Silent Hill f | REVIEW | PC/STEAM

''ITS ALWAYS CREEPY IN THE DARK''

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Developed: NeoBards

Published: Konami

Genre: Horror

Release Date: Sept 24th, 2025

Platforms: PC/PS5/Xbox Family

*GAME PROVIDED TO ME BY KONAMI/GAMESPLANET

GET BOTH Standard and Deluxe versions on PC now with GAMESPLANET for STEAM

Standard: https://us.gamesplanet.com/game/silent-hill-f-steam-key--7540-1

Deluxe: https://us.gamesplanet.com/game/silent-hill-f-digital-deluxe-steam-key--7540-2

Silent Hill f is the latest entry into the spooky Silent Hill franchise and it is developed by NeoBards and published by Konami. With Silent Hill 2 Remake sort of setting the bar how scary Silent Hill can still be, Konami now decides to take the franchise out of the city and sets it in Japan for a fresh look and feel. But was this the right direction to go in? or should they have taken the approach if its not broke, don't try to fix it?. Only one way to find out, so lets get spooky!

''GO TOUCH GRASS, WAIT NEVERMIND''

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GAMEPLAY:

Now I'm going to say it before anyone else brings it up that yes on paper this does seem like its going to the Fatal Frame route with a horror game based in Japan, however, I can assure you, while it may share a similar setting as Fatal Frame goes do as in location, it is anything but a carbon copy or a ''I can do that too'' style of game. Plus you don't go around taking pictures of random ghosts like its Say Cheese And Die from Goosebumps or even acting like a horror themed version of Pokemon Snap, nope, quite the opposite.. and heck, you don't even get random phone calls during the game from Owls calling you as you're trying to stay alive.... at least I hope not, I've had enough of those damn owls. Having said that, even at the start of its reveal from the first time we saw it, it was actually my first thought too, this seems like Fatal Frame just from the atmosphere it gave off, but now set in a 1960's version of Japan. Even though I made that comparison in jest, it was still one of the main reasons I got intrigued by the game in the first place as well, although I was semi questioning how the combat itself would go and how that would effect the overall horror immersion that I was expecting, but more on that in just a minute. Silent Hill f starts off with you as the player following a character named Hinako who wakes up one morning and realizes something strange is going on in her neighborhood, and since this is Japan, she can't just call on the Ghostbusters either, so shes in quite a confused pickle. Not being able to call the Ghostbusters joke aside, just like in the city setting in previous Silent Hill games, her neighborhood is filled to the brim with a fog like mist and Taylor Swift fans. Ok sorry I had to get one Taylor Swift dig in there as a joke, all the cool kids do it at least once. Its not Taylor Swift fans in the mist, its nasty and grotesque beasts that lurk around every corner, so its really more like Justin Bieber fans if were being totally honest. Because you aren't just equipped right away with something like a gun or an item thats super overpowered, would be totally unrealistic, especially for the scenario she finds herself in amidst the horrors, you have to find whatever is laying around that you can pick up in order to stave off such as the MVP go to that is a metal rod or wooden clubs, because come on, we all want to get our ''Dont Stop Me Now'' Shaun Of The Dead montage on don't we? and then just smash people over the head with our clubs, fun right?. Well, not very much so here as these weapons don't really have much effect against Bieber fans, but its still best to keep them in your inventory or handy in the first place just in case you do need them to buy you a tiny bit of time in your escape at the very least. I for one am glad that you aren't just given guns right away, which is a thing modern ''horror'' attempts to do, which for me completely ruins the point of horror games if you have a trusty pistol or machine gun to do to mow people down with and much prefer the slower, methodical, think on your feet to survive gameplay such as what we see here, Fatal Frame or even the Silent Hill franchise as a whole in general, it just feels much more authentic and keeps you engaged in the horror you're supposed to be afraid of, rather than laughing at it as enemy heads go flying due to bullets, unless its limited ammo like the recent Cronos, where I literally wasted all my bullets because I suck at aiming.... yup I'd never survive in a real horror scenario.

