thunderball Silent Hill f Review

Silent Hill f is only the second game from the franchise I've played, the first being Silent Hill: Downpour. I'm not coming in with nostalgia or deep series knowledge — just a survival horror fan working through a backlog. The game is set in 1960's rural Japan, and having lived in a rural Japanese town myself, the aesthetic of Ebisugaoka felt remarkably authentic. Tight alleys, stone walls, mountainous terrain giving the town a sense of layers — it brought me right back. The Dark Shrine, the game's Otherworld equivalent, was comparatively underwhelming — dark, visually sparse, and lacking the personality the setting deserved. The gameplay is the game's weakest pillar. Combat has a solid foundation — light and heavy attacks, a lock-on system, dodge mechanics, and a fun weapon durability system — but it's undermined by inconsistent mechanics that feel unreliable at the worst possible moments. The puzzles lean toward frustrating rather than satisfying, and the game's decision to spread its full story across five playthroughs asks a lot when each run offers so little variation. Performance issues compound all of this, with stutters and instability that actively undercut the atmosphere the game is trying to build. What saves it entirely is the story. The characters are layered, the themes are genuinely thoughtful, and the game tackles some surprisingly complex emotional and social territory with real care. The art direction leans into a wabi-sabi horror aesthetic — flora, decay, and symbolism that rewards close attention. The music, composed largely by Silent Hill veteran Akira Yamaoka, is excellent. Silent Hill f earns a 6.5/10. Try it before watching a playthrough, but don't pay full price — it's best experienced on sale or through a subscription service.