In my stressed desires, I see that city. I see its fog-drenched foothills and derelict buildings. I see its dead-end alleys and blank-faced inhabitants. And although it is not the identical hang-out that ensnared Harry, Heather, James, and the others–the identical city that’s siren tune broke many a person whereas concurrently constructing some of the iconic horror recreation franchises in existence–Silent Hill f’s Ebisugaoka continues to be a spot that calls for your consideration; a spot that, when you’re there, you by no means really go away. Or maybe extra aptly, it by no means leaves you.The identical may be stated for Silent Hill f itself. Although the sport distances itself from earlier entries within the series–most notably by buying and selling in its Lynchian-meets-Boschian atmosphere and small-town America setting in favor of slow-burning Japanese horror and the humid foothills of Honshu–its total expertise is each bit as memorable as these provided by its predecessors. And but Silent Hill f just isn’t merely a somewhat-divergent continuation of a beloved sequence; it is an evolution, providing a number of gameplay enhancements whereas additionally paving a brand new path ahead. With its sensible writing, well-designed and strategic gameplay, participating fight, and spectacular visuals, Silent Hill f firmly establishes itself as an outstanding work of psychological horror and among the many finest entries within the Silent Hill sequence.Though Silent Hill f’s setting is, to be cliche, very almost a personality in itself, on the middle of the sport’s story is Shimizu Hinako, a younger highschool pupil who’s violently thrust right into a disturbing model of her hometown. In the sport’s opening moments, it is made clear that Hinako’s relationships are rife with rigidity. As a younger lady rising up throughout the late 1960s, a lot of this rigidity stems from her resistance in direction of being a “proper” younger lady, a lot to her mother and father’ dismay. In her journal, she writes that her father is the very definition of a patriarchal husband–demanding, extreme, and domineering–while her mom is passive to the purpose of cowardice. For a very long time, Hinako’s older sister, Junko, was the one particular person she may depend on for companionship and safety. This modified, nonetheless, as soon as she acquired married and left dwelling, leaving Hinako alone and drowning in resentment.The occasions of Silent Hill f kick off shortly after yet one more struggle at dwelling. Following the argument, Hinako leaves to search out someone–anyone–whom she will be able to speak to. As she makes her approach via the eerily quiet Ebisugaoka, we’re launched to her three closest pals: Sakuko, Rinko, and Shu. In typical teenage trend, Hinako’s relationships with these three have an underlying sense of unease, although it is not instantly clear why. And but, teenage drama rapidly turns into the least of her issues as soon as a fog-shrouded monster begins to hunt her down, leaving flesh-devouring spider lilies, chrysanthemums, and purple streams of rot in its wake.Hinako is pressured to then navigate the slim alleyways and deserted buildings of Ebisugaoka as she makes an attempt to keep away from the infestation and the grotesque creatures who accompany it. And but, that is solely half of the harrowing expertise Hinako endures. At sure factors all through the sport, Hinako is thrust right into a spirit realm, during which a disarming younger man known as Fox Mask guides her via unusual temples and darkish trials.Though this premise is lots peculiar, Silent Hill f is in some methods a bit extra simple than earlier Silent Hill titles. Well… at first, anyway. At the very least, it is not fairly as uncanny. Rather than stumbling into struggling strangers who communicate in riddles, SHF makes use of these closest to Hinako to intensify intrigue and tension–to alarm and unease. Whereas earlier Silent Hill video games at all times felt a bit like David Lynch’s tackle a Hieronymus Bosch painting–alienating, dreamlike, and horrifying–Silent Hill f feels extra like a collaboration between surrealist filmmaker Satoshi Kon and horror manga legend Junji Ito. I would not dare to say one is best than the opposite, even when my private preferences skew me in direction of the latter, however I’ll say that Silent Hill f moved, unsettled, and awed me in methods few video games can.Regardless of whether or not Hinako is trudging via rice fields, roaming the halls of her former center college, or traipsing alongside Fox Mask within the spirit realm, the world of Silent Hill f is beautiful and atmospheric. Though I’ve by no means been to Kanayama–the real-life Japanese city that impressed Silent Hill f’s Ebisugaoka–I used to be extraordinarily impressed by the best way Konami managed to duplicate a rural Japanese city. I actually will not declare to be an arbiter of authenticity, however as I wove via alleys and watched concrete and chainlink give strategy to worn-wood properties and dampened dust paths, I used to be reminded of the time I’ve spent close to Nagano, or south of Osaka: locations the place nature and tradition