Silent Hill F

$Silent Hill F - PC, PS5 and Xbox X\S Horror Game Review$

In our previous articles, we covered all pre-release information about Silent Hill F, analyzed interesting details in the trailers, and gathered info about the developers. If you missed everything, here's the link:

>> All About Silent Hill F <<

And today, we'll have a detailed review of the game. Here, we'll discuss all the good points and flaws of the new long-awaited Silent Hill.

Two Very Different Worlds

Silent Hill F is divided into several episodes that take place in two different realities—the "fog world" and the "alternate world". The game will constantly throw you back and forth between these two realities.

A similar idea with two worlds was present in previous Silent Hill games, but in SHF it's implemented in another manner. Here, these two realities are very different in setting, style, and atmosphere. At times, they almost feel like two different games. So I'll talk about them separately.

Fog World

The episodes in the "Fog World" have very similar vibes to Forbidden Siren. This is because the director of Silent Hill F (Al Yang) is a huge fan of Siren. And he clearly tried to replicate its visual style and atmosphere in his new game.

We wander through the small Japanese town of Ebisugaoka (which looks almost exactly like Hanuda Village from Siren), fighting monsters, occasionally escaping from unkillable pursuers, searching for useful items, and solving puzzles.

The town looks beautiful. We can explore it, admiring the views of the old wooden houses and enjoying the eerie, mysterious atmosphere. However, Ebisugaoka is quite a small town compared to Silent Hill (it's more like a village), and some areas are too linear in terms of level-design structure.

Besides the town itself, we'll also be able to explore vast rice fields, a forest on the outskirts of the town, an old wooden school, and a large Japanese house (basically, almost the same selection of locations as in Siren 1).

I really enjoyed all the scenes in the fog world; they were interesting and atmospheric. And I think that the "foggy episodes" can rightfully be called the best parts of the game.

But it's worth noting that they feel more like a "high-budget Siren fan game" than a "new Silent Hill". And if these episodes were released as a separate game under the title "Forbidden Siren F", most gamers probably wouldn't even guess that this was actually Silent Hill.

Alternate World

The "alternate world" in SHF is very different from what we're used to seeing in the previous Silent Hill games. There are no rusty bars, mutilated corpses, or any other infernal stuff here. Instead, the alternate world now resembles a large and beautiful Japanese temple.

But in terms of gameplay and style, the episodes in this "alternate world" undergo a very strange transformation, changing almost beyond recognition.

At first, these episodes are strongly reminiscent of Fatal Frame, with slow atmospheric wanderings through gloomy locations in an ancient Japanese setting.

Then the action elements of the game intensify, and these scenes begin to resemble Kuon. And our heroine suddenly begins to bravely hack up enemies with a huge naginata halberd, like a medieval warrior.

But the action doesn't stop there. Towards the end of the game, the "alternate world" segments transform into a pure slasher/beat'em up game similar to Devil May Cry and SplatterHouse 2010. Oh, and on top of that we have to play as a Magical Furry Foxgirl, who just tears the demons apart with her powerful claws. I guess, not every Silent Hill fan will like such a bizarre transformation of the game.

The situation is further aggravated by the fact that in the alternate world, the game often overemphasizes action—but the combat here is poorly executed and repetitive. This makes some sequences quite tedious and weakens the atmosphere.

As a result, the "alternate world" episodes are a mixed bag. The early episodes are more or less okay, but the later ones are disappointing and feel out of place in a Silent Hill game. I call these episodes "Furry May Cry".

Gameplay

The game's weak point is its gameplay. Exploration is done well (but not perfectly), but the combat is janky and tedious. Let's examine the main gameplay flaws:

1) There are not many enemy types in the game, and the developers use the same monsters too often. About 70% of battles boil down to repeatedly beating up the same "women-dolls" (basically, this is the same problem as in the recent Silent Hill 2 Remake).

2) There are also very few weapon types in SHF, and for most of the time we have to fight with just a steel pipe. Furthermore, the developers decided to completely remove all firearms from the game (even though long-range weapons could have brought some variety to the combat).

