Silent Hill f is undoubtedly slated to be Konami’s big return to the survival horror genre after the success of the Silent Hill 2 remake last year. In a recent interview, writer Ryukishi07—known for his work on seminal horror story Higurashi When They Cry—has described the supernatural and psychological elements of Silent Hill f as being “salad dressing”. At a panel alongside producer Motoi Okamoto and composer and sound designer Akira Yamaoka, Ryukishi07, according to Famitsu (via Automaton), said that players will have trouble in telling the difference between the psychological and supernatural horror motifs of the game.
This, he noted, comes down to the fact that he used a different method of writing than what he usually does. Rather than having several different kinds of themes in the game’s story, Ryukishi07 instead focused on a central theme around which the entire story would then be written. Expanding on his “salad dressing” metaphor, he explained that supernatural and psychological elements would act like distinct ingredients of a salad dressing – like oil and vinegar. While he didn’t go into too many details about what this might mean, his explanation indicated that players might end up having a hard time distinguishing between the supernatural elements of the game from the various kinds of psychological terror that is likely also lurking behind dark corners.
For some context, while many Silent Hill games have featured supernatural elements, like the presence of cults and evil deities in Silent Hill 1 and 3, Silent Hill 2, on the other hand, focused purely on psychological horror. Many of the terrors faced by protagonist James Sutherland in Silent Hill 2 were essentially the town of Silent Hill forcing him to come to terms with his own trauma; even the enemies of the game were designed based on his own psychoses. Ryukishi07’s “salad dressing” metaphor might indicate that the game’s story will blend both of these styles of horror together to create even more uncertainty within players’ minds.
Back in June, Ryukishi07 had said that the central themes of the game will be things that the franchise has never tackled before. At the same event, NeoBards senior producer Albert Lee, along with series producer at Konami, Motoi Okamura, spoke about how there was a lot of time spent in coming up with ideas to bring the game’s setting of Showa Era town Ebisugaoka to life. The decision to set the town in 1960s Japan was also part of this back-and-forth, because the studio wanted to present players with an environment that would feel “familiar yet alien”.
Earlier this month, Konami had revealed the opening of Silent Hill f to attendees of Anime Expo 2025. The opening video, which was captured by those in attendance, showcased protagonist Hinako speaking to a doll. Her sister was also present in the opening, dressed in a yukata. Quite a few things about the opening felt mysterious, however, including the fact that the sister’s face was never shown.
Silent Hill f is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on September 25. Those who pick up the Digital Deluxe Edition will be able to play the games three days before its release.
