Review: Silent Hill f is the horror comeback the series needed
By relocating its formula to 1960s rural Japan, Konami finally rediscovers what made the series work in the first place: discomfort, not jump scares.
This article contains affiliate links. Installing a game through one of them may earn PicGamers a commission. It stays free for you and never influences our recommendations.
Swapping the heroine, the country, and the era without touching James or Pyramid Head: on paper, Silent Hill f’s gamble looked like a risky sidestep. In motion, it’s the series’ best creative call in a long while.
A setting that does all the work
The fictional village of Ebisugaoka, in 1968 Japan, trades the usual fog for stifling heat and vegetation that seems to close in on the heroine. The horror no longer comes from creatures jumping out, it comes from a sense of social claustrophobia — the unspoken tensions of a small rural community are used with more nuance than most jump scares in the genre manage.
Combat remains the weak point
The fights, while reworked with a more readable parry system, stay the least interesting part of the game — as with most Silent Hill entries, the studio clearly prefers the player avoid combat rather than master it. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it lags behind the writing and art direction.
Verdict
The best Silent Hill since the 2 remake. The setting change isn’t a marketing gimmick, it’s a genuine, successful reinvention.