3) The most effective tactic against each enemy is "approach - stun the monster with a strong hit - then quickly finish it off with a combo". And we're forced to repeat this pattern over and over again with every enemy. This makes the battles too repetitive.

4) Sometimes during combat, hit detection glitches and our attacks on enemies just don't connect. Running also often fails, and you get killed simply because the heroine suddenly decided to walk slowly instead of running.

5) The developers promised to implement an interesting idea with "Sanity" in SHF. But in the end, they failed to implement this concept in a meaningful way. And just turned the "Sanity Meter" into a standard RPG-style magical points meter for performing super attacks.

6) The game has a strict inventory space limit, similar to the early Resident Evil games. You can only carry 8 items. And there are no special boxes to store your extra items. This limitation is very annoying and hinders the gameplay.

7) While exploring rooms, our heroine rarely comments on any objects. Exploring locations could have been more interesting if Hinako had been more talkative (like Heather in Silent Hill 3, for example).

8) Half of the game's locations are too linear, similar to Shadows of the Damned and The Last of Us. However, there are also locations with a more interesting structure, like in the early Silent Hill games.

9) The town is rather small, and there are almost no optional houses to get into. In terms of the town's size and the number of optional locations, the game is inferior to Silent Hill 1 (even though it was released 25 years ago on 32-bit hardware).

10) For some reason, the game only allows 10 saves. It's unclear why such a strange limitation is necessary. Even in the ancient times of memory cards, the early SH games allowed us to make much more save files.

After reading all this, you might get the impression that the gameplay in SHF is absolutely terrible and completely worthless. But actually it's not all that bad. The game does have some positive aspects that partially save the gameplay:

1) Exploration of locations is generally done quite well. Notes and healing items are scattered everywhere, and there are lots of little nooks and crannies with hidden items. Walking through beautiful, atmospheric places and collecting all sorts of goodies can be enjoyable, like picking mushrooms in the forest.

2) The game always maintains a good pace. There are no situations like in SH2 Remake, which forced us to spend 4-5 hours wandering through a single huge building, suffering from boredom. Each location in SHF can be completed in 1-2 hours. This is a reasonable approach.

3) The boss battles are quite cool, almost like in SlitterHead. In these scenes, the combat suddenly becomes surprisingly good. I especially liked the final bosses – the fights with them are exciting and well-balanced.

4) The segments where you run away from the "fog monster" are also done very well. They're made in a similar manner as the escape scenes from Shattered Memories and Silent Hill Downpour. Although there aren't many of such scenes in SHF.

Puzzles

The puzzles in Silent Hill F leave a mixed impression. They're creative in their symbolism and metaphors, but solving them is quite a nuisance.

Even on the lowest difficulty level, it's sometimes very difficult to understand the logic of the developers and their vague hints. So with some puzzles you'll have to rely on a trial and error approach and just try out random combinations.

And if you are unlucky enough to choose "Hard" or "Lost in the Fog" difficulty settings, many puzzles will become completely unsolvable without consulting a walkthrough guide.

But for me personally, the symbolism of Silent Hill games' puzzles has always been more important than their gameplay value. So, overall, I liked the puzzles in SHF even though they were annoying in terms of gameplay.

Scenario Impressions

Silent Hill F's greatest strength is its plot. It's not perfect, but it's definitely the most interesting story that I've seen in SH games in the last 20 years.

I'll briefly review the positive aspects of the scenario (without spoilers):

1) The game has a strong sense of intrigue, and the plot sometimes really manages to surprise with unexpected twists. Therefore, it's quite interesting to watch how events unfold.

2) A lot of attention is paid to the lore and mythology of the town of Ebisugaoka. And all of this is closely tied to traditional Japanese religious beliefs.

3) The authors did a good job of capturing the dreamlike surrealist style, where events of the story gradually start to resemble a weird dream.

4) In SHF, you can find a huge number of different notes and memos with plot-related information. On the first playthrough, you can collect over 100 notes, and on repeat runs, you can unlock over 80 more files.

