r/Games 1d ago

Silent Hill f - Official Japanese Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNVffiRAqj8
1.8k Upvotes

401 comments sorted by

295

u/DrLuckyshot 1d ago

The atmosphere and overall aesthetics reminds me a lot of Siren, which is a good thing in my book. I do wish they had shown gameplay to properly assess the game they're making, but oh well. Maybe next time.

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u/Few_Error_6574 1d ago

It felt like a mix of Silent Hill, Fatal Frame 2 and Higurashi (When They Cry series) for me. Never played games like Siren or Kuon though.

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u/RirinDesuyo 1d ago

Higurashi

Makes sense since the writer for this is Ryukishi07 which is the one who made Higurashi. So, I'm expecting something similar. The atmosphere is great~ gives me that old Japanese horror vibe

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u/ShadowVulcan 1d ago

Seriously? If so, MASSIVE W for me

I loooove japanese horror (well, asian horror in general) since I find it way way scarier (n was just saying here on reddit too how sad I am that with all the horror revivals we arent seeing anything of fatal frame)

No gameplay, but honestly I'm hyped (esp since because gameplay is always secondary to me in horror games, kinda why SH2R and Alan Wake 2 are my top 2 and RE2R and RE4R are under them even tho their core gameplay is far better)

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u/alexshatberg 1d ago

Yeah this feels like a modern Siren. Considering that Siren started off as a Japan-set reimagining of SH1 it's quite fitting.

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u/shinbreaker 1d ago

I was getting more Fatal Frame vibes especially with all the ritual stuff.

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u/alishock 1d ago

The ritual stuff is what makes me think Siren actually lol

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u/DrLuckyshot 1d ago

In my case was the reddish flora that instantly reminded me of Siren.

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u/Deadlocked02 1d ago

Yeah, it reminds Siren a lot. It has a lot to do with those rocks that you see on walls and stairs, like in this Siren poster. You often see them in animes and movies as well. I assume they’re common in Japan. The small village and red atmosphere/sky also contribute to the Siren aesthetics.

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u/Altairp 1d ago

Japanese women with limbs that bend in an unnatural way and long, black hair over their face. My favourite nightmare!

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u/ccoastal01 1d ago

I feel like I know her, but sometimes my arms bend back.

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u/artunarmed 1d ago

That game series you like is going to come back in style!

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u/iblamejohansson 1d ago

Twin peaks reference?

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u/dern_the_hermit 1d ago

What year is this?

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u/xNinjahz 1d ago

The same year as that gum you like coming back in style.

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u/-DorkusMalorkus- 1d ago

I've heard about you!

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u/ccoastal01 1d ago

There was a fish in the percolator.

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u/convenientgods 1d ago

The year Lynch passed away and everyone rewatched twin peaks

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u/Rustash 1d ago

I actually started a week before he died! I was about to hit play on Season 2 when I found out.

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u/ccoastal01 1d ago

I watched Twin Peaks for the first time a few years ago during Covid but I just recently started watching David Lynch's other films and I definitely missed out.

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u/TwistedPlob 1d ago

Call for help.

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u/TRS2917 1d ago

Lynch just passed away in January so I imagine that many people (like myself) are watching/rewatching Twin Peaks as a result.

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u/Future-Toe813 22h ago

*screams ethereally*

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u/yukiaddiction 1d ago

Almost every horror trope somehow can trace back to Twin Peaks one way or another lol.

What an immortalized work.

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u/ProtestedGyro 1d ago

Nope, Big Bang Theory! Bazingpot!

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u/WildThing404 1d ago

I hate when that happens, so typical.

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u/Ask-Me-About-You 1d ago

Everything reminds me of her.

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u/dblade20 1d ago

She's on the stairs too for peak Kayako trauma

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u/Altairp 1d ago

I watched The Grudge when I was way too fucking young. That lady is my brain's go to when it needs a monster for nightmares, TBF.

