One of the hardest things a game needs to do for its audience is convince them to accept its perspective. Many modern games do this by simply watering it down to the simplest, most basic views. Monsters bad, good guys good, etc. Some feign intellect by saying "What if monsters good?" but never do anything outside of a little smug dance going "I am so smart guys my game is so deep, hee hee!"

Silent Hill f is neither of these things. This is a game absolutely lost in its own world, and eager to show you why. It's enrapturing, enthralling and so much more- wrapped in the same kind of complexities and introspections as you'd find in a visual novel.

Title: Silent Hill f

Developer: NeoBards

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

That Showa Era Charm

The star of Silent Hill f is Hinako, a schoolgirl in the 60s. From the get go, scriptwriter and When They Cry series creator Ryukishi07 has not been shy what this is about: it's a game about being a woman. The game is absolutely dripping in its themes, as every item reflects Hinako's own thoughts about her role as a woman vs her individuality as a person.

It's not just society's expectations of her, either. The game has so much to say about the relationships between women decades before Facebook was a thing. Fake friends, tearing each other apart just to get ahead- the game is obsessed with commentary on being an individualist in a collectivist society.

A lot of these thoughts are confined to the game's journal. Seriously, I cannot recommend you to check it out enough. These pages update as you go through the story, chronicling Hinako's own thoughts on her relationships with her friendgroups. It's not that the rest of the game doesn't touch on them, but more that it helps some of the revelations feel less left-field.

Combine that with its gripping visuals and you've got yourself an instant classic. Nothing cements the game's themes like the horrors it uses to visualize it. As Hinako moves between the Dark Shrine and the Fog Town segments, you really get a feel for what the game is trying to go for. Every reaction feels intentional- when the game's being confusing, it's because it demands confusion from you. You're meant to see the emotions the game stacks in its deck of cards and see where else in the game you can apply them.

Puzzles Galore

It helps that he game is set against a gorgeous backdrop of levels. Survival horror games have some of the most economic use of stages, and Silent Hill f is no different. Its puzzles are intricate and detailed, and so incredibly full of character given they don't really repeat mechanics.

In one chapter, you're exploring Hinako's old middle school. You discover that the students are quite fond of codes- where mathematical symbols and numbers spell out words, and a great deal of the valuables in that school require you to familiarize yourself with the ongoings of these children.

I need to stress, if you're playing this on the game-default Hard mode for puzzles, it really does not pull its punches. In one level, I'm made to navigate a giant rice field, with only the pointing of scarecrows to help me. The catch? You have to find the helpful scarecrow amid many more violent ones. You find yourself suddenly realizing that everyone is out to hurt you, and you need to make an extra effort to find the good ones and heed their words. Well played.

Speaking of violence, the biggest gripe with Silent Hill f would have to be its combat. But here's the catch: it once again feels intentional. Combat is extremely clunky, with the game punishing you any time you try to pilot Hinako like anything else besides a teenage girl. A lot of it boils down to the stamina system: run out and its a multi-second wait before it even starts to regenerate.

It's not an action game and it doesn't want you to view it as such. Combine that with the weapon degradation system and, yeah, you're in for a frustrating time. Still, it forces interesting habits if you try to adapt to it. For one, Hinako can counter certain attacks- but only if the enemy flashes first, which you can only even see if she's not dodging or attacking.

You're playing a much slower game, with two hits and an escape dodge at most. The worst part is of the game's many upgrades, Stamina regen isn't one of them. You're stuck with this for the whole game, baby.

Verdict: Silent Hill f

I cannot stress enough how good Silent Hill f is. It's such a visually interesting adventure that brings the best parts of a visual novel and combines it with the engaging gameplay of a survival horror.

It's confident enough in what it wants to be that similar to Hinako, it doesn't really care if its bucking your expectations on its other systems. It has things to say, and it doesn't care if it's wholly appropriate to be saying them at this moment.

One important thing to note, though- just like a Visual Novel, the game does have multiple endings, and you are locked into the first ending for that first go around. That's neither good nor bad, but just know that there's more to the game after you hit credits.

• Presentation: 10/10
• Gameplay: 9/10
• Content: 10/10

Final Score: 9.5/10

Game reviewed on PS5. Review copy provided by Konami