5) The game has an interesting feature of gradually revealing plot secrets over multiple playthroughs. You need to play the game at least three times to fully understand the story.

6) Besides notes, the game also features an idea with the "protagonist's diary", similar to Kara no Shoujo. This diary is used as an additional storytelling tool, and I enjoyed reading it.

7) It's nice that the creators of SHF never try to intrude into Team Silent's stories from the previous games and retroactively rewrite them (as the developers of Origins and Homecoming did). I was worried that they might throw at us some cringeworthy revelations like "Hinako is Alessa's real mother!!" or something like that. But fortunately this did not happen.

8) The story overall is quite poetic, and there's a lot of symbolism. Although there are some moments when it feels like the creators are sacrificing plot logic for symbolism.

9) The game explores the theme of women's social issues in 1960s Japan in an interesting way. It's an unusual idea for a psychological horror game, and it fits well with the setting.

10) Scenario writer Ryukishi07 did a good job of conveying the sense of mutual mistrust between the characters. You can't help but expect some kind of stab in the back from any character in SHF.

11) In addition to subtle references to classic Silent Hill titles, the story also combines plot elements from such games as Forbidden Siren, Fatal Frame 2, Rule of Rose, Higurashi, Iwaihime, and Gensou Rougoku no Kaleidoscope. So fans of Japanese retro horror and Ryukishi's works will get plenty of pleasant nostalgic flashbacks during the game.

So, overall, I really liked the story of Silent Hill F. However, it's worth noting a few shortcomings:

1) Only one ending is available on the first playthrough. And the game doesn't allow us to make any "moral choices" that could affect the development of events (although such choices would have been a good addition here).

2) The cast of characters is fairly generic. Most of them are just "ordinary Japanese schoolgirls and schoolboys". This is a standard approach for Ryukishi07's visual novels, but Silent Hill and Siren games always featured more diverse character types.

3) The plot focuses too much on the petty little grudges between the schoolgirls. This idea probably came from Ryukishi's game "Gensou Rougoku no Kaleidoscope". It felt quite natural there, but such emphasis on teenage squabbles feels a bit cringey in Silent Hill.

4) At times, the main character behaves too strangely and does downright bizarre things. This can undermine players' empathy for her, especially on the first playthrough (when we don't yet understand the symbolic meaning of her actions).

5) Some plot twists go against the mechanism of how various supernatural stuff functioned in the classic SH games. And some things are explained quite differently. Therefore, one could say the game is not exactly canon. But I don't see this as a huge problem. A new story with a new worldview is not a bad thing if this story itself is interesting.

Graphics and Design

The main problem with the graphics in Silent Hill F is that half of the locations look great, and the other half look significantly worse. But overall, graphics are very good by the standards of horror games.

The town and forest are particularly stunning. These locations look beautiful and realistic; it's a joy to explore them. And they perfectly convey the feeling of wandering alone in the Japanese countryside.

I also loved the original design idea with the mysterious "red flowers" that gradually overgrow the entire town. They resemble pools of blood and add a touch of creepiness to the game's visual style.

It's especially impressive when, towards the end of the game, all the houses in the town become covered in guts and chunks of flesh. It's reminiscent of the background designs from the visual novel "Saya no Uta". But in SHF, you can actually walk through these insane landscapes.

However, the interior locations inside buildings aren't particularly impressive. Most of them look cheap for an AAA title. The rooms are filled with generic 3D objects, which are made rather sloppily. It feels like these locations were designed by completely different people (than the town and the forest).

I can't say that the interiors look downright bad, but they're clearly not the level you'd expect from a top-tier horror game with high system requirements in 2025. Even in Silent Hill Downpour, interior locations looked better (even though Downpour was released almost 15 years ago).

It's also disappointing that the developers of SHF decided to ditch the classic idea with the pocket flashlight. Instead, the game lets us use an antique Japanese lamp for about an hour. But it doesn't produce such beautiful visual effects. And even this lamp is quickly taken away from us for no real reason.

