No, Silent Hill f is not a Soulslike, at least according to series producer Motoi Okamoto, who came forward to address the current fan debate on the game’s methodical close-ranged combat at the recently concluded Gamescom 2025.
Speaking to IGN, Okamoto addressed the fan debate that arose due to the release of its combat gameplay, which featured a melee system that seemed weighty and slow, with an emphasis on studying enemy reactions, alongside a weapon degradation system and what looks to be much tougher boss encounters, making some fans worried that the game would adopt the infamously inaccessible Soulslike format.
To set the record straight, Okamoto insisted that the Silent Hill f, which will be developed by Resident Evil Re: Verse team NeoBards Entertainment, will not be a Soulslike despite these combat mechanics, and explains that these systems were already present in classic Silent Hill games.
“This is one of the things that we see — the term soulslike — being thrown around on the internet quite a bit,” he explained, “And I think it’s a label that’s a little bit disingenuous. Modern players will see like, oh, there’s a stamina meter, there’s a dodge, and they’re like, ‘Okay, it’s a soulslike.’”
“But to be very honest, a lot of these things we actually pulled from classic Silent Hill titles. Look at Silent Hill 4 — there’s a charge meter for your attacks, kind of like our Focus meter. And even for Silent Hill 3 there’s a stamina meter. You see it later on.”
According to IGN, Okamoto also expressed a “degree of frustration with the online dialogue surrounding the game”. “These things aren’t new and exclusive to soulslike games,” he added, “They’ve been a part of action horror games for a very, very long time. If you have these things you’re labelled a Soulslike. And we’d like to reiterate we are an action horror game, but we are not a Soulslike.”
Still, even with Okamoto’s firm stance, it remains to be seen how challenging Silent Hill f’s combat system will be, especially for players not used to its slower melee-centric style. Fans don’t have to wait that much longer to find out for themselves, as the game is set for release on 25 September 2025 for 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.
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