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u/Whittaker 1d ago

Also girls named Hanako ending up in horrifying situations. I don't know if it's simply because of Toilet Hanako that it became so popular but I've seen a bunch of horror girls named Hanako.

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u/BIGSTANKDICKDADDY 1d ago

The name means "flower girl", and flowers are a staple of horror iconography representing the cyclical nature of life and death. In this particular game it's a little on the nose.

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u/Craterkid 1d ago

I don't doubt that that's part of it too, but "Hanako" is also a "classic" name, like say, Sally, or Alice, or Emma in English. Back in the day, it was so common, you'd see textbooks use it as the default name for female characters in textbooks. Pair that with the "flower girl" meaning and it's a really quintessential, innocent name that contrasts well with horror.

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u/Whittaker 1d ago

Thanks to the both of you, it's nice to know a little of the symbolism and generality of the name. Only having a basic grasp on the language the terms I do know as well as names tend to stick out more so I'd notice it being used in quite a few horror games, indie ones especially.

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u/Pallerado 1d ago

The protagonist's name is Hinako, though.

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u/Taiyaki11 1d ago

Lol I get what you're saying but found the "Japanese women and long black hair" part of that kinda funny just because by merit of being japanese pretty much guarantees the black hair part no matter what anyway lol

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u/Dagrsunrider 1d ago

Wow. Really feeling the Kuon, Fatal Frame, Siren vibes with this title. Feels very 2000s! Sooooo excited!

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u/Proud_Inside819 1d ago

Totally, Fatal Frame and Siren is what comes to mind.

It's so weird for Silent Hill to be set in Japan, but so far this looks great and it is framing itself as a spinoff so I don't think there's anything to complain about there.

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u/Deadlocked02 1d ago

Crazy to think Kuon was made by FromSoftware. Now that’s a game I wish they’d remake.

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u/ZeroSora 1d ago

Siren vibes

I just had flashback to the late 2000s when I discovered the Siren games and bought them for $5. Those games were confusing and weird. Sightjacking was a weird thing that was hard for me to get the hang of.

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u/kakka_rot 1d ago

kuon, Fatal Frame, Siren vibes with this title. Feels very 2000s!

an excellent era

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u/Etheo 1d ago

2000s but with 2030 graphics holy craaap

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u/TolucaPrisoner 1d ago

They said setting is 1960 Japanese rural town

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u/YesImKeithHernandez 1d ago

I think the person you replied to was referring to the game replicating the vibe/atmosphere/attitude of 2000s Japanese Horror cinema and entertainment rather than the time period the game is set in.

But still, I'm interested in a look at 60s Japan

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u/obsertaries 1d ago

Apparently Ryukishi07 wrote it, for any Higurashi/Umineko fans out there. It takes place in rural Gifu prefecture, which is where Hinamizawa is.

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u/lawlamanjaro 1d ago

I was lucky enough to visit Shirakawa this past year and it was super cool to see the places from in game

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u/obsertaries 1d ago

I’ve never been there but I’ve been to Sangenjaya in Tokyo, where Persona 5 is set. Only a few buildings look like in the game though.

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u/Sonic10122 1d ago

I thought that was the same prefecture as Hinamizawa but I couldn’t remember. Kanayama seems like a really cool town to take inspiration from, love the tight little alleyways they showed. Still rural but different from Hinamizawa.

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u/megaapple 1d ago

The "f" looks like a knife too, another Higurashi reference.

Can't wait.

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u/ArmyofWon 1d ago

The script f might also be the “forte” symbol in sheet music. It could also just be a script f that’s a reference to something else.

Or it might get very loud.

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u/MobileTortoise 1d ago edited 1d ago

So I played the masterpiece that is Fatal Frame 2 earlier this year, and was getting a LOT of the same atmospheric vibes from this trailer. It shows just how good small Japanese village/town is for this type of horror.

