SILENT HILL f Review – A Hauntingly Beautiful Return to Form, Weighed Down by Clunky Mechanics

The Silent Hill franchise has been a source of both devotion and division for 26 years. From genre-defining classics to controversial departures, the fan base has been at war over what a “true” Silent Hill game even is. Now, Konami and developer NeoBards Entertainment seek to answer that question not by returning to the familiar fog-shrouded town, but by exploring a new nightmare in 1960s Japan.

SILENT HILL f puts us in the shoes of Hinako, a high school girl whose hometown of Ebisugaoka is consumed by a mysterious fog and grotesque, flower-like horrors. With a story penned by the renowned Ryukishi07 (Higurashi, Umineko) and music featuring the legendary Akira Yamaoka, the stage is set for something special.

The result is a game that absolutely nails the oppressive atmosphere, deep psychological dread, and twisted, beautiful storytelling that defined the series’ best entries. Yet, for all its narrative and artistic brilliance, SILENT HILL f is frustratingly held back by technical flaws and divisive design choices that feel like relics of a bygone era.

Honestly, I thought the game was great. I think people have lost their empathy over the years and forget what Silent Hill horror is supposed to be. No SH game has ever been truly scary. It’s all about the psychological horror… It plays with your own mind… twists and gnaws at your own empathy.

This is not a game about jump scares; it’s a game about regret, guilt, and questioning your own perceptions. It feels like Silent Hill, even if the name on the map is different.

A Haunting World of Beauty and Rot

Visually, SILENT HILL f is stunning. The art direction is jaw-dropping, blending a hauntingly beautiful Japanese aesthetic with grotesque organic corruption. The town of Ebisugaoka is a masterpiece of atmosphere, where walls bloom with flesh-like flowers and the fog itself feels alive. It’s an aesthetic of decomposition and grace, brought to life in sharp 4K.

The sound design is, as expected from the franchise, immaculate. Yamaoka’s score is fantastic—eerie, unsettling, and beautiful. The immersive 3D audio amplifies the tension to an unbearable degree, making every creak, whisper, and faint movement feel disturbingly close. The Japanese voice acting is perfect, with performances that feel raw and completely committed.

However, this beauty is marred by significant technical issues. Jarring 30 FPS cutscenes break immersion, and the game is plagued by stutters and crashes, even on high-end hardware. For a game this gorgeous, the lack of modern graphical options like frame generation or ray tracing is a noticeable omission, especially when indie titles incorporate them on day one.

The Psychological Core

Where SILENT HILL f transcends its flaws is in its story. Ryukishi07 has crafted a deep, twisted, and fantastic narrative that sticks with you long after the credits roll. This is true psychological horror that explores themes rarely seen in gaming. The story is revealed in layers, with breadcrumbs and notes that actually feel crucial to understanding the mystery.

The game is structured around multiple playthroughs, with five total endings. Your first run (around 8-10 hours) ends in a fixed conclusion, but subsequent New Game+ runs alter cutscenes and provide new context, filling in the gaps. This is a game that demands you revisit it to uncover the full truth.

The puzzles are also a high point, with three difficulty options to let you choose how much you want to be challenged. Unlike many modern horror games, these puzzles are well-integrated and give you just enough information to work out the solution, rewarding careful observation.

The Unavoidable Clunk

Unfortunately, the moment-to-moment gameplay is where the experience falters. The combat is, to put it kindly, “hit or miss.” While fighting as a teenage girl should feel clunky and desperate, the system itself is flawed. The lock-on struggles when facing more than one enemy, and the game’s second half leans far too heavily into combat, throwing you into “battle arenas” where you’re ganked by multiple enemies.

This “ganking” problem makes “Lost in the Fog” (Hard) difficulty a miserable experience —not because it’s challenging, but because it feels cheap. The clunky combat simply can’t handle the enforced encounters the game throws at you.

A Death by a Thousand Papercuts

Beyond the core combat, SILENT HILL f is saddled with several baffling quality-of-life and design issues that actively fight the player.

The Weapon Durability Problem

Let’s be blunt: the weapon durability system straight up sucks. While repair items and new weapons are available, the mechanic adds nothing but frustration and actively discourages engaging with the (already flawed) combat. It’s a layer of friction the game absolutely did not need, and Konami needs to nix it.

Outdated Systems

The game’s design feels stuck in the past in the worst ways. You can only manually save in specific areas —a system that has no place in 2025. Worse is the stamina system; Hinako apparently has the stamina of an 80-year-old man, making traversal and evasion a tedious chore.

The NG+ Conundrum

While the story’s NG+ integration is brilliant, the gameplay loop becomes tiresome. Replaying the game 3-5 times to see the full story means wrestling with the frustrating combat and vague puzzles repeatedly. For completionists, the 100% achievement hunt is an insane grind, with missable collectibles that can force you to play the entire game two more times just to get back to a specific section.

https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/2947440/extras/d984e87c8c029a631bd544cc65c47668.webm?t=1758772827

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
✅ Incredible Atmosphere: Thick, terrifying, and perfectly captures the Silent Hill feeling.	❌ Clunky Combat: The lock-on is poor and the system fails against multiple enemies.
✅ Deep Psychological Story: A twisted, haunting narrative by Ryukishi07 that requires multiple playthroughs.	❌ Frustrating Weapon Durability: A mechanic that adds nothing but annoyance.
✅ Stunning Art Direction: A gorgeous and grotesque world that blends beauty and horror.	❌ Performance Issues: Stutters, crashes, and jarring 30FPS cutscenes.
✅ Amazing Soundtrack: Eerie, beautiful, and unsettling score featuring Akira Yamaoka.	❌ Outdated Systems: Manual save points and a painfully restrictive stamina bar.
✅ Great Voice Acting: The Japanese voice cast delivers outstanding performances.	❌ Pacing Issues: The second half of the game becomes a frustrating combat arena.
✅ Good Puzzle Design: Smartly designed puzzles with adjustable difficulty.	❌ NG+ Grind: Can become mundane, and the 100% collectible hunt is brutal.