I think what most stood out for me during my time with this game is how creepy the game ramps up its horror, even if its just subtle with the sound effects are proper moments, hearing things off in the distance or in other rooms that make you question whether you want to head that way or avoid it, etc, but the most terrifying parts? the chasing sequences... oh my god, if there's one thing you should know about me that might not have been said in previous horror games I've played, I HATE being chased, I panic fast, and this game does it to a degree of frustration, not to the point of Otacon in Metal Gear Solid peeing himself out of fear, no not that, bad close to it. I mean can you imagine a deformed doll, scratching, creaking and making all kinds of noises, running full speed at you and swinging a blade at you as you frantically try to find a door to escape to or a key to use to open a locked area that leads to your safety? not only is it terrifying but stress inducing as well due to how fast you have to try to problem solve while a murderous doll is trying to cut you to pieces. The last time I've had this much anxiety is running away from the killer in Clock Tower... gee thanks game for those memories. Granted you can still turn and face your adversary and them the old corgi bonk on the head to try to fight them off, but I'm a big wuss and opted to play the style of games like Outlast and either just straight up run or find a nice comfy place to hide myself in, hoping the enemy forgets about me or passes me by. I know you may be thinking I belong in Weinerville from the Nickelodeon days with as much of a wuss I portray myself as currently, but unless you've seen videos or played the game yourself and seen some of the monster types used in this game, which rival ANY monster type this series has ever had with visions of nightmarish like creators, devious skeletons, disgusting plant like monsters that throw poisonous like fluid at you, a disgusting fat monster that has like 20 plus stomachs that give birth to different enemy varieties until you destroy its cocoons, etc, I'm telling you, these monsters are freaky as hell. What makes this horrible situation even scarier on top of it is you can't just keep stuff and hoard it forever to use for the perfect scenario either, because each item you have or hold on, over time degrades in quality, which forces you to find a suitable replacement for it, making you have to strategize even further so you cant get complacent or ever feel completely safe. like sheesh, its like the developers were trying to make me pull a Redd Fox in Sandford And Son with a heart attack, ''IM COMING ELIZABETH!''. The devs just really want you to authentic feel trapped and scared and think fast and heart attacks aside, its the best decision they made overall in the game in my opinion. Beyond the initial regular monster scares though, main villains ala this games version of Pyramid head or attempt to be, appear as boss fights, and while there's not very many of them, 9 in total, they're probably the creepiest and most engaging segments of this entire game overall.

Strategizing and using your skills to your advantage is key during any fight really in this game, you aren't an aura farming freak like Leon and Chris are in the Resident Evil games, you're just a scared girl whos trying to survive on her wits alone, all while using his smaller figure than a normal male protagonist and making use of her own vitality and endurance that she has to her advantage that other main characters might not have, which helps with quicker dodging and better evasion as foes try to maul you to death. But the devs decided you know what, the player isnt scared enough so lets copy Final Fantasy 14 and make a fatigue system too. Ok its not THAT bad but its in the same vein as it, with a mental stability meter that monitors the psyche of Hinako and should it get overwhelmed, meaning to the point where she's frightened to the point of no return, you basically get a boost of adrenaline because of it, just like you would in real life with a fight or flight response and your attacks, even for a short period hit harder and deal more damage than they normally would in a normal straight of mind, and to me, just authenticates how well this game portrays and focuses on the horror aspect of not only its melee combat, stealth, sound, but stays true to horror roots of Silent Hill that made the original couple games absolute classics too, the devs just get it, more so than I think the team behind Silent Hill 2's Remake did, even though that game is still fun in its own right. But there's no little doggo controlling the horror in this game, so zero out of ten, do not buy. I think another thing that stands out to me is the story itself not really holding your hand or being too ''sensitive''. What I mean by this is usually horror games in modern day standard will stop itself from going ''too far'' in order to not offend the player and treat them like a baby, but her in Silent Hill f, they say screw you, were going to take this a route that will disturb you and frighten you and becomes more unhinged the further you make it through the game. Its true to form for long standing Silent Hill fans or rather people who just love pure horror in general and makes it the essential title to play for true fans of the survival horror genre and sets it apart from anything currently on the market. Wait... sorry guys, I gotta answer the phone, it better not be a stupid Owl, that's all I'm saying.

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''SLICE AND DICE''

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OVERALL:

At the end of the day, Silent Hill f puts itself the top of the list on what a horror game should be and strive for, without question. If I wanted to nitpick I can say the weapon degrading can be seen as a negative since everyone cried over that for Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom, or that some weapons really don't do much damage and borderline useless at times before finding something better, but again, that's just nitpicking and forcing myself to find blatant negatives about the game that really dont exist outside saying that the game ''realistically'' doesnt look as good as Silent Hill 2 Remake, but ''Artistically'' looks 10x better and in the long run, will look WAY better as the ages go on. Just my opinion. So if you need a survival horror fix that doesnt hide itself as a action survival horror game and leans more into the golden days of horror that TRIED to frighten you, rather than make you laugh at it, then Silent Hill f is a must play, no matter what platform its purchased on, you wont regret it. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW

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