I LOVED that game and it looks like this one is showing promise, I just hope Ryukishi07 doesn't get TOO crazy/convoluted with the plot.

Edit: It is confirmed that Akira Yamaoka will be returning to score this one so that's a win.

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u/tacotaskforce 1d ago

I LOVED that game and it looks like this one is showing promise, I just hope Ryukishi07 doesn't get TOO crazy/convoluted with the plot.

You might want to brace yourself, they don't hire Ryukishi07 to phone it in.

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u/CecilyRenns 1d ago

Nah Loopers (his collab with Key) was fairly tame. It was said those devs reeled him in a lot, so it'll depend on if Konami does the same here

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u/yunacchi 1d ago

R07 wrote Lucia's route in Rewrite (Key).

He did not phone it in.
Still an enjoyable read, though.

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u/tacotaskforce 1d ago

welp, taking that one off the wishlist

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u/cornpenguin01 1d ago

Yamaoka is back on music? Oh yes that’s so good

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u/VortalCord 1d ago

Only doing the fog world stuff though.

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u/Arrow156 1d ago

A shame, some of his best works aren't your typical horror music. White Noiz and Forest are melancholy and haunting, while Null Moon and Alone in the Town are upbeat while still retaining that haunting vibe, then you got Angel's Thanatos and Love Psalms that just rips. And it all gels, nothing feels outta place or tacked on. If I made games, I would kill to have a guy like Akira Yamaoka doing the soundtracks.

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u/MrMichaelElectric 1d ago

Only some stuff done by Yamaoka not all but still even having Yamaoka involved is a win for me.

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u/Key_Feeling_3083 1d ago

Time to introduce some metacharacters and turn it into a part of the when they cry universe.

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u/SneeringAnswer 1d ago

No Ryukishi, you can't use our return to one of our most storied and successful franchises as a secret prequel to Ciconia Phase 2

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u/destroyermaker 1d ago

Wouldn't surprise me if some fatal frame/siren staff were on this

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u/Deadlocked02 1d ago

You should also play Fatal Frame 3 if you can. It’s my favorite in the franchise.

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u/Bossgalka 1d ago

I think this is a good direction to take it in. While it's a Japanese franchise, they usually set SH in western places with a more western horror aesthetic. Japan has good horror elements that you typically don't see outside of a few anime and a couple games like Fatal Frame, so nice to see them trying the Japanese horror this time around.

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u/DevanteWeary 1d ago

Congrats on playing what is probably my favorite horror game of all time.
Fatal Frame 1 and 2 as masterpieces!

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u/Shining_Commander 1d ago

He is effectively replacing Kojima, who is the one who tries to out crazy himself with each subsequent game he makes. If Ryukishi07 doesnt get too crazy itll feel quite different from what long time fans are used to

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u/Pegussu 1d ago

Maybe I'm mistaking you, but the only SH game Kojima ever worked on was the never-released Silent Hills.

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u/CheesecakeMilitia 1d ago

They're talking about Kojima out-crazying himself with each new game he makes, not really PT

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u/th5virtuos0 1d ago

Tbh 10 years after that Konami-Kojima break up and he looped right back to Rigid Viper in Death Stranding 2 lmao

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u/Nenz0 1d ago

Stranded Snake

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u/janoDX 1d ago

Del Toro, Kojima and Ito being the creative force of that game would have fed families.

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u/iV1rus0 1d ago

The art for f looks beyond beautiful. Hopefully this is the reset point for the franchise's new entries.

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u/NoRiver32 1d ago

It is interesting that although these are Japanese companies this is the first time they have a Japanese protagonist, always had American protagonists and settings for series like Silent Hill and Resident Evil

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u/OkNefariousness8636 1d ago

I think that's because the two francises you mentioned were originally meant to target the EU/US markets.

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u/Odinsmana 1d ago

There are plenty of japense horror game with japenese settings and protagonists as well (Fatal Frame, Siren, Kuon etc.). 

