In some methods, Silent Hill f represents a recent begin for the revered franchise. The primary new mainline entry in over 13 years unfolds in Japan, removed from the sequence’ namesake foggy American city, and in the course of the Nineteen Sixties, no much less. To see how these modifications are molding this installment, I traveled to Konami’s workplace in Tokyo to play the primary 5 hours of the survival horror title. Regardless of the radically totally different setting and period, Silent Hill f seems like a return to the traditional entries, albeit with some ache factors surrounding fight.
Should you’re a newcomer to Silent Hill, fret not; developer NeoBards and Konami are treating Silent Hill f as a recent slate divorced from the established canon, making it a fantastic entry level. The sport stars Shimizu Hinako, a rebellious teenage lady dwelling within the small, secluded city of Ebisugaoka. Hinako has a tumultuous dwelling life. She hates her abusive father and resents her subservient mom for permitting her father to have his approach with them. That is maybe why Hinako rejects conventional feminine roles and behaves extra “masculine”, to the chagrin of her mother and father and even a few of her associates.
Regardless of projecting a troublesome exterior, Hinako thinks little of herself, writing in her journal that “there’s not a single extraordinary factor about me.” Hinako does adore her older sister, nevertheless, viewing her as a protector and confidant. Sadly, her sister has since married and moved out, leaving Hinako alone in a house she detests.
Hinako finds help in her childhood buddy, Shu, and fellow associates Sakuko, a spunky lady hailing from a household of shrine monks, and the extra shy Rinko, who might have a crush on Shu. Sadly, it isn’t lengthy earlier than a sinister fog and crimson vein-like vines overtake their dwelling. I don’t know why or the way it occurs, however the village is reworked right into a nightmarish, but hauntingly lovely model of itself, because of the blood-red flower blossoms overtaking the whole lot. Monsters stalking the streets have changed Ebisugaoka’s residents, and Hinako turns into separated from her associates.
Talking to developer NeoBards artistic director Al Yang, Silent Hill f primarily attracts design inspiration from Silent Hill 1 and a couple of. Concerning fight, nevertheless, the group examined Silent Hill 4: The Room and its extra melee-centric motion. Don’t anticipate to wield weapons in Silent Hill f; Hinako solely makes use of close-range weapons equivalent to pipes, bats, and knives. Weapons additionally degrade and break with use, and you’ll solely equip three at a time. Though you possibly can restore them utilizing software kits, a part of Silent Hill f’s problem is available in monitoring weapon sturdiness and figuring out if it’s price carrying down weapon in opposition to a terrifying foe.
I make this dedication typically; the village’s slender alleyways means circumventing enemies isn’t as straightforward because it was in earlier Silent Hill video games. As such, I repeatedly needed to depend on Hinako’s dodge to evade assaults, which expends a stamina meter. Executing a last-second excellent dodge replenishes this bar – an important talent to grasp as you’ll want your power to fend off unavoidable threats.
Bludgeoning fleshy, mannequin-like creatures and eerie masked scarecrows feels weighty and fittingly clumsy (Hinako is only a child, in any case), whether or not utilizing mild assaults or slower, extra highly effective heavy assaults, every carried out utilizing the precise shoulder buttons. If this configuration sounds suspiciously Souls-like, it’s not totally inaccurate. Between the deliberate assaults and the necessity to consistently monitor the stamina bar, Silent Hill f has shades of the subgenre From Software program popularized.
Whereas that’s effective, Hinako’s stamina regenerates too slowly for my tastes. Even whenever you don’t absolutely expend stamina, it takes a few second and a half earlier than it begins to refill, which seems like an eternity as a result of it’s simply lengthy sufficient to be weak to successive assaults from the much-faster enemies. Monsters transfer shortly and erratically, and dodging threats like a leaping foe that hops round Hinako expends a ton of power in a short time. I typically died merely from missing the power to flee after dodging two or three assaults in a row. Hinako describes herself in her journal as being a former monitor and discipline athlete, so that you’d suppose she’d have higher conditioning.
One massive, virtually Souls-esque boss battle was an absolute nightmare due to this stamina limitation, and never simply within the literal sense. Greatest described as a demonic little one wielding a spiked hammer, a torn maw of flapping pores and skin, and draped in priestess robes with lengthy needles protruding of her, she’s absolute nightmare gas (particularly since my demo station was close to a life-size statue of her). This monster’s relentless assaults require fixed dodging, extra so than the delayed regeneration of your stamina meter can deal with. Tack on that you simply want stamina to retaliate in addition to chase her when she begins disappearing/reappearing across the area, and taking her down is infuriatingly robust. I spent a full hour on this battle and I wasn’t alone. Each individual I spoke to shared related frustrations, and I hope it is reworked for launch after giving my critiques to the artistic director.
When working away isn’t an choice, you possibly can interrupt enemy assaults by retaliating after they emit a telltale jittery glow. Nailing this efficiently stuns the enemy. When you can obtain this by retaining a pointy lookout – counter home windows are fleeting – a mechanic referred to as Focus makes figuring out these openings simpler. By holding the left shoulder set off, the display darkens to higher expose and lengthen the length of the counterattack window.