Silent Hill F Gameplay - Fight with the Doll Woman Monsters

Monster Designs

SHF doesn't have many enemy varieties, but the designs are quite bold. Japanese artist Kera worked on the monsters for the game, and she decided to create designs that were as sexy and risque as possible, pushing the boundaries of what was allowed in a mainstream video games.

The monsters include naked doll-like women with cut-up bodies; schoolgirl mannequins in torn skirts without panties; naked men crawling on all fours (symbolizing rapists); and even a giant creature with 20 female breasts, which constantly gives birth to "children" right before our eyes. It's amazing that the creators managed to release the game uncensored with such designs.

And especially for Silent Hill 2 fans, the developers have recreated the idea of a powerful, unkillable monster carrying a giant knife. But this isn't just a Pyramid Head clone—it's a new creature with a different design and symbolism.

Also among the designs, you can see a bit of fan service for fans of Fatal Frame and Siren. Two bosses in the game are very similar to the ghosts from Fatal Frame 2, and another boss resembles a Shibito woman.

It's also worth noting that SHF has excellent choreography for some of the creatures. For example, the "doll women" and "schoolgirl mannequins" move very strangely, twisting their bodies as they walk. It's hard to describe, but it looks quite creepy.

Music and Songs

The music for the "fog world" in Silent Hill F was composed by Akira Yamaoka, while the "alternate world" was composed by Kensuke Inage.

Let's start with the second composer—he disappointed me. There's almost no music in the alternate world segments. There are some ambient sounds, but they are almost unnoticeable during gameplay and they mostly fail to create a frightening atmosphere.

Although, I can't say that Kensuke Inage hasn't written any good music for the game. He made an excellent track called "Hougejaku" which plays during the credits in one of the endings.

Silent Hill F - screenshot from the game

The sound design in the "fog world" is much better. Yamaoka's eerie ambient helps to create a mysterious and creepy atmosphere, and his electronic-noise battle tracks are quite intense. I also loved the beautiful and melancholic guitar music that sometimes plays during cutscenes.

But even in the "fog world", there's a feeling like the game is lacking music tracks. In some locations, we can spend an entire hour walking to the sound of nothing but the howling wind—and it's likely there simply wasn't enough music for these segments.

This lack of music seems odd, given that the recent SlitterHead (which Akira Yamaoka also worked on) featured several hundred tracks. Apparently, the composer wasn't quite as enthusiastic to write so many tracks for SHF.

But still, Yamaoka did a great job and single-handedly saved the entire Silent Hill F soundtrack (while the second composer did almost nothing).

The game also has three different songs:

1) The main track, "Mayoi Uta", features a children's choir. You're unlikely to want to listen to this song on its own, but it's quite conceptual and fits beautifully into the opening cinematic.

2) There's also a second children's choir track called "The Bird's Lament", which plays at the very end. I liked it more, and it also works perfectly as a credits track, leaving a pleasant aftertaste from the game.

3) In one of the alternate endings, you can also hear the song "Tsukiyo no Inerime" with Buddhist chants, composed by Xaki (a friend of Ryukishi07). It's quite cool, but stylistically it doesn't exactly fit Silent Hill. I guess this song would be more fitting to such games as Kuon no Kizuna or Nijuuei.

Voice Acting

Silent Hill F has two voiceovers to choose from: Japanese and English. They are available in all versions of the game (so you can buy the English version and play it with Japanese voices, or vice versa).

Both voiceovers are done quite well. However, the Japanese voiceover feels more natural and better matches the characters' facial expressions. Therefore, I recommend choosing it on your first playthrough.

And on the second playthrough, you can choose English voices. You'll probably want to compare how the characters sound in both versions.

By the way, it's quite interesting that the main character Hinako is voiced in the English version by Suzie Yeung—the same actress who played Julee in SlitterHead. Apparently, someone on the SHF development team really liked Julee.

