Almost three years after its initial announcement and teaser, Konami has finally released a new trailer for Silent Hill f, the first main-line entry to the classic survival horror franchise in over a decade, giving a better look at its rural Japan setting and psychological horror themes.
In a first for the series, the game will take place in 1960s Japan, set in the secluded town of Ebisugaoka, and will follow the tale of protagonist Hinako Shimizu as she struggles to survive when the town is suddenly consumed by fog, a mainstay of the series. The trailer showcases no shortage of grotesque elements, including glimpses of the game’s many deformed creatures, including one that’s made of multiple doll heads and limbs, alongside what seems to be some sort of spore infection giving over major The Last of Us vibes.
Despite its change up in setting, the upcoming game looks to retain the key elements from the franchise, including a heavy emphasis on psychological horror themes, the feeling of isolation and of course, using makeshift weaponry to deal with threats, with Hinako picking up a pipe to defend herself against an unseen horror off-screen.
Silent Hill f will be developed by Taiwan-based studio NeoBards Entertainment, with help from Konami. During the Silent Hill Transmission stream, more information was revealed on the game’s development, including appearances from writer Ryukishi07 and creature designer Kera, who explained its setting and influences, with the game’s town of Ebisugaoka being inspired by the real-world location of Gero, a mountainous city in Japan’s Gifu prefecture, with the team using reference photos and on-site sound recordings to help recreate and add authenticity to the game’s setting.
With its latest trailer, Silent Hill f looks to be on the right track as a return to form for the franchise, and a promising next evolution to the already strong foundations set by Konami’s most recent entry in the series, last year’s Silent Hill 2 remake. The upcoming game doesn’t have a release date yet, but is set to launch on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
