After practically 13 years of dormancy, Bloober Staff’s glorious remake of Silent Hill 2 apart, Konami and NeoBard are bringing a daring new addition to a horror franchise that wants no introduction.
Silent Hill f is all set to take its gamers to a brand new location, set in a really attention-grabbing time interval, with a brand new protagonist who’s shaping to be a departure from among the franchise’s previous mainstays whereas resembling them in different methods.
Current previews of the sport at Gamescom 2025 showcase a relatively action-heavy expertise this time round, though Konami’s emphasis on Japanese folklore and mythology continues to carry sway on this planet’s design. It’s fairly a tough steadiness, and long-time followers of the franchise are positive going to have an interest to see if the 2 proficient studios can obtain it.
In case you’re on the fence concerning the upcoming title, right here are some things you may prefer to know earlier than you determine to take it on.
1. A Interval of Strife
Setting the sport in Sixties Japan is the right stage for any story by which a feminine protagonist involves phrases along with her demons, each inner and exterior. Konami has been fast to level out how girls confronted regressive practices geared toward limiting their freedom and company, a state of affairs that protagonist Hinako was proven to be fairly disdainful of within the sport’s previews.
Silent Hill f may very effectively riff on this strife on each the narrative and gameplay fronts, lending a layer of authenticity to your complete expertise, contemplating that it’s rooted in a Japanese setting. It’s a transfer that would work very effectively to deliver Hinako to life in additional methods than one, making her relatable and badass all in the identical title.
2. Hinako’s Inside Conflicts
Hinako’s rebellious nature might be a pink herring, pointing to issues extra sinister than a patriarchal society. As a young person who finds herself as anyone who doesn’t actually belong in her personal little world, her emotions may very effectively lead to manifestations that work each narratively and from a gameplay perspective.
It’s a good way of constructing the stakes private for her whereas following the franchise’s traditions of exploring advanced psychological quandaries by means of its themes.
3. A Tragic Previous And An Unsure Future
The sport’s themes are going to dive deeper into Hinako’s previous and the experiences that proceed to hang-out her. However that doesn’t imply that the unsure future she has in entrance of her after the sport’s opening act goes to stay backstage. The sport’s new world is all set to deliver each units of fears and insecurities to the desk in an examination of her psyche, positioned in opposition to the backdrop of a world gone horribly improper.
We’re hoping to see this story take her, and us, to locations we would have in any other case chosen to not go to.
4. The Spirit World
Contemplating the emphasis on Japanese mythology in Silent Hill f, it’s no shock that the spirit world is part of Hinako’s journey. Juxtaposed with the actual world, it’s a inventive that would work wonders narratively in addition to by giving gamers a complete different realm to discover.
It’s completely consistent with the franchise’s theme of exploring the innermost workings of its characters’ minds, and could be a good way for Hinako to return to phrases along with her personal interpretations of her religion and her position in a world that has not been very sort to her.
We are able to’t wait to see how the sport handles this facet of the expertise when it’s in our fingers in the end.
5. A Daring New Path
Silent Hill f represents a change in directional technique for Konami as it really works with different expertise studios to revamp the expertise that the franchise is thought for whereas nonetheless remaining true to its roots.
NeoBard’s fight experience is certain to deliver new twists to the gameplay loop on provide, making this yet another action-oriented than its predecessors. It’s a selection that may sound like annoying to franchise purists, however the two studios have been fairly emphatic about how every thing that gamers love concerning the franchise continues to be very a lot a part of the expertise.
6. Combating for Our Lives
Many previews of the sport have identified Hinako’s ineptitude at wielding weapons in opposition to the sport’s monstrosities. We expect that it’s a really good, inventive selection from the builders, making her the right protagonist for a brand new Silent Hill expertise.
As she’s neither educated in fight nor mentally ready to deal with the threats she now faces, Hinako’s fight woes not solely match inside the sport’s narrative framework but in addition permit the sport’s terrors to be all of the extra imposing because of this. Actually, it’s win-win!
However that doesn’t imply that the younger girl doesn’t have a number of tips up her sleeve.
7. NOT A Soulslike
The builders have been fairly fast to level out that the dodging and parrying mechanics on provide are usually not impressed by Soulslike titles, regardless of Hinako with the ability to pull off a touch transfer that’s fairly off-brand for a novice teenager. Certainly, they’ve raised a number of eyebrows after the Gamescom previews, with some even portray them as unwelcome additions.
Nevertheless, we expect that having them doesn’t take away from the expertise, contemplating how the survival mechanics and some different elements of fight, which we’re attending to, can steadiness out their utility in some ways. So long as they’re balanced of their execution, they might be a really attention-grabbing twist to the Silent Hill formulation, a sentiment that the builders are going for anyway.