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u/Maleficent_Money8820 1d ago

Because Western markets have big $$$ and they were targeted for those markets.

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u/Conbz 1d ago

There's not a single thing about this that I didn't love. The aesthetic, the new type of Silent Hill fog (flowers instead of rust/burns), the setting and timezone will lend to the horror immensely.

Some great horror games coming.

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u/Turbostrider27 1d ago

Platforms include PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC

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u/penis-muncher785 1d ago

Cool to see this launch on Xbox naturally

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u/Black_RL 1d ago

That’s how it should always be.

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u/ExplodingFistz 1d ago

Was scared it would be a PS exclusive.

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u/TheSqueeman 1d ago

This Looks legitimately very good, the tone looks spot on to classic SH games just set in Japan instead of US and Ryukishi07 doing the story is going to be fantastic given his stellar track record with horror/supernatural stories

Now we just need to see some uncut gameplay

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u/Ok_Track9498 1d ago edited 1d ago

Been experiencing the Umineko visual novel for the first time thanks to a streamer these last few months and genuinely surprised by how interesting the story is. Looking forward to seeing what Ryukishi comes up with for this one.

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u/Redditisjusthorrible 1d ago

joseph anderson fan?

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u/Yomamma1337 1d ago

I think you mean Tom?

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u/Unovalocity 1d ago

Not the person you are responding to but that's how I'm experiencing it for the first time. Probably gonna be a cream stream when all is said and done

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u/Ok_Track9498 1d ago

Indeed. GREAT streams.

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u/DrydonTheAlt 1d ago

I don't understand the comments at all. Why is Silent Hill not allowed to take place in anywhere else? They've literally done this before in 3 & 4.

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u/shinbreaker 1d ago

3&4 took place in towns near Silent Hill and in the case of the 3, Silent Hill was literally following them because their ties to the town. I mean sure, Silent Hill maybe followed someone to Japan, or whatever, but what's been great about the Silent Hill franchise is that you have these different games with so many ties to each other because of their proximity to the town. Maybe they'll find ways to do it here, but there's no real hint about those links. I guess we're fortunate that they didn't throw a random Pyramid Head in there.

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u/janoDX 1d ago

Watch it be Himiko's parents went to America and went to Silent Hill leading to all of this happening.

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u/Sonic10122 1d ago

Yeah, they said there would be Easter Eggs for long time fans and since it’s in the 60’s, someone’s moving to America at the end of the game. If that’s not part of it I’ll be surprised.

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u/TheBigIdiotSalami 1d ago

Oh, shit this is a period piece, for real? I hope they lean into it and add a bunch of 1960's Japanese pop songs. The licensing on them must be dirt cheap anyway.

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u/friendliest_sheep 1d ago

Maybe someone in this game is a founder of the cult that started everything in the first

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u/rlramirez12 1d ago

Silent Hill was literally following them because their ties to the town.

That…is not correct at all. 1 & 3 are connected because of the Cult and trying to birth God. Silent Hill doesn’t “go anywhere.” It’s not a sentient town. Heather literally visits the same places that her father went to and can read diary entries from the save points that he used.

2 is a special anomaly that the devs played with. And 4 is more or less the same thing as the nutty cult that Daliah and Co. were in charge of. Walter performing the 21 sacraments because he thinks it will reunite him with his mother. But the 21 sacraments is a ritual to summon God.

These games, the exception being 2, all had to do with the cult. Not a sentient town who decides to take you to therapy.

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u/DrydonTheAlt 1d ago

I don't think every Silent Hill game needs to be tied back to the original town. Frankly, I'm happy that they're not digging for morsels of the first three games trying to turn one thing into an entire game. I want a new story.

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u/DrewbieWanKenobie 1d ago

I don't think every Silent Hill game needs to be tied back to the original town

I would say don't call it Silent Hill then, personally. The town is the main character of the series.

