Silent Hill f
Silent Hill f Review
Spoilers a plenty!
There are few games that would make me drop everything and
play the game on the day of release. A main line entry, Silent Hill f, after 13
years of hiatus for a new intellectual property is one such game. It took many
by surprise, and looking at the reviews, I can confidently say that it has been
one of the more divisive entries. The hype and disappointment, which school you
ascribe to, will calm down eventually and the feelings will flatten to a
consensus for the worth and place Silent Hill f will claim in video game
history. I think that place is golden, perhaps not fox golden, but certainly
possesses a dahlia tone of gold and pink. There are moments I clung to dearly
and yet there are aspects that I could not enjoy. Whether those aspects are
eventually redeemed is up to the individual player and I think they were, for
me.
Story
First and foremost, this is a Silent Hill game, a
psychological survival horror game. Not only is it called that by the company
that owns the IP, but it perfectly aligns with the core tenets of Silent Hill.
We follow the fears and traumas of a young Hinako Shimizu, a teenage girl who
is trapped in the horrors of her own Silent Hill which, in this game, is a
fictional fishing town in Japan, Ebisugaoka. The game starts out with a quarrel
between Hinako and her parents which immediately addresses the core element of
Hinako’s nightmare. Will she escape her Silent Hill or remain trapped forever?
Silent Hill f’s story is about abuse, domestic violence,
womanhood, unrelenting tradition and people who end up lost as a result of the
trauma. The various elements of the story are told in cutscenes, but most
importantly in the little documents you find scattered all over Ebisugaoka.
Every character of the story is complex: they have multiple
motives and desires, they are evil or good depending on the context. The whole
premise of the game rests on the battle of these individual personalities of
each character, of course in particular Hinako. The outcome is not determined
by your choices; however, it is told through multiple playthroughs and puzzle
solving. In every ending, the story evolves, and it feels as if they happened
all at the same time, each just as feasible and relatable as the other.
Some rant: I have seen on the internet that people say Hinako
is haunted by her own infantilism, but this is an incredibly poor description
of her troubles. It is correct that we face Hinako’s desire to stay within her
own playful joyful world, without headaches, and with partners who will fight
alongside her. Anyone who cannot relate to this desire is… someone to avoid.
Beware! As such, after years of silence, Silent Hill f opening theme is one
with children’s choir singing along a beautiful leitmotif that will repeat
throughout the game. A knot formed in my throat as I first listened to it.
What makes the story extra horrific and anxiety-inducing is
that the horrors Hinako experiences are all too real and common. Anyone saying
it’s “woke” or “oh it’s feminism” has no empathy for a little girl whose life
is our reality. This Silent Hill game perhaps feels the most real out of all of
them in the franchise. People may be desensitized and could not feel the
terror. Hence… it is not Silent Hill eh? No, to me, the tension is conveyed so
well in the story.
Overall, I thought the storytelling was excellent. The only
real gripe I would have is that the story takes very different and important
turns in the new game+ after you first beat the game. So much so that it would
be a terrible shame if you don’t get to see those scenes and appreciate every
character’s motives and connections with Hinako because they will drastically
change your opinion.
New doors that were previously locked open in NG+. I
remember, there was one classroom in the middle school that had a fantastic
atmosphere. Names appeared on the blackboard and out of eight or so names, only
one was not crossed out. You read to find out that the name that wasn’t crossed
out was Kotoyuki, the little boy that was attacked by a fox (and got possessed)
and saved by Hinako in a playground. Apparently, the Fox god would decide
everyone’s future if their names were written like that and Sakuko even warned
and begged Hinako not to play the game. Hinako’s future says: “Disappeared” so
her future is ambiguous (the rest of the futures are abysmal; heart attack,
cancer etc). The sounds in that classroom, the changing lights and creepy notes
all made me quite uneasy.
One issue I had with character development was that side
characters’ involvement and place in Hinako’s world didn’t make sense at first.
I was confused by Sakuko’s dilemma, for example, until the letters with the
erratic notes… The problem with this approach is that if the player doesn’t
collect those, say they don’t look at every corner of the school, then one
could easily ask why Sakuko’s arc held such a big part in Hinako’s world. Same
goes for Shu. Rinko is the only one that was presented as a concrete “true
villain” and left the impression on the player that Rinko was a total b***h to
Hinako. I will always remember her pushing Hinako down the stairs for example
(if she pushed her! I’d say there is reasonable doubt xD). Sakuko or even Shu?
Not as memorable. After you experience the story in NG+ though, Shu gains more
heft in his character and you realize his true place in Hinako’s life. All of
this could have been incorporated in the first playthrough more, perhaps not
all of it, but I wish the player got the chance to see these characters for who
they are.
All this NG+ aspect would be ok only if the gameplay were
perfect and you would be willing to play the entire game again and again
easily. Well…
Gameplay
Gameplay is where many people had issues, myself included.
