Silent Hill f is a 2025 survival-horror game developed by NeoBards Entertainment and published by Konami. It launched on September 25, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store). Set in rural 1960s Japan, it introduces a new story by Ryukishi07 with creature designs by kera, blending the series’ signature psychological horror with Japanese folklore. Music by veteran Akira Yamaoka (with Kensuke Inage) underscores its eerie atmosphere, as Konami describes this chapter as one that “challenges perceptions of beauty, fear, and the human psyche”.
Storyline
The player assumes the role of Shimizu Hinako, a troubled 17-year-old living in the remote village of Ebisugaoka. After a heated family argument, Hinako steps outside and soon witnesses a monstrous apparition emerge from a sudden fog that blankets the town. Ominous red spider lilies and grotesque creatures appear in the fog’s wake, threatening Hinako and her closest friends (Sakuko, Rinko, and Shu). Hinako must explore the rain-slick narrow alleys and abandoned buildings of Ebisugaoka to survive. Early in the game, Hinako is drawn into a surreal spirit realm (the Dark Shrine), where she encounters a mysterious masked figure known as Fox Mask. This enigmatic guide leads Hinako through haunted temples and strange trials, even as an otherworldly doll warns her of danger. Underneath the supernatural horror lies Hinako’s personal story, her rebellious nature and the trauma rooted in her town’s rigid gender roles become key to the mystery. As players uncover clues and confront dark rituals, they will encounter multiple possible endings influenced by their decisions, reinforcing themes of innocence, identity, and the struggle against societal expectations.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Gameplay Style: A third-person survival-horror experience combining exploration, puzzles, and action. The game leans more toward melee combat than older installments, while still incorporating classic Silent Hill puzzle-solving and atmosphere.
Combat: Hinako fights in weighty, deliberate close-quarters combat. Players use light and heavy swings, timed blocks, and dodges. Weapons can break and must be scrounged for, and a stamina meter limits how long Hinako can run or swing. Enemies expose brief openings that allow for precise timed counterattacks. A “Focus” mechanic lets players execute powerful counters at the cost of draining a Sanity meter. (On Hard difficulty, managing this Sanity meter becomes crucial, since it also fuels a charge attack.) Overall the combat has been described as rewarding yet “brutally intimate,” requiring patience and timing.
Puzzles: The game features roughly a dozen puzzles of varying complexity. Some are straightforward environmental puzzles, while a few span multiple areas or even entire playthroughs. Examples include deciphering coded messages, arranging medallions, operating ancient mechanisms, and navigating maze-like areas. These puzzles are generally well-designed and balanced (the default Story mode offers easier puzzles, while the Hard mode increases challenge).
Progression: Silent Hill f offers two linked difficulty settings: one for combat (“Action”) and one for puzzles (“Mental”). On “Story” difficulty, puzzles remain challenging but combat is easier; “Hard” difficulty makes puzzles easier (for story mode) but ramps up enemy toughness. The game also includes quality-of-life features like frequent checkpoints and abundant healing items (on default “Story” difficulty).
Platforms: Released on current-generation consoles and PC. Officially it supports PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows (via Steam and Epic Games Store).
Themes & Environment
The world of Silent Hill f is meticulously crafted to fuse beauty with horror. The rural Japanese setting (inspired by real villages) is lush and immersive: reviewers note Ebisugaoka feels authentic - you can almost “taste the humidity” in its rice fields and forest paths. This serene veneer is gradually corrupted by the supernatural: as fog fills the streets, rose-red spider lilies and creeping blood stains adorn once-idyllic spaces. The art direction emphasizes contrasts - cobblestone roads and wooden shrines lie side by side with aberrant creatures and blossoming gore. Many boss designs and enemies draw explicitly on Japanese folklore (e.g. shrine maidens, fox masks, shinto symbols) to create a uniquely Japanese brand of nightmare.
Konami itself bills the vision as “beautiful yet horrifying,” blending traditional Silent Hill psychological terror with Japanese mythic elements. Haunting ambient sounds and a powerful musical score by Akira Yamaoka reinforce the mood. The soundtrack contrasts tranquil, traditional Japanese instrumentation (like shakuhachi flutes and taiko drums) with Yamaoka’s signature industrial and choral motifs. In quiet moments, subtle noises (wind through temples, distant chain rattles) heighten tension; in encounters, sudden shrieks and heavy footsteps startle the player. As one critic put it, Silent Hill f finds its true horror not just in fog or monsters but in the “shedding and rebuilding of the self” that the story forces upon Hinako. In other words, the game’s environment and audio design serve the deeper psychological themes - identity, trauma, and societal pressure - by juxtaposing calm beauty with visceral fear.
Critical Reception & Highlights
Silent Hill f has been met with largely positive reviews. It holds an overall Metacritic score of mid-80s (85-86 on PS5/PC), placing it among the highest-rated games in the franchise’s history. Reviewers have especially praised its writing, art direction, and atmosphere. GameSpot declared it a “phenomenal work of psychological horror” and “among the best entries in the series”. Dexerto and Inverse gave it perfect scores, lauding its haunting psychological twists and “gloriously grisly” return to form. Even critics who found fault often still praised core elements: Game Informer called it a “more than respectable horror romp” for retaining classic Silent Hill elements, even while noting it “wish[ed] it were scarier and more substantial”.
However, a few consistent criticisms emerged. Many reviewers found the new combat system less polished: IGN gave it 7/10 (blaming the combat as “annoying” and not very fun) and TechRadar scored it 3/10 for its punishing difficulty. Similarly, some reviewers felt the scares were too familiar; Game Informer observed the game “overrelies on the same handful of scare tactics”, and that combat eventually felt repetitive. These critiques were in the minority, though: several outlets (e.g. Press Start Australia, COGconnected) awarded it 9/10, praising the engaging storytelling and saying it “daringly expands on the core that makes Silent Hill so special”.
Publication | Score |
|---|---|
Metacritic (PS5) | 86/100 |
Washington Post | 10/10 (100) |
Stevivor | 95/100 |
Press Start Australia | 90/100 |
COGconnected | 90/100 |
IGN | 7/10 |
TechRadar | 3/5 |
Global Earnings
According to Konami, Silent Hill f shipped over one million units worldwide within its first few days on sale. This figure includes both digital and physical sales across PS5, Xbox, and PC. Konami noted that Silent Hill f reached this milestone faster than the recent Silent Hill 2 remake. (No official dollar-earnings or detailed breakdown by platform has been released.) Selling one million copies suggests Silent Hill f generated on the order of tens of millions of dollars in gross revenue, though precise figures remain undisclosed.
Sales Metric | Value |
|---|---|
Worldwide units sold (launch) | 1,000,000 (all platforms) |
Conclusion
Silent Hill f appears to have successfully revitalized the franchise’s appeal. Critics generally agree it is one of the best new entries in decades, combining classic Silent Hill vibes with fresh artistic vision. Its strong sales performance and online buzz (memes, fan art, etc.) have put the series back in the spotlight. The game’s legacy seems secure as a modern horror highlight: even The Guardian noted that, 30 years on, Silent Hill can still deliver meaningful commentary (in this case on patriarchy and growing up) through its rural-mythos narrative. With Konami announcing multiple new Silent Hill projects in development, it’s clear Silent Hill f has ensured that the fog-shrouded terror of Ebisugaoka will haunt gamers for years to come.
Sources
Official press releases and announcements from Konami; developer interviews and sites; coverage and reviews from major gaming outlets (GameSpot, Game Informer, etc.); and financial news on game sales. All data are current as of late 2025.