Silent Hill F Preview – A Bold New Chapter with Terrifying Monsters and a Japanese Twist

Silent Hill has always been a gamble. For a few real masterpieces, a few more strikes against progress and quiet nights of thinking, “Just leave it to Django Reinhardt — or Lenny Breau?” Last year’s Silent Hill 2 remake was some kind of antiseptic, an anguish by numbers. Silent Hill F, due Sept. 25, 2025, is the exact opposite bookend to that: brash and divisive — one that has already been actively roiling passions of fans and critics alike.

A New Setting: Japan, 1960s

And, for the first time, Silent Hill does not occur in a typical foggy American town. Instead, the action takes place in Ebisugaoka, an invented Japanese village of some time in the 1960s.

The setting is evident from the start: you’ll wade through mucky rice fields, visit shrines, sip ramune soda and solve puzzles based on Japanese folklore. These little touches really gives the game its very own style.

Some players believe this change is exciting and adds novelty to the game. “Some people think it’s not different enough, or changes the series too much from its roots.”

Hinako Shimizu

A Different Kind of Protagonist

This time, the lead is Hinako Shimizu, a high school student who has an abusive father and a mother who does nothing to stop him. Her trauma manifests into flesh and blood as the village warps into a nightmarish reality.

Rather than the middle-aged male players characters Silent Hill has often been reliant on, Hinako is weak, messed up and forced to face horrors that reflect her torment. Her tale is shorter — about nine hours — but replayable due to multiple endings.

Community response here is mixed: some are cheering the decision for a younger female lead; others are taking shots at it. One YouTube commenter: “To me, the image of a tiny little Japanese school girl annihilating countless terrifying monsters in hand-to-hand combat is comical and takes away the scary.”

Grotesque Monsters, Disturbing Themes

What is not in doubt is the monster design. Scarecrow-esque apparitions that only attack when nah buddy your back is turned. Bloating corpses that ballooned into shrieking horrors. Knife-wielding mannequins lurking around corners. The designs are an absolute nightmare, and they’re also very much tied into Hinako’s trauma.

Abuse, discrimination and regret are key themes throughout the tale, and these can often be seen represented in a precise body horror. There’s one scene in particular people have compared to making Heavy Rain’s notorious finger-chopping seem like a gentle paper cut.

A new game does or doesn’t feel scary to half the community. Some say the environment is creepy, and others write that “the character design and settings is good but it doesn’t make for a horror atmosphere because it’s not scary at all.”

The Combat Debate

The biggest flashpoint is combat. And, unlike most prior games in the series, Silent Hill F is melee-only: no guns, all meat (literal and symbolic). Weapons break easily, stamina depletes rapidly, and dodging is frequently more productive than attacking.

Reviewers including IGN referred to it as “all risk and no reward,” saying it made combat feel like a chore. But players are pushing back. Can’t finish it, fight a bunch of dummys.”One fan replied: “Dude is trying to find some type of sexual gratification in brawls in a survival horror game. The reward here is you’re still alive.”

Others taunted the reviewer for wanting Souls-style combos: “It’s not Dark Souls or DMC so combat is bad 7/10. Nuanced storytelling—what’s that?”

This tug-of-war is everywhere. Some feel that the clunky melee is just right for survival horror, some think it obliterates tension.

Critical Scores vs Fan Reactions

This split is reflected in the game’s early reviews. It was given a 7/10 from IGN, with particular attention paid to combat frustrations. That immediately triggered the community, as most other places scored it higher and some people even slam IGN's scoring system.

Let me add Reviewer scores :)!

IGN=7/10

GameSpot=90

Eurogamer=80

GAMINGBible=90

Here is how the community has been reacting to these scores:

“IGN 7 I give about an 8–9 and IGN 8–9 is probably a 7–6.”

“Gamespot gave it a 9/10. It’s a buy for me.”

“The game currently sits at an 86 on Metacritic after 59 reviews — IGN’s 7 is very much the outlier here.”

A few fans aimed their fire not at the game, but at the reviewer. Scores of comments attacked the delivery, tone and suitability even fact-checking by the IGN video. “Why bemoan that guns aren’t plentiful in 1960s Japan versus a fictional American town? 0 credibility.”

Some others had defended the review, arguing if you didn’t like the combat, a 7 / 10 was fair. But on the whole, the broader gaming press has ended up around the 8.5/10 average mark, with IGN being more of an outlier than anything else.

Editions, Bonuses, and System Requirements

Editions, Bonuses, and System Requirements

Deluxe Edition Contents:

• Full Game
• Digital Artbook
• Digital Soundtrack (MP3/WAV)
• Pink Rabbit Costume

Pre-purchase Bonuses:

• White Sailor School Uniform
• Omamori: Peony (equipable item)
• Item Pack (Shriveled Abura-age, Divine Water, First Aid Kit)
• Deluxe Edition buyers also get 48-hour early access.

System Requirements:

• Minimum: i5-8400 / Ryzen 5 2600, GTX 1070 Ti / RX 5700, 16 GB RAM, SSD recommended.
• Recommended: i7-9700 / Ryzen 5 5500, RTX 2080 / RX 6800XT, 16 GB RAM, SSD required.

Silent Hill F – FAQs

1: What is the release date of Silent Hill F?

Silent Hill F will be released on September 25,2025. The Deluxe Edition lets you play 2 days early, on September 23§, 2025. pre-order now.

2: Is there a Silent Hill F review?

Yes. Early reviews are already live. It received a 7/10 score from IGN, with particular dissatisfaction expressed for the melee combat being clumsy, while elsewhere — such as from GameSpot, which gave it a higher ranking of 9/10. Reception On Metacritic, Silent Hill F has an average score of approximately 86/100; most reviews point to the story, atmosphere and monster design but criticize combat.

3: How much does Silent Hill F cost?

Konami has yet to officially announce the final global price but, expect Silent Hill F to be priced at around $69.99 USD for the Standard Edition and $79.99 USD on Xbox & PlayStation for the Deluxe Edition which includes; Digital Artbook, Soundtrack and Pink Rabbit Costume. Its base game is 36,99$ on the Epic games store and 25,99$ for the base game on Steam.

4: What is the gameplay like in Silent Hill F?

Silent Hill F is a horror survival game that doesn't provide players with firearms and only allows melee combat. The protagonist, Hinako, wields makeshift weapons such as pipes, bats and crowbars that wear out as she uses them. Players must also keep track of stamina, sanity and weapon durability, adding layers of tension.

The game focuses on solving puzzles and exploring a spooky 1960s Japanese village, with less focus on combat. The puzzles tell stories and are based on folklore, so they're some of the best parts of the experience.

Final Thoughts

Silent Hill F is probably going to be one of the most controversial horror games in recent years. We’re feeling positive about Suda51’s hack-and-slasher, thanks to its great Japanese flavored setting and a crazy-assed story supported by a ton of freaky monsters that are winning early plaudits – although the melee combat is as divisive as it gets.

Fans are excited, critics are debating, and the community is as loud as it’s ever been—on precisely the kind of conversation you want around a new Silent Hill.

On Sept. 25, 2025, we’ll see where the dust lands. One thing about Silent Hill F is certain for now: It’s daring, disturbing and irresistible.