese society, presenting them with plenty of gruesome gore. It makes Silent Hill f a strong standalone entry and a natural evolution for the franchise.

Silent Hill now has a Japanese identity

The series has always thrived on showing human flaws and inner darkness, and Hinako’s journey through trauma and friendships-gone-sour fits right in. The story unfolds methodically through cutscenes and gameplay, with clues via notes that keep you invested in figuring out what is really happening. And there's plenty of content to see, with multiple endings to the story.

What makes this entry exciting is that Silent Hill now has a Japanese identity. All the hallmarks of J-horror are here: psychological suspense, folklore-driven supernatural elements, suffocating atmosphere, and characters haunted as much by their own disturbed minds as the horrors around them. The American lore remains untouched, but Silent Hill f introduces a whole new path for the series to follow, and there is huge potential in this direction.

The transitions between cutscenes and gameplay are seamless and undistinguishable. The level of detail in the game makes it a believable, if terrifying, setting.

What interested me most was how Ebisugaoka feels. It is creepy, foggy, and empty, but also oddly cosy. The Showa-era detail in the wooden houses, verandas, and farmlands makes the place feel lived-in and authentic. For the first time in Silent Hill, I found myself unsettled but also wanting to visit such a town.

Worth the Money?

Silent Hill f is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Pricing in India is as follows:

PC (Steam and Epic Games Store)

• Base game: ₹3,200

• Digital Deluxe Edition: ₹3,600

PlayStation 5

• Base game: ₹4,799

• Digital Deluxe Edition: ₹5,669

Xbox Series X/S

• Base game: ₹4,799

• Digital Deluxe Edition: ₹5,669

On PC, the base game sits just 14% above Valve’s suggested price, which feels fair given the quality and content on offer. The Digital Deluxe Edition adds a few cosmetic extras, which are optional. Console prices are higher as usual, but the game is still worth picking up, with replayability and some added story content even after you finish the game.

The Verdict

Silent Hill f pushes the series in a bold new direction without losing its soul. The Japanese setting gives the game a fresh identity while still feeling like Silent Hill. With a story rich in character and classic gameplay that feels familiar yet refreshed, this is the revival the series has been waiting for, and it sets the stage for Silent Hill to grow in a distinct direction.