coexist in such a surreal however lovely approach. As I moved via Ebisugaoka, I felt as if I may style the humidity; as if I may odor the forest flooring.The spirit realm, then again, feels appropriately unknowable–steeped in historical past and reverence. When you stroll via its temple halls, it feels as if the world needs to be eerily quiet, finally making the rattling chains of four-legged enemies, chattering of dolls, and Akira Yamaoka’s phenomenal compositions all of the extra impactful. Yes, composer Yamaoka returns for Silent Hill f, and whereas he naturally retains his skill to construct rigidity on the drop of a hat, Silent Hill f additionally would possibly simply showcase how lovely and consuming his work may be, too. I used to be impressed by how he makes SHF sound like a Silent Hill recreation whereas additionally giving it its personal identification and celebrating its new setting, inserting conventional Japanese instrumentation, guttural singing, and haunting choirs alongside his signature industrial sound.Yet constancy and sound aren’t all that contribute to how artistically profound Silent Hill f is. Among the extra essential parts are the sport’s haunting visuals and nightmarish creatures, each of which disturb as a lot as they fascinate, and achieve the sport’s mission of exploring the area the place the beautiful and grotesque meet. Boss designs are persistently exceptional, drawing upon conventional Japanese apparel, weaponry, and folklore to raise them, whereas your customary enemies–from hewn mannequins to female monstrosities whose our bodies are coated in pulsing, pregnant bellies–are each bit as unsettling. Expect to see flesh fall, bones snap, and loads of viscera throughout your time with Silent Hill f, in addition to cinematic cutscenes that really feel totally otherworldly.More necessary than being each visually and audibly exceptional, nonetheless, is how Silent Hill f’s areas serve the sport’s narrative and themes. Prior to Silent Hill f’s launch, Konami acknowledged that Silent Hill needs to be seen as a mind-set quite than a bodily location, therefore why some video games within the series–including SHF–don’t happen within the East Coast-inspired city. That stated, if we’re to view the areas these protagonists discover as metaphors for the human psyche, I can not think about a extra appropriate world than the one crafted right here.Ebisugaoka’s alleys reduce via the city like neural pathways–twisting, turning, connecting, and coming to abrupt ends. Both the city and the spirit realm disorient simply as a lot as they dazzle, heightening this sense of confusion and loss. They additionally enjoy contradiction. Throughout the sport, we witness beautiful grotesquery as flowers and gore eat the city in equal measure; we stumble throughout sacred locations that really feel totally profane, and watch because the supernatural and otherworldly collide with the plush and pure. Much like Hinako and Silent Hill f itself, this world just isn’t meant to be completely understood.Naturally, this sense of thriller additionally heightens one of many Silent Hill sequence’ most notable options: its puzzles. Throughout Silent Hill f, there are roughly a dozen puzzles to unravel, with a very necessary one sprawling throughout the whole recreation and requiring not less than one playthrough to be accomplished earlier than you can begin it. Others are extra simple, and process you with issues like deciphering a coded language, discovering and appropriately inserting medallions, or navigating complicated hallways by pulling levers to open and shut doorways.By and enormous, these are all participating and simply the fitting stage of problem on the sport’s Hard mode, its default puzzle problem. After finishing the sport as soon as, you may additionally achieve Lost within the Fog problem, which provides a bit extra of a problem, although I did not discover it to be too extraordinary a soar. That stated, one or two of those puzzles stand out as far much less pleasurable (and extra convoluted) than the others, finally dragging on a bit too lengthy for my liking and leading to my going through off towards a grating variety of enemies.Fortunately, Silent Hill f alleviates a few of the annoyance these moments fire up with remarkably enjoyable close-quarters fight. Compared to earlier entries within the sequence, Silent Hill f is extra action-oriented, counting on executing excellent dodges and parrying on the right time to dish out injury to enemies. Though the studio has shied away from comparisons to soulslikes, there’s an undeniably acquainted feeling as you bounce forwards and backwards between light- and heavy-attacks earlier than rapidly dodging out of hurt’s approach. And whereas some horror video games stumble after they lean too far into motion, Silent Hill f manages to take action to nice success, making a fluid and fascinating system that enhances the sport quite than detracts from it.That stated, it is not excellent. At instances, I felt enemies weren’t fairly as aware of my assaults as I needed and lacked correct suggestions. Other instances, I discovered myself a bit pissed off by how