Fresh off the successful remake of Silent Hill 2, Konami has finally dropped an official reveal trailer for its upcoming Silent Hill f during today’s Silent Hill Transmission stream. Set in 1960s Japan, Silent Hill f marks the first new entry for the storied horror franchise since 2013, presenting a radically different take on the aesthetics and tone of the franchise which has typically utilised American locations and iconography.
The reveal trailer, linked below, introduces us to new series protagonist Shimizu Hinako, a young school girl whose secluded hometown of Ebisugaoka is enveloped in the iconic fog, twisting her once ordinary school and social pressures into abstract horrors. Hinako will need to “navigate the twisting paths of Ebisugaoka” solving puzzles and engaging in what looks to be series standard melee combat, the trailer and official game description seemingly hinting at something of an open town environment to be explored.
The trailer immediately establishing a refreshed vibe for the franchise as the game looks to be pulling on more grounded societal pressures and ramping them up to cosmic proportions. Blending traditional Japanese architecture and environments with a sombre small-town setting, Silent Hill f is evidently still keen on the kind of commentary the series is known for, this time transplanting that critical eye to situations such as gendered discrimination, bullying, and child abuse according to the lengthy trigger warning attached to the trailer.
The game is being written by Ryukishi07, a primarily visual novel writer with a lean in the esoteric, with fan favourite composer Akira Yamaoka returning to bridge the gap between old and new Silent Hill visions. “We believe we were able to blend the charm of Japan in a new way into the unique worldview of Silent Hill” Yamaoka said of the score for the game, a joint effort with Kensuke Inage. Elsewhere, creature design is being overseen by kera, a newcomer to the franchise who has been inspired by Silent Hill 2 in the past, their work ornately horrifying in unique ways.
It’s a stacked creative team, the interplay between old and new perspectives hopefully giving Silent Hill f the genuinely fresh take it needs to bring the franchise into the modern era. A consistent phrase that Konami has pushed around Silent Hill f is the concept of “beauty within terror”, positing that Hinako’s journey will be somewhat defined by her ability to discern the two from one another. In a trailer drenched in rich reds and burgeoning flowers, starkly contrasting with the imagery of previous Silent Hill games, it’s hard to not feel intrigued by what Silent Hill f might have to say about the lines we draw between what scares us and what draws us in.
No release date as of yet but store pages for the game have gone live on Steam and PlayStation with Xbox to follow at launch.
Are you keen to check out a new take on Silent Hill? Be sure to let us know in the comments below or wander into the fog that is social media and scream your thoughts into the cold, grey, unforgiving world.
One part pretentious academic and one part goofy dickhead, James is often found defending strange games and frowning at the popular ones, but he's happy to play just about everything in between. An unbridled love for FromSoftware's pantheon, a keen eye for vibes first experiences, and an insistence on the Oxford comma have marked his time in the industry.
