Silent Hill f is a third person survival horror game set in 1960's Japan. From the Silent Hill franchise, this game feels like a spinoff. Silent Hill f has combat similar to the Dark Souls series, atmosphere similar to the Fatal Frame series, and audio design similar to the original Silent Hill games. The game takes approximately 8-10 hours to complete your first playthrough, however the game encourages you to play for at least 3 playthoughs to fully understand the story of the game. There are a total of 5 endings and 56 achievements. The total time it takes to 100% this game is approximately 35-40 hours.

+ The story of this game is deep once you really dive into it, heavy on the psychological horror. At first face value you might think that the story is thin and stereotypical, as the game throws a bit too much in your face in the first 10 minutes. (And a few times near the end, I'm looking at you UFO ending). However if you play as long as I did, you will discover a deep engrossing story underneath it all involving drugs and demons.
+ The cutscenes are all well made, you really get to know the 8 main characters in full detail as the game progresses.
+ I found the combat to be quite satisfying. There are many ways to take down certain enemies and different ways to equip your character to deal with certain situations. High strategy involved, you can't just go in and swing at everything. There is weapon durability in this game, but I never found it to be too intrusive, there are extra weapons and repair kits around every corner if you search off the beaten path.
+ The art direction is jaw dropping gorgeous at times. Especially the outdoor environments and certain enemy boss designs.
+ The music is very Silent Hill, that is undeniable. Many times the game's music gave me goosebumps. Very beautiful, especially matched with certain epic visuals on screen.
+ The voice acting is professional and well done.

+/- A huge twist will happen during the middle of the game that will certainly divide players.

- Most of the puzzles in this game are extremely vague and difficult to understand. Even when looking at a guide I couldn't figure out how the developers came up with many of the solutions. I believe the game is a bit lost in translation in the puzzle department. There literally isn't one puzzle in the game that I found interesting.
- I can see how completing the game 3-5 times in a row can get a bit mundane and tiresome for some.
- The last hour of the game is very "Devil May Cry", where you fight multiple enemies over and over again in blocked off "Arenas". Feels like a cheap cop out, like they ran out of ideas.
- For those going for 100% achievements, the collectibles are insane. Certain documents, if you miss one in a 10 minute section of the game, you literally have to play the game 2 more times to get back to the game state where you can collect it again. (The game runs in a NG, NG+, and NG++ cycle). Also the bosses on "Lost in the Fog" difficulty will make you want to scream.

To me, the game didn't feel like Silent Hill in the slightest, and thats ok. Its a spinoff, confirmed by Konami. I've played through all Silent Hills 10x over least since the first Silent Hill 1 in 1999. Story politics aside, this game is well made in its own right. I had lots of fun with my 40 hours with it.

Overall: 8.5/10

Overall, I liked the game, but it's a one-time thing. It's not a masterpiece like Silent Hill 2. I'm waiting for the DLC about Maria and the remake of the first part.
I didn't like the combat, gameplay was very boring at times. I definitely caught the Japanese vibes.
For some reason, there is a tendency toward degradation in everything in our world. Why are games from 10 years ago was more detailed and better? Or cars? That's the reality. In fact, there is no progress; it already happened...

F for SILENT HILL f…

Reviews of other parts of Silent Hill:
SILENT HILL 2
Silent Hill: Homecoming

This review is based on a 100% completion of the game with all 5 endings and collectibles unlocked.

It is really hard to give Silent Hill f a fair rating, because on one hand you have a very intriguing story, but on the other hand there's the extremely frustrating combat system which the game relies on heavily.

Let's address the elephant in the room first: Silent Hill f is not a survival horror game, it's an action horror game, with a VERY high emphasis on the action part.
While the game does have some uniquely creepy, atmospheric moments, they don't really last because a few moments later the game just spawns a bunch of enemies on you.

Unfortunately, the story and combat system are heavily intertwined because you get a very unsatisfying Default Ending on your first playthrough, regardless of your actions.
Further endings are locked behind 4 additional playthroughs (unless you are save scumming), but if you didn't like the combat system during your first run, you are not suddenly going to like it on subsequent playthroughs.
The enemies still do multi-hit combos (especially bosses), they still stagger you which can occasionally result in death because you get stunlocked, and your character's "out of breath" state is still atrocious.
The only difference is that on NG+ and beyond, your unlocked items and upgrades carry over... which makes the experience less frustrating, but not enjoyable.

Besides the combat system, which I could complain about endlessly, the other big issue with the game is the pacing. As I mentioned previously, the game does have some very atmospheric moments, but then everything is ruined by a combat encounter. This is especially true in the latter part of the game, where mandatory "arena-style" rooms become a common occurrence and you cannot proceed until the mini-boss is killed. This type of game design is not only bad filler, but it discourages players from replaying the game, as it becomes a slog to get through.

At the end of the day, did I enjoy Silent Hill f?
Unfortunately, I am leaning towards no.
There are definitely a lot of great elements here — the story, environment, sound design, and art direction, but all the good is dragged down by the atrocious combat system and frustrating enemy design.

- Intriguing story
- Fantastic art direction
- Great sound design and music
- Detailed environments with a decent amount of exploration.


- Endings are locked behind subsequent playthroughs, regardless of player actions during the first run.
- Atrocious combat system
- Annoying enemy design: staggers, stuns, multi-hit combos, and long, unskippable grab animations
- Horrible pacing, with uninspired “kill-all-enemies” progression gates
- The "Otherworld" segments feel out of place, both in terms of visual design and gauntlet-style gameplay