Hinako is 14-16 years of age and wields a steel pipe among other weapons to
fight various monsters. Melee is the only way to fight. Silent Hill f
introduces some action elements, including health, stamina, sanity and focus
bars. Each can be upgraded and bettered by spending prayer items (Ema) you find
in random locations and “Faith” which increases as you make offerings to the
gods at tiny shrines (Hokora). Hinako’s abilities can also be augmented by
omamoris, a Buddhist and Shinto fusion amulet that became popular in 17th
century Japan! Some have likened the gameplay to Souls-like, as melee attacks,
dodges, and parries that consume stamina and focus that consumes sanity remind
people of those games. I agree that there is some resemblance, but I have
concluded that it is not Souls-like. Not every game with a dodge-stamina system
and lock-ons can be called Souls-like. It is a monopoly that is imposed by how
popular Souls-like games are and it is a disservice to the Silent Hill series
to brand it Souls-like.
The gameplay is definitely not this game’s forte (Silent
Hill has never been one for combat). The melee attacks feel clunky and
extremely slow, especially if you wield an axe. It makes sense in real life: a
14-year-old swinging an axe all the time would be exhausted, but given how
agile the monsters are in contrast, things become ugly. Tight spots and narrow
corners make it infinitely worse as you may be stuck if your stamina is low. Some
commonplace enemies are built like a tank, and they get stronger later in the
game! This is all true in the Story difficulty which could be very difficult!
So definitely recommended in the first playthrough at least. In fact, in other
playthroughs as well, to appreciate the story better and not get frustrated at
every enemy encounter. At least the NG+ has the Fox arm in the Shrine world
which makes things a bit easier.
Lastly, some puzzles were repetitive and not engaging. Silent
Hill 1 takes the cake here, then 3, then 2 I think. F could have done more here.
Graphics
It is somewhat a mixed bag here and probably the worst
aspect of the game (could tie with Gameplay). There are both excellent moment
and some problems. First thing that hit me was that the facial expressions are
not as premium as they were in Silent Hill 2 Remake. The fear and complex
emotions in James’s eyes are absent here. This is both technically and
conceptually true: SH2 Remake has better visuals and Hinako is emotionless when
you would expect her to rage and that has to do with the story. Regardless, I
would say the facial tracking could have been improved.
Monster design is superb. The dog-like panting licker, the
girl mannequins, the many childbearing pregnant woman, the Fog monster, the
boss fights all have meaning and look stunning. The artwork is also very
pretty: the mural where the foxes fake a wedding and carry a trapped black and
a white bird, the statues, the Japanese gardens in the Fox Shrine world, the
dull connecting bridges and farms of Ebisugaoka are all part of the great
immersion in Hinako’s world. The cheap jump scares are scarce but the creeping
red vines and thorns were enough to make my skin crawl.
There are technical issues, however. I played it on PC:
traversal stutters and major glitches would happen all the time. At one point
it was so unbearable that I had to quit. Thankfully there are some mods and
fixes that help a little (see this X post).
Honestly, it is quite unacceptable at this price but I understand the Unreal
Engine 5 that the game uses is notorious. Some anti-aliasing may also cause
significant ghosting where Hinako may as well be two Hinakos at times so you
may have to tweak settings.
Sound
Music and sound design are by far the best thing about this
game. My ratings are at the top and review at the end. Akira Yamaoka returns as
the veteran composer for the game, and he and other composers have done wonders
here. Shouts out to xaki, dai, Kensuke Inage and Kakeru Takeda. A small digital
soundtrack has been released with the deluxe edition of the game and a full
soundtrack will be released in December 2025. So hyped!! The soundtrack is
excellent and I will leave the full review below. The sound design is also a
highlight of the game. I genuinely was freaking out when I heard the creeping
steps of the scarecrows coming toward you when you were not looking at them. From
windchimes in abandoned homes to the wooden ema sounds in the menu system to
the screeches of the mannequins, the sounds were prepared with care and love.
By the way, if you skip NG+, you will also skip additional
lovely music. For example, when Hinako finds Shu’s letter at their secret shed
(do NOT take any red capsules to see the scene), there is a lovely guitar track
that is again a Yamaoka peak. Some additional music at the school could be
heard in the NG+ as well: there was a sweet piano piece played by a student
practicing and then a sudden bam with the drum!!! What had happened I wonder.
Japanese voice acting is really good. Do not touch the
English version, sorry but I wasn’t feeling it and if you look online, many
people would agree with me. Hinako’s cries, Rinko’s jealousy, Shu’s guilty and
yet satisfied manner were all conveyed well in the Japanese version.
Conclusion
Issues aside, I would give this game a solid 8-9/10. If the
combat weren’t as clunky and prominent, a sentiment many seem to share, and bar
the graphical hurdles, the game manages to be a fantastic psychological horror
Silent Hill game.