Nonetheless, performing Focus drains Hinako’s Sanity meter, a useful resource additionally spent to carry out charged Focus Assaults. By holding down the assault and Focus buttons for a interval, this particular assault offers huge injury on the expense of Sanity. Nonetheless, readying this assault leaves Hinako weak, and absorbing injury that interrupts your Focus Assault lowers the Sanity bar itself. Focusing whereas wielding heavier weapons, like a sledgehammer, permits Hinako to carry out a block in opposition to most assaults, however this expedites weapon degradation. To maintain your head above water, an merchandise wheel allows you to use varied therapeutic gadgets, in addition to these restoring Sanity, on the fly.
Fight may be very difficult, particularly when coping with a couple of adversary directly. I died typically, respawning at prayer shrines serving as checkpoints. When the going will get robust, Shrines supply alternatives to enhance Hinako’s possibilities. For instance, you possibly can equip her with an omamori, charms that add useful perks, equivalent to lowering stamina utilization. Nonetheless, you possibly can initially solely equip a single omamori at a time, and I repeatedly swapped them out throughout particularly brutal encounters.
Shrines additionally let you current choices, whether or not valuables discovered throughout exploration or sure consumables like well being gadgets, to earn a particular foreign money referred to as Religion. Spending Religion means that you can replenish your Sanity meter primarily based on the quantity spent. It’s also possible to use Religion to buy new omamori from a randomized pool, type of ike a loot field. I’m not wild on gaining new omamori on a cube roll, provided that it not solely prices lots of of Religion factors to purchase, however every buy raises the fee by one other 100. Why would I need to save up lots of of Religion factors after I don’t even know if the omamori I get can be useful to a given state of affairs?
Exploring the labyrinthine Ebisugaoka affords many otherworldly surprises, areas, and mysteries. This contains the surprising help of an enigmatic and questionably reliable masked man. Draped in white robes to match his white hair, who or what this younger man is stays to be seen, however he possesses supernatural skills and seemingly needs to assist Hinako keep alive. Whether or not that is out of pure altruism or if the masked man has his personal sinister agenda must anticipate the total launch, however Hinako encounters a number of eerie hints to not belief this individual.
In between combating or avoiding monsters, I encountered a number of elaborate puzzles, necessary and optionally available, whereas exploring Ebisugaoka’s foggy streets. These riddles may be as intelligent as they’re devious. One required utilizing a poem to search out the proper illustrations from a number of, scattered boards stuffed with picket footage – all whereas evading a patrolling blind beast delicate to sound. Whereas I loved most puzzles, just a few left me scratching my head, and never in a great way.
At one level, I used to be trapped in a foggy, open farm discipline that warped me again to its begin if I proceeded aimlessly. Discovering the proper path required pinpointing a particular creepy scarecrow out of a giant group of them, and my solely clue was a cryptic message that felt a bit too obscure. Every time I assumed I knew what to search for, I selected the unsuitable scarecrow, bringing it to life to assault me as punishment. I bumbled my approach by way of 5 situations of this train (which felt two rounds too lengthy) and completed with out ever actually greedy what I used to be doing.
These workouts, together with a sequence in an deserted center faculty that required unlocking doorways and avoiding threats, finest evoked the Silent Hill of previous. Interiors require discovering keys to unlock sure doorways. You unravel bespoke puzzles to earn new gadgets or clues. All of the whereas, you’ll confront all method of monstrosities roaming about. The open world incorporates sure optionally available buildings you possibly can discover, too, equivalent to the house of the city physician, which has its personal mini thriller surrounding his whereabouts.
It’s unclear what number of optionally available areas, puzzles, or enemy encounters Silent Hill f affords, however they seemingly feed into its a number of endings. True to sequence custom, Silent Hill f has 5 totally different endings. Nonetheless, these alternate endings don’t turn into out there till the second playthrough. The primary playthrough ends precisely the identical for everybody, as NeoBards and Konami need to inform a purposefully crafted story with an intentional starting, center, and finish.
When you’ve seen the canonical ending, subsequent playthroughs consider your actions (how is unclear) and result in branching outcomes. NeoBards says it didn’t write these endings as being “Good” or “Unhealthy”. Fairly, they’ll be up for interpretation. And sure, one of many endings is the fan-favorite and foolish UFO conclusion.
Silent Hill f raised the hairs on my neck greater than as soon as, because of its scary creatures and efficient sound design, amplified by improbable 3D audio. Whereas I’ve just a few misgivings with fight, I like the sport’s presentation, setting, and ambiance. Puzzle-solving is intelligent and pleasurable, and I’m intrigued to see the place the story goes (particularly the branching endings). Primarily based on what I performed to date, the sport is preemptively checking the packing containers of not solely a robust Silent Hill sport, however a enjoyable survival horror expertise.
Maybe greater than something, I’m simply joyful to see the Silent Hill franchise firing on all cylinders once more. Silent Hill f has the makings of a robust entry that maintains the optimistic momentum of final yr’s nice Silent Hill 2 remake.