Behind closed doors, the first five hours of Silent Hill f — appeared and unexpectedly brought an atmosphere and plot depth similar to the Silent Hill 2 remake.
After the announcement of the franchise’s sequel in the Japanese setting, which will have a much smaller emphasis on firearms, many players were skeptical. Some believed that the gameplay for the Japanese schoolgirl Shimizu Hinako would be boring and too different in atmosphere from the previous installments. However, the publications that got access to 5 hours of the story are making adjustments to this pessimism.
The action takes place in the fictional village of Ebisugaoka, which is recreated in detail with narrow streets, old houses and typical elements of the time. To do this, the developers were inspired by a real prefecture, although at first, they had to fight Mount Fuji. The game begins with a schoolgirl running away from home after a conflict with her drunken father. She goes for a walk with her friends to escape her sadness, but it quickly becomes clear that something strange is going on around her. Soon, the girl is holding an iron pipe — a classic for the series.
The teenagers were walking through the streets, which, according to IGNThe buildings look organic and alive. There are many details that complement the environment. The critic adds that the Japanese cozy atmosphere quickly begins to resemble a remake of Silent Hill 2 by Bloober Team. This opinion is shared by Games Radar. But fighting monsters is not so easy because of the counterattacks — they do a lot of damage, but require a precise reaction. If you haven’t played Sekiro, it won’t be easy.
“As you wield iron pipes and stab at enemies with knives, you will notice that the game has weapon durability. It is a nice touch that weapons that are about to break actually change in appearance, so expect to be holding a bent pipe or a broken bat. This also functions as a hint to the player, which Hinako will acknowledge by mentioning that she should fix it”, — the publication writes.
The new setting also praises the Polygonwho says that the change of setting leaves the recognizable atmosphere but introduces new characters and plot twists. At the beginning of the journey, Shimizu Hinako is not alone, as she meets her friends. But the critic added that they could be sworn enemies — and it’s not entirely clear. In the previous gameplay, there was a phrase that the main character is a traitor. But neither here nor there are these inner fears or terrible secrets fully expressed.
“Hinako, you left me alone. You a traitor”, — the monster says in the screenshot.
So it looks like she will have to survive on her own in the future. Plus, there will be an indicator of the heroine’s sanity, which affects her fighting abilities, the real and otherworldly worlds of Ebisugaoka.
“While Hinako is not an action movie superhero, like most game protagonists, she can find upgrades and new abilities over time. Silent Hill f has a progression system in which Hinako can take offerings (food, mainly) to hokora, small Shinto shrines, where she can say prayers for status enhancements — improved sanity, for example — and earn omamori that confer special boosts”, — Polygon writes.
Earlier in the leaked video, one could see the shrine, and now it is clear what it is about. The publication also shares its impressions of the puzzles: some were annoying, others were tense, like the one with the stuffed animals in the rice field. The puzzle with a rice field dotted with the corpses of the girl’s friends was also mentioned by other publications. Everyone said that although the task is not very difficult, it is nerve-wracking because wrong decisions lead to being chased.
Separately, GameSpot drew attention to a new mysterious man in a mask. This mysterious masked character with snow-white hair and the appearance of a K-pop idol seduces Hinako with gentle words. He guides her through the dark spiritual world and at the same time evokes a slight sense of threat. Most likely, this demon is not as clear-cut as it might seem at first glance.
Overall, everyone liked the graphics, story, atmosphere, and exploration of the Silent Hill f world. Although the combat system wasn’t criticized too much, it was said to be quite unusual for the games in the series and could be annoying. It has a lot of souls-like elements, such as stamina, light and heavy attacks, pairing/counterattacks, dojis, and boss timings. So far, there are no negative reviews, which is a victory in its own right.
Silent Hill f is scheduled to release on September 25, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game will be released on Steam without Denuvo. Those who purchase the Deluxe Edition will have two-day early access. The game is currently available for pre-orderstarting at ₴1,475.
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