As I said about Silent Hill 2 Soundtrack, Silent Hill f is
not for everyone. It is for the student of deep sad moments, and I don’t say that
with any virtue signaling in a patronizing way. The game is first and foremost
a psychological horror so it’s really not everyone’s go to genre. As you
control a 14 year old girl, many “gamers” out there may not feel engaged and be
drawn to her story. That is, until they visit their own Silent Hill one day. =evil
smile=
… ok that sounds too creepy and holier than thou, but it is
essentially correct. You may also complain about the price tag, which is
perfectly legitimate, along with all the problems with the game. I still think
there is a lot to be found here that people can love and be excited about for
what comes next in the franchise.
Soundtrack Review
Composers: Akira Yamaoka, xaki, dai, Kensuke Inage and Kakeru Takeda
https://vgmdb.net/album/153293
So brilliant has been the work of Akira Yamaoka in the past
20+ years that he has been asked to return to Silent Hill once more. There was
a digital soundtrack of 15 tracks released with the game on launch day. A music
forte awaits.
The OST is full of traditional Japanese flavors and a
beautiful leitmotif that I will call Hinako’s theme. It begins with Dizziness
Drawn to a Faint Flame. The track name is beautiful to begin with (most of
Yamaoka’s work has awesome track names). Female chanting feels like whispers in
the night accompanied by slow drums that signal an inevitable unfortunate
event. A xylophone, the koto (a Japanese strings instrument – I think it’s koto
at least) and shakuhachi (Japanese flute I think) introduce us to Hinako’s
theme, followed by mysterious piano. It is four minutes of atmospheric and
melodic horror at its best. A slightly different version with more beats is A
Murmur from Dim Lips. If you actually take the time to delve deep into it,
the track becomes… so immersive and creepy. Try it, don’t skip a second and you
are transformed into a sacrifice at a ritual.
Wandering in the Sorrow of Days Gone By – Mayoi Uta
is our intro to Ebisugaoka. It starts with calm flute and koto. This was the
Wandering in the Sorrow bit. Then comes in Mayoi Uta. This is Hinako’s theme
with children’s choir, guitar and a bit of mandolin of Silent Hill theme. Mayoi
Uta means Song of Lostness. Talk about appropriate. The lyrics (translated) are
particularly punchy:
“To be brought to
this world, born in shackles she must be,
The commandments of
the olden days are harder than stone,
Seized by hands at
youth, firmly clasped the girl’s hands are,
Shrouded by the
caliginous night, what path is for her to take?
When you reached out
to me, that beautiful hand of yours,
How it tampered with
my heart, affection held long and dear,
My goodness, how
tragic. Guilty, yet satisfied.”
Perhaps written by the Fox Mask? The woman in the middle
says:
Spring has yet to embrace me, wherever could it be found?
Promises of he and I the vows of days past
All will disappear, lost forever to the void, the pitch-black darkness
Witnessed my eyes hath, the ties of man and woman, as but frivolous
Yet here I now agonize, as such hath befallen me.”
The children’s choir continues:
How it tampered with my heart, affections held long and dear.
What maketh one a woman, to be tainted or of sin>?
From the womb the red does seep, for whom such a color flows?
My goodness, how tragic. But, alas, guilty, yet, satisfied.”
I think the theme of the lyrics is pretty clear. The song is
incredibly addictive, I find my feet tapping at the beats and my head spinning
at the first guitar chord (at precisely 0:37!). Another bittersweet
masterpiece, lovely leitmotif with the full Japanese flavor. Perfect.
We see composers other than Yamaoka here and with a warm
welcome too! Xaki’s TSUKIYONOINERIME (moonlit rice remix?) is wailing Japanese
women’s choir with male chanting at the end. Another ritualistic song that has
a strong addictive melody. Dai’s Shichibi no Tasogare is a definitely stand out
from the rest of the OST, it is the most hopeful and sweet track with a girlish
vocal and lovely strings+piano. It does not have Hinako’s theme: it’s as if
it’s an entirely new Hinako *wink. Kensuke Inage’s Hougejaku returns to the
haunting Hinako’s theme with bombastic strings and Fox shrine’s siren scattered
throughout. The whole track is a story with multiple sections, masterfully
written and arranged. Another masterpiece of an ending.
The Bird’s Lament is another musical feast, composed by
Kakeru Takeda. The children’s choir returns but this time with a happier tone
that is still a bit sad. It is all the more special with the bird chirping at
the end. It reminds me of the Ema with the bird, so cute. I recommend
headphones to dissect out the different sounds in this track.
The OST ends with the UFO ending track, Native f, by
Yamaoka. The catchiest track of the OST, hands down. Your entire body will
jiggle and waggle while you are chanting “Silent Hill” in the background, such
a 70s-80s vibe.
I can’t wait for more in December, especially the sombre
piano-only Hinako’s themes and possibly more surprises! All the music here is
done with love, and I feel it. Keep it up, team Silent Hill!
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