Fog is not something that immediately comes to mind in horror, but it is the first thing you encounter in the latest release in the Silent Hill franchise.
Silent Hill f was released on Sept. 25, 2025, and gave fans of the series a new installment set in 1960s Japan. NeoBards Entertainment Limited is the development team behind the game, providing players with the psychological horror experience needed this year — right on time for spooky season.
The plot of any Silent Hill game focuses on the main character’s troubles in another world with horrifying monsters lurking out of sight. Hinako Shimizu, the main character of this game, is no different. Living in the rural town of Ebisugaoka, Hinako gets into a rough argument with her parents before storming outside into the empty streets. She meets with her friends, Rinko, Shu and Sakuko before running into a fog monster.
As a big fan of the series, I anticipated the well-known aspects of Silent Hill, which were the iconic fog, exploration, combat and frightening monsters. The environment is my first impression of any horror game and it did not fail to make me dread walking around the small town. Aside from the setting, another crucial part of a good horror game is the soundtrack. It’s a big factor in how scary the game can really be. Akira Yamaoka composed music for the fog-laden world portion and Kensuke Inage for the shrine (save and upgrade) sections. The soundtrack matches the rural environment perfectly and adds to the fear of turning around a corner to expect something coming at me.
The scary factor of the enemies is important when playing a horror game and Silent Hill f is packed with plenty of jumpscare moments. This game isn’t just terrifying; it is crammed with beautiful details in every part of the designs. Motoi Okamoto, the producer, stated that the frightening monster concepts are about “finding the beauty in the terror,” which is the best way to describe the game as a whole.
Although, I’m not too sure about finding the new monsters so beautiful yet. There are many to encounter, some of them terrifying or just plain annoying to fight.
Combat is important in defeating monsters. Silent Hill f wants the player to enjoy a new version of the combat system by smashing monsters with a rusty pipe. Don’t expect to be playing a trained agent from a Resident Evil game, where the player can backflip with multiple guns. There won’t be anything like that. The fifteen-year-old protagonist is only given the option of using melee weapons with limited durability. The stamina, sanity and health bars add to the chore of engaging in a fight. While I was allowed to counter and dodge attacks, the idea of Hinako’s stamina running out mid-boss fight dampened my excitement about defeating enemies.
The combat became a major part of pushing the plot towards the end. Fighting the enemies can get repetitive in the latter half of the game, as I became more familiar with the enemies I encountered in the dark halls. I felt the most fearful when there were only a few of them, giving me no time to prepare for what I was going to encounter. The combat is nothing that experienced players haven’t seen before, but it doesn’t make fighting any more fun.
In between the fights, the boss battles are a refreshing break with different mechanics to keep me paying attention to strategy instead of just stabbing the monsters.
Besides the awkward combat, Silent Hill f wants players to think about solving puzzles and managing their inventory carefully. There are many puzzles available for players around the game, along with picking up items to replenish health. I enjoyed exploring for hints to solve these puzzles, yet as I progressed through the game more, they became less thrilling. Exploration is one of the stronger points, giving me the option to search through the town or the shrine realm. I never struggled to find items in every section of the game, such as chocolate or bandages. Finding stuff to collect is an exciting part of my gameplay experience.
Story is also a vital part to my enjoyment of a horror game. Scary monsters mean nothing if there’s no reasoning behind them. Each cutscene lets me figure out what the terror is behind the fog monster. In the midst of that plotline, it abruptly plunges me into another realm filled with shrines (Hinako’s inner mind).
The scenes taking place inside the other world become a break between the narrative of the mysterious town. My attention turns from exploring Ebisugaoka’s horror to the intriguing figure of the fox-mask man waiting for Hinako in the shrine realm. Finding a perfect pace between the two is something that the game struggles with in the second half, either staying too long in one world or too little.
The story of Silent Hill f is complex as seen by the amount of religious symbolism in both worlds and the consequences of characters growing up in a patriarchal society. While the pacing is less than perfect, the story ends strongly by giving players a cutscene of Hinako coming to a realization of the horror she’s experienced so far. For each replay of the game, I think the multiple endings are compelling for a player who loves deep horror stories, like me.
According to Game Developer, Silent Hill f has sold 1 million copies worldwide in less than a week. The high number proves that the Silent Hill name is not one of the past, but beloved within the horror game space. While the combat system may not be as polished compared to other titles, the story, atmosphere and creepy monsters make this a worthy game for anyone searching for the perfect scare in October — or any month.