Silent Hill F - Furry Hinako in the Shrine World

Replayability, Bonuses, and Endings

A single playthrough takes an average of 15-20 hours, depending on how thoroughly you explore the locations. This is a perfectly reasonable length—the game isn't short, but it's not too long either.

However, there's a major catch: if you want to understand the plot, you need to play the game from start to finish THREE TIMES. And until you get the "true ending" (which only unlocks on the third playthrough), you haven't fully finished the game. Here's how it all works:

1) On your first playthrough, only one ending and about 100 story-related notes are available. The ending is quite memorable and leaves a strong impression, but most of the plot mysteries remain unanswered.

2) If you replay the game a second time, many new scenes and about 70 additional notes are added. Three new endings are also unlocked: "Fox Wedding", "Fox Wets its Tail", and a bonus "UFO Ending" (which, by the way, is quite cleverly written into the story).

3) Finally, on the third playthrough, a few more scenes appear near the end, about 10 notes are unlocked, and the true ending ("Ebisugaoka in Silence") becomes available.

Silent Hill F - Main Heroine Hinako Shimizu with Pink Rabbit Costume

The idea is interesting, but it makes the game a huge time sink. The total play time stretches to 40-50 hours. That's an absolutely ridiculous amount of time for a horror game. It's clear the developers wanted to somehow increase replayability and length, but forcing players to play through the game for a third time in a row was clearly a mistake.

I found replaying the game a second time quite fun, but the third run was boring and felt almost like torture (especially considering the gameplay in SHF isn't particularly great). Therefore, I think the developers should have made the "true ending" available on the second playthrough rather than tormenting the players needlessly.

It's also a bit of a shame that the game has almost no bonus weapons or costumes. Replaying the game with them would have been more interesting, but apparently the developers didn't have enough time for that. Ultimately, we only have one bonus weapon (a laser sword) and the cringey "pink bunny" DLC costume (which must be purchased for money).

However, it's really nice that the developers paid a lot of attention to the endings in SHF. Endings here feature much more additional content than in any other Silent Hill game. Each ending reveals new secrets about the plot and characters, and many exclusive scenes appear in the final episodes of the game depending on which ending you are going for.

And another cool feature is that in each ending (except UFO), we must fight different final bosses. So, you can meet four alternative final bosses in the game. All four final battles are quite exciting, so you'll definitely want to try them all.

Silent Hill F - Ebisugaoka Town Screenshot

Pros and Cons of the Game

Pros:

+ Interesting story.
+ Lots of notes and diaries.
+ Mysterious and eerie atmosphere.
+ Nice graphics.
+ The town looks beautiful.
+ Original design idea with the "red flowers".
+ The setting of 1960s Japan is conveyed well.
+ Bold and creepy monster designs.
+ Cool boss fights.
+ SHSM-style escape scenes.
+ Symbolic puzzles.
+ Good soundtrack.
+ High-quality voice acting.
+ Length around 20 hours.
+ High replayability.
+ Memorable endings.
+ Strong Forbidden Siren vibes in the "fog world".

Cons:

- Few enemy and weapon types.
- Combat is poorly executed.
- Inventory limitations are annoying.
- A generic cast of characters.
- Later episodes in the alt-world are disappointing.
- Some locations are too linear.
- The game only allows 10 save files.
- Only one ending is available on the first playthrough.
- You have to spend too much time to get the True Ending.
- It's hard to perceive the game as a Silent Hill, especially in the "alternate world".

The Verdict

Fans have been waiting for a new SH game for many years, but actually "F" has little connection to Silent Hill. It feels more like a high-budget fangame that takes inspiration from various Japanese retro horror titles. And combines many elements from such games as Forbidden Siren, Fatal Frame, Higurashi, Devil May Cry, and Kuon.

The game is a bit rough around the edges and can be downright weird sometimes. But overall, it leaves a strong impression and becomes a memorable experience. If you love old-school Japanese horror, you'll definitely like SHF. And as a free bonus, the game will also teach you how to become a real furry. Isn't that what you've always wanted?