the sport’s tight corridors, rapidly depleting stamina bar, and imperfect controls created conditions the place I used to be unable to do something as an enemy repeatedly wailed on me. This did not occur too usually, although, and contemplating horror video games aren’t recognized for having notably jaw-dropping fight, I did not thoughts these few moments of unreliability and overwhelm. In some regards, it served as a reminder that Hinako is only a highschool lady, not a military-trained operative you would possibly discover in Resident Evil 3’s Raccoon City.And whereas fight is extra fluid than ever, this does not essentially imply it is simple or that you must have interaction with each enemy you encounter. Keeping in keeping with former Silent Hill video games, there is no such thing as a actual incentive so that you can tackle enemies you are not required to kill to progress–no objects are dropped, and no expertise is given. In truth, selecting to take action can come at a detriment, as fight may be fairly difficult and can at all times price you extra sources than you internet, together with your weapons.Yes, along with your well being, stamina, and sanity, you may need to take note of your weapon’s sturdiness as you play, as weapon degradation is again. While this would possibly sound like so much to watch, in execution it really works extraordinarily nicely, and significantly heightens the stakes and sense that Hinako’s survival should be gained.In addition to weapon degradation, Silent Hill f’s permanent-upgrade system additionally provides one other layer of technique and useful resource administration. Throughout Ebisugaoka and the spirit realm are shrines Hinako can go to to enshrine choose objects, together with a few of these used to heal or regenerate sanity and stamina. Enshrining an object converts it into Faith, which may then be used to attract an omamori–a talisman granting Hinako a random boon–or to completely improve certainly one of her stats. This provides an fascinating factor of selection, as you will need to think about whether or not you must hold on to your numerous therapeutic objects to make use of in battle or convert them into religion for everlasting upgrades.Trading in your objects for upgrades is made much more tempting by the truth that each Hinako’s stat upgrades and omamoris carry over to New Game Plus, significantly heightening their usefulness and making subsequent playthroughs simpler. And whilst you won’t usually be the kind to replay a recreation on New Game Plus, Silent Hill f makes an especially compelling case to rethink your stance.Although a playthrough of Silent Hill f takes round 10 hours to finish, you would be remiss to name it a 10-hour-long recreation. Within the sport there are 5 endings, certainly one of which you’re locked into the primary time you play, and it was solely after unlocking two of them that I started to really feel as if I considerably understood what was taking place to Hinako and her hometown; that I started to understand that every playthrough shouldn’t be seen as a separate expertise, however as half of an entire.As such, enjoying via Silent Hill f a number of instances feels completely important to the general expertise. For these of you acquainted with the sport’s author, Ryukishi07, this would possibly come as no shock, as his different works are recognized for doing exactly this and infrequently use their first ending to boost questions quite than reply them; Silent Hill f is not any exception. Thankfully, unbelievable gameplay, the power to skip previous cutscenes, loads of new content material every playthrough, and dramatically totally different endings–complete with totally different bosses–make enjoying via the sport a number of instances an thrilling prospect.Yet probably the most compelling cause to replay Silent Hill f is just to expertise each little bit of its sensible, horrifying, and, oftentimes, deeply cathartic story. Though I will not dive too deep into the concepts and themes of the sport with a purpose to protect the expertise for others, suffice to say I used to be blown away by the mastery during which Silent Hill f explores gender roles, company, isolation, identification, relationships, and womanhood, in addition to by the best way it completely balances readability and ambiguity to create one thing profound and reflective. Among AAA titles, there are few video games that dare to broach the identical subjects developer NeoBards Entertainment does on this title–and far fewer that deal with them with even near the identical quantity of grace, nuance, and conviction.Perhaps this is not stunning, contemplating that just about each a part of Silent Hill f is crafted with the identical stage of care and ability. And but, that does not make something about this recreation and what NeoBards has achieved any much less spectacular. Silent Hill f is not only a return to kind, it is a exceptional evolution; it is a visible spectacle, a mastercraft in psychological horror, a piece of narrative brilliance, and a brand new benchmark for the Silent Hill sequence.
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