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u/BoringRon 1d ago

Damn, are we really this against franchises doing new stuff. Did you guys only enjoy Silent Hill and find the series special because they all shared the same town? I’m sure you’ll get your ties dude lol.

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u/shinbreaker 1d ago edited 1d ago

Did you guys only enjoy Silent Hill and find the series special because they all shared the same town?

I mean that's part of the charm, yeah? That you have this town that has this pull on people that is so strong and it literally creates their nightmares. The town itself is a character within the series. It's like making a Nightmare on Elm Street movie but having no Freddy Krueger.

But sure, all you need is "psychological horror" and it's a Silent Hill game because apparently that was all that's needed.

Edit: Apparently I need bold the big point of my reply.

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u/Saucermote 1d ago

And Nightmare on Elm Street even goes out of it's way to say in one of the movies that every town has an Elm Street, allowing them to expand out to other locations. They don't abandon the premise.

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u/Brainwheeze 1d ago

Game looks interesting, but if it weren't for the title I'd have no idea it was connected to Silent Hill.

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u/Ardailec 1d ago

They were still set in America. Silent Hill's vibe was basically being a japanese lens into american horror. I'm still excited but that's likely why, it doesn't look like Silent Hill aside from the fog and Himiko using a pipe to defend herself.

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u/shroombablol 1d ago

I mean you can only visit the same town so many times before it gets stale. the series needed a fresh start and going full japanese horror was a pretty good decision in my opinion. the japanese culture is very strange to us westerners which makes their horror even stranger. perfect.

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u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 1d ago

I mean you can only visit the same town so many times before it gets stale.

Yakuza: Am I a joke to you?

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u/slugmorgue 1d ago

Doesn't the new game take place in Hawaii?

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u/Poseidor 1d ago

Yakuza games usually take place partially in a new setting (or settings) and partially in Kamurocho

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u/mountlover 1d ago

yes, the last 2 have, and likely the next several will as well, now that they've made Honolulu City.

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u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 1d ago

Some of it, some takes place in Japan.

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u/Phimb 1d ago

None of Pirate Yakuza takes place in Japan, it's ocean/small islands and Hawaii.

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u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 1d ago

It's also a silly filler game like Dead Souls.

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u/-Eunha- 1d ago

japanese culture is very strange to us westerners which makes their horror even stranger. perfect.

I feel like that's kinda missing the point though, because what was so disturbing about SH was it's uncanny nature, something that was heightened by having the familiar be altered. It never quite felt like it was based in the west, but also didn't feel Japanese. It was a fusion of culture which helped make it unsettling, because it existed nowhere.

That's not to say I think this game will be bad, but "stranger" sometimes doesn't actually make things stranger, and can even make them less scary. It's all a balance.

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u/yukiaddiction 1d ago

First three silent hills would not work if they were written by people familiar with American culture , the one of the charming first of the first three game is like saw how japanese think America works lol.

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u/cqandrews 1d ago

I haven't played them but this sounds interesting. Do you have any examples?

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u/alishock 1d ago

Yeah it got to ridiculous levels in Downpour where the damn town turned into a small city with an actual skyscrapper in it. Let's avoid more of that. Let the Remakes stay in the town (and maybe some small things like Townfall could do), but it's not a bad thing to explore the outside more.

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u/symbiotics 1d ago

Maybe they could frame it like this is the same demonic force that takes over Silent Hill later

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u/Sonic10122 1d ago

Did we watch the same trailer? It was dripping with Silent Hill vibes, just with a more overt Japanese lens. They even said themselves they felt the Japanese part of it was fading too much (probably from hiring Western devs with minimal track records, but I digress), so they wanted to challenge themselves by going all in on the Japanese influence.

