While we got a host of details about Silent Hill f thanks to a recent trailer, Konami has also revealed that the upcoming horror game will be the first one in the Silent Hill franchise to be rated CERO:Z in Japan. This means that the game can only be sold to people that are 18 years old and above. This reveal came thanks to the Silent Hill f‘s Japanese trailer, which presents to CERO:Z label right at the beginning. Check it out below.
For context, other mainline games in the franchise, from the original Silent Hill to Silent Hill 4: The Room, have had the lesser rating of CERO:C, allowing buyers to be 15 years old and above. The closest some Silent Hill games have gotten to CERO:Z were the ones developed outside of Japan, which ended up with CERO:D, making it available for those 17 years old and above.
While Silent Hill f will not doubt be quite a gory and disturbing game if its trailer is anything to go by, as caught by Automaton Media, the title’s online store description in Japan indicates that the CERO:Z rating was given because of its depictions of “crime”. Further details have not been revealed, however.
The latest trailer for Silent Hill f was released earlier today. The game shows off its primary protagonist, a young girl named Hinako, who must try to survive and fend off strange enemies as her town, the fictional Ebisugaoka, disappears into fog. The game takes place in Showa-era Japan, and its themes seem to revolve around Hinako’s struggles with the pressures and expectations she faces from her friends, family and society as she grows up.
Much like previous games in the Silent Hill series, f will also feature combat. While we didn’t get to see how the combat system will work in the trailer, Hinako is seen at various points wielding a metal pipe that is likely used to take on gruesome adversaries.
Konami has also indicated that Silent Hill f will feature some dark themes, and has warned players of its “depictions of gender discrimination, child abuse, bullying, drug-induced hallucinations, torture, and graphic violence.”
Silent Hill f is currently under development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game’s Steam store listing have revealed the minimum and recommended PC specs to play the game. You can check those out here.
In the meantime, the writer for Silent Hill f, Ryukishi07 (known for their work on the Higurashi: When They Cry series), spoke about writing for the game. Among other things, Ryukishi07 has spoke about their time with the Silent Hill franchise, and how they poured “all of my efforts” into the game’s story.
“To this day, I remember the feeling of my first encounter with the suffocating and oppressive atmosphere of Silent Hill,” said Ryukishi07. “It still deeply haunts me, and it still utterly fascinates me. It’s an honor to find myself involved with a series I have so many memories with.”
Character and creature designer kera also similarly spoke about their time working on Silent Hill f, saying that coming up with the strange monsters that players will get to fight in the game were “the hardest” to create.