8. The Sanity Meter
One of many methods we consider that dodging and parrying are usually not going to make Hinako overpowered in Silent Hill f is that she’s actively required to handle her feelings within the warmth of battle by way of the Sanity Meter. Whereas we’ve spoken about it intimately in earlier showcases of the sport, having to make sure that she’s regulating her feelings makes for a story goldmine whereas additionally tying in that improvement with the precise gameplay on provide.
It might be fairly an immersive expertise that makes every participant and playstyle an interpretation of the sport’s story. A extra expert participant may, in principle, play Hinako as a protagonist who’s taking cost of a scary state of affairs by simply letting her weapons do the speaking, whereas one other might select to play her as a lady who is aware of her limitations and acts accordingly.
It’s a daring selection on the builders’ half, and is one which’s additionally on provide for the sport’s audiences, which leads us to our subsequent justification for the sport’s action-focused path.
9. A Struggle for Survival
The survival horror style’s trappings are all right here, and are the ultimate piece of the puzzle so far as fight in Silent Hill f is anxious. Your weapons aren’t sturdy, and provides, together with your individual stamina and well being, are in brief provide. You’re going to must be strategic in your strategy to coping with the threats you’ll be dealing with.
Coupled with the brand new Focus Mode that slows down time and allows you to goal enemy weakpoints, cautious aggression appears to be the best way to go so far as combating enemies in Silent Hill f is anxious. It’s the right steadiness of the franchise’s traditions versus a brand new strategy that would arguably make it extra partaking to play.
10. The Omamori
Regardless of the grim and desolate world sporting you down little by little, there’s nonetheless hope left for Hinako and her associates. Omamori are charms that she will be able to equip, granting helpful buffs that would serve her very effectively as she explores the world and fights off enemies.
Nevertheless, procuring them requires additional strategic administration of restricted provides within the sport and diligent exploration of the sport’s darkest corners, too. Nothing within the new world that the sport presents comes straightforward, in any case.
11. Completely different Difficulties, Completely different Experiences
In case you’re anxious that the brand new fight system Silent Hill f is providing isn’t for you, don’t have any concern ( what we imply). The sport’s Story Mode has been tuned for gamers preferring the franchise’s tried and examined formulation, whereas more durable difficulties are going to please gamers preferring a tougher fight loop.
It’s a good way of guaranteeing that each newcomers and franchise veterans have a say within the expertise they’re diving into, and the builders deserve credit score for this considerate implementation of their new concepts.
12. A New Character
The latest previews additionally showcased Hinako being assisted by a mysterious man sporting a fox masks. However is he a pal or a foe? Both manner, we’re glad that the sport’s forged goes past Hinako and her associates, permitting for lots of nuanced takes on advanced themes.
It’s going to be very attention-grabbing to be taught extra concerning the character as soon as the sport is launched, however we’re positive that there might be twists within the story, simply because the franchise we all know and love is thought for.
13. Tune Puzzle Fixing To Your Liking
Talking of franchise traditions, puzzles are going to be part of the expertise in Silent Hill f. Nevertheless, previews of the sport have identified that they’re fairly well-designed and will throw gamers for a loop if that’s not their factor.
Nevertheless, Hinako could be assisted by way of hints for those who so choose it, with settings that permit you to fine-tune the expertise to your liking. Whereas particulars on the choices you’ve got at your disposal are scarce, anticipate to be taught extra as extra info emerges within the subsequent few weeks.
14. Reward For Its Efficiency
The sport has been getting compliments for a buttery clean 60fps on the PS5, whereas cutscenes are locked at 30fps on the PC and PS5, as per DigitalFoundry’s time previewing the sport. That’s excellent news made even higher by the advice that working DLSS in High quality Mode on the PC allows you to obtain 4k at 60fps.
15. System Necessities
Whereas we’re as regards to PC efficiency, the builders suggest a 64-bit processor and Home windows 11, 50GB of SSD storage, and DirectX Model 12 throughout the board.
The minimal specs embrace an Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 processor, 16GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 5700 Graphics card to run the sport in efficiency mode with 30fps at 720p.
The really useful specs require a beefier Intel Core i7-9700 / AMD Ryzen 5 5500, 16 gigs of RAM, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT for efficiency mode at 60fps, or high quality mode at 30fps in FHD or 4K, relying on the usage of DLSS.
And that’s every thing that you must find out about Silent Hill f earlier than you determine to choose up a replica for your self! Are you as excited to dive in as we’re? Tell us within the feedback under!
