Silent Hill f review — Flowers of flesh and blood

After decades of dormancy, the fog sets in again, this time around the rural town of Ebisugaoka, Japan. Silent Hill f is a cultural homecoming, born from Konami’s recognition that the series had become overly westernized and needed to build a stronger Japanese identity. This masterclass in psychological horror abandons the familiar Maine setting for a deeply personal tale of adolescent terror in 1960s Japan.

Silent Hill f follows Hinako Shimizu, a high school student whose quiet life becomes a nightmare when an otherworldly fog consumes her hometown. Written by Ryukishi07, the mastermind behind Higurashi, the story takes a refreshingly intimate approach to horror that feels both culturally authentic and terrifying.

What makes this narrative so compelling is how it explores the societal pressures faced by young women in 1960s Japan through a horror lens. Hinako isn't your typical horror protagonist. She's an ordinary teenager dealing with family dysfunction, academic stress, and the suffocating expectations of society. When the supernatural elements begin to bleed into her reality, they feel like grotesque manifestations of very real anxieties.

The contrast between Ebisugaoka's two realities forms the emotional core of Silent Hill f. Traditional architecture nestled against mountain slopes and narrow streets tell stories of generations past. Whereas the Otherworld transforms Hinako's hometown into a nightmarish reflection where school hallways stretch into impossible lengths and family homes become labyrinths of abuse and torment. 

The Otherworld also extends to an ethereal realm featuring endless red torii gates, beautifully lit shrines, and landscapes dotted with cherry blossoms. This Dark Shrine feels like a corrupted spiritual memory, where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur. This is also where you meet the mysterious and enigmatic Fox Mask. Kitsunes play an incredibly important theme and role in the narrative, and are a treat if you’re into Japanese folklore.

Unlike previous Silent Hill games where the Otherworld felt like a completely separate dimension, here it feels like a corrupted memory of the real Ebisugaoka. The transitions between these realities are unsettling, sometimes making you question which version of the town is real and which exists only in Hinako's fractured psyche.

The game starts as a walking simulator, slowly building tension through mundane interactions before the true horror elements take center stage. This deliberate pacing might frustrate some, but it's essential for establishing emotional investment in Hinako's journey. Ryukishi07's signature style shines through in the game's exploration of doubt, regret, and difficult choices. 

Neobards makes one of the more controversial decisions in the series' history by abandoning firearms entirely in favor of pure melee combat. Combat feels desperate in a way that gunplay simply can’t match. Hinako's arsenal consists of makeshift weapons like iron pipes, kitchen knives, and baseball bats, each with distinct reach and movesets. 

The weapon durability system is what adds real tension to survival — having to watch your trusty iron pipe crack during a fight creates the right kind of resource anxiety. Damaged weapons also visibly deteriorate, adding that extra layer of visual storytelling. However, the Dark Shrine operates under different rules than the regular world. This spiritual realm grants access to special weapons like daggers and naginata that never break, along with some interesting spiritual powers tied to the narrative that I won’t spoil here. 

The combat system centers around Focus Mode, which helps you time dodges and counterattacks. Attacks and dodges are tied to a stamina management system, much like that of a Souls game, but no, we’re not comparing apples to oranges here, although there is a perfect dodge mechanic. Perhaps the most innovative feature is the sanity system, which tracks Hinako's psychological state. When she becomes too frightened or overwhelmed, she may freeze up completely, leaving you helpless. It's a brilliant way of making you feel Hinako's vulnerability without resorting to cheap jump scares. Don’t get me wrong though, there’s still jump scares!

That being said, combat occasionally suffers from a lack of satisfying feedback when connecting with deformed mannequins or yokai-inspired abominations. Melee strikes sometimes feel like they're hitting air rather than flesh, and stronger entities barely react to successful hits. This issue becomes more noticeable during boss encounters where the lack of visual confirmation can make battles feel disconnected. When weapons do connect meaningfully, the impact feels great, but these moments are sometimes inconsistent. 

The puzzles, also crafted by Ryukishi07, go beyond traditional brain-teasers. These challenges serve as metaphors for Hinako's internal struggles rather than roadblocks. Exploring the fog-shrouded streets of Ebisugaoka and the Dark Shrine provides that classic Silent Hill sense of disorientation. When in doubt, always make sure to check your journal for clues and hints.

Progression is centered around Omamori charms and Faith tokens that can be collected throughout the village. These spiritual items provide various buffs and enhancements that help Hinako survive increasingly dangerous threats. Faith tokens can be earned by selling specific consumables at shrine locations, and can then be used to purchase charms, or health and stamina upgrades. The game offers Story and Normal difficulty settings that adjust both combat challenge and puzzle complexity.

Silent Hill f runs remarkably well on a base PS5, maintaining stable performance with only slight frame rate dips at times. Loading takes a brief 3-4 seconds, maintaining immersion throughout. The DualSense controller integration deserves special mention, as haptic feedback makes every weapon swing feel impactful, while the built-in speaker outputs static if you’re near a radio. This callback to Silent Hill 2 feels special, and I’m glad they added this small detail in.

The visual design is truly the epitome of beauty in terror. The Japanese village setting immerses you in a visual palette we've never seen in Silent Hill before. Traditional architecture, mountain landscapes, and period-appropriate details create a genuine backdrop that makes the supernatural entities feel all the more jarring. When red spider lilies begin sprouting from impossible places, the visual metaphor of death hits hard.

Character design by artist kera brings a unique aesthetic that maintains the series' signature grotesque monster design, while also infusing creatures with Japanese folklore. Hinako herself is beautifully rendered, and her subtle facial animations convey her emotional journey without relying on exposition dumps. Furthermore, environmental storytelling shines throughout, beyond just the effects of the fog. Hinako's family home tells a story of dysfunction through scattered sake bottles and family photos with faces scratched out. The local middle school and its classroom walls seem to close in, as memories of social pressure manifest as physical threats.

Akira Yamaoka's return to Silent Hill is legendary. His score for Silent Hill f embraces finding beauty in imperfection and transience. The music features compositions that evolve and decay along with the game's environments. Traditional Japanese instruments blend seamlessly with electronic beats, creating soundscapes that feel rooted in the game's setting. Kensuke Inage's contributions to the Otherworld sequences deserve equal recognition as well. 

Voice acting, particularly Konatsu Kato's performance as Hinako in the Japanese version, brings remarkable depth, and Suzie Yeung does the same for her English counterpart. They both capture the vulnerability and determination of a teenager thrust into impossible circumstances without ever making Hinako feel like a victim. The English localization, while competent, does lack some of the nuance present in the original Japanese performance.

The game never feels like it's trying too hard to scare you. The horror emerges naturally from character development, environmental design, and pacing. When the game finally reveals its sick imagery and body horror, it feels earned rather than cheap. The exploration of female adolescence through a horror lens is handled with remarkable sensitivity and insight. And with multiple endings to achieve and New Game Plus at launch, there’s plenty of lore to dive into.