As we get closer to the September 25 release of Silent Hill f, more and more details about the game are starting to come out. In a recent preview by IGN, quite a bit of new information about the upcoming horror game has been revealed, ranging from details about its gameplay, down to how the title is able to nail its oppressive atmosphere. The preview focuses on the first few parts of Silent Hill f, with the writer getting to spend some time with the game’s setting of Ebisugaoka village in rural Japan.
One of the key things that the writer used to draw contrast between Silent Hill f and last year’s Silent Hill 2 remake is the fact that the upcoming horror game will allow players to spend quite a bit of time outdoors. While Silent Hill 2 had players explore dilapidated buildings and creepy hospitals, Silent Hill f will instead let players roam around the town of Ebisugaoka in the shoes of protagonist Hinako.
Silent Hill f also seemingly makes use of quite a few uncanny details to amplify its atmosphere, even in the early parts of the game covered by the preview. The writer provides an example of how, as they were exploring the town, one of the puzzles they needed to solve involved finding a key to be able to continue to the next area. Returning to a hallway after getting this key instantly had a door suddenly swing open without any prompting or interaction.
When it comes to actual combat, Silent Hill f will allow players to make use of melee weapons that also happen to have limited durability. Using a weapon repeatedly will cause it to wear down, and eventually break. To give players enough ways to get out of a jam, however, Hinako can equip up to three weapons at the same time, allowing players to either distribute the wear and tear on their weapons, or to quickly switch to a new one when their weapon breaks down. Interestingly, the durability of weapons also shows on the weapon itself; a baseball bat, for example, will start getting cracks, and pipes will get bent as you use them.
Broken weapons can also be made usable again through repair kits. Finding these is described by the writer as being an “integral part” of how the game expects players to manage their resources throughout their time spent exploring Ebisugaoka.
Silent Hill f will also feature a progression system; players will be able to turn their resources into a currency that can then be turned in at save points to either raise Hinako’s stats, or be turned into equipable items that give Hinako other buffs. This, along with the slow and deliberate nature of the core combat has led the writer to draw comparisons with FromSoftware’s action RPGs. This comparison is further helped by the fact that Hinako can pull off timed dodges and counterattacks, and the fact that each melee weapon tends to have its own unique moveset with light and heavy attacks.
Interestingly, the combat system also has a mechanic dubbed Focus Mode, which ties into the story as it also serves as an indicator of Hinako’s mental state. Using Focus Mode allows players to more easily land counterattacks against enemies and deal higher amounts of damage with charged up power attacks. However, using Focus Mode also depletes a mental energy gauge, which is also affected by finding things throughout the game that scare Hinako.
Silent Hill f will also mark the return of one of the franchise’s key mechanics – the alternate world. The writer described exploring this alternate world and eventually coming face to face with a boss that took them almost an entire hour to beat. The writer noted that they were playing the game on the normal difficulty, while their colleagues playing on Story difficulty also faced enough trouble in the fight to either need a second attempt, or ended up not being able to win the fight before their time with the game expired.
Silent Hill f is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details about the game, check out how the writer describes its blend of different styles of horror as “salad dressing”.