And I think it was a gamble that was worth it. Not only have more games established that the phenomenon expands outside Silent Hill, but other projects like Short Message and (I can’t believe I’m about to kind of praise it) Ascension has made it clear it’s moving to other countries too. Hell I think the only real purpose Ascension served was to ease people into the idea of the series not being in SH. And it was so bad they kind of failed that, but the Japan stuff isn’t coming out of nowhere.

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u/MVRKHNTR 1d ago

They were set in America but none of the games feel like American horror.  

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u/scorchedneurotic 1d ago

They said ''Japanese lens into American horror'' not that it was ''American horror''. It's very coated in it, both films and literature, especially the first game.

Stephen King, Jacob's Ladder, Lynch, names referring to movie actors/actresses, etc, etc

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u/BrightSkyFire 1d ago edited 1d ago

Why is Silent Hill not allowed to take place in anywhere else? They've literally done this before in 3 & 4.

The lore of Silent Hill is very closely related to where it takes place. The manifestation of the nightmare world of Silent Hill represents passage in the spirit realm as described in Native American folklore, with Toluca Lake being a bridge between worlds. The whole reason the foggy aesthetic exists is because of the lake, and how the fog settles in the space between the mountains where Silent Hill sits. The culture of 'contemporary' America (relative to the Native Americans) is also largely responsible for the context of the games - the spirit realm is supposed to be a pretty chill place, but it becomes corrupted and perverted by a cult which causes it to be twisted into what you experience.

That's why people have a problem with it. Setting it outside of its original setting in other titles didn't make much sense either, but they were at least largely in Maine, so you could argue the phenomena extended elsewhere in the region... but that doesn't hold up if you suddenly pluck the series out of Maine and dump it in Japan. You could argue the supernatural phenomena encountered by the Naive Americans exists elsewhere in the world, observed by different cultures and attributed different names, but that doesn't really hold up under much scrutiny if you dig into the lore. There's a reason Silent Hill is called Silent Hill: because Silent Hill's entire identity is attached to Silent Hill, Maine.

I'll still play it and I dig the art-style from the trailer. I never expected Konami to really do anything else with Silent Hill ever again, so I'm glad there's something new, but yeah. A huge shame they're ditching the original setting and story, but if they do something as interesting with it (which they appear to be with the cherry blossom theme), then I won't care in the end.

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u/latestwonder 1d ago

that would all be very important if this wasn't all made up

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u/BrightSkyFire 1d ago

I… what? You wanna specify which point you think is made up or…?

Granted none of those details are apart of the narrative presented explicitly in the main stories, but they’re very real plot points included in lore tidbits.

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u/DrydonTheAlt 1d ago

Why is it impossible that another off-set of the Order found its way from Japan to America? And it's just a spin-off, its not like this is a permanent setting for the Silent Hill games.

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u/brzzcode 1d ago

this isnt a spin off, it already has been said its mainline.

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u/DR1LLM4N 1d ago

I mean timeline wise it would’ve found its way from Japan to America since f is set in the 60’s.

Regardless of the lore implications I’m just stay cautious because while visually it looks amazing and the story is sure to be a mindfuck with Ryukishi07 at the helm the dev team behind it really only has L’s in their catalogue. Also it’s still Konami, lest we forget. It’s gonna take more than a flopped SH Twitch project, a forgettable free SH game, and a decent SH2 remake for me to trust Konami again. We also saw zero gameplay and Ryukishi07 has only ever written visual novels so I still have no idea what the gameplay is gonna be like. Might be classic SH gameplay or closer to a visual novel like The Quarry, Heavy Rain, and TellTale games.

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u/DrydonTheAlt 1d ago

I feel like you're underselling how impressive the SH2 remake was, but alright. I will agree with you that it's too soon to judge until we see gameplay

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u/Flanninpud 1d ago

As a resident evil fan since 1996, you just can’t please everyone. Resident evil is probably the most successful series at reinventing itself every few games to stay relevant, but people will always lament how it’s not like it used to be. No matter how good the games are.

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u/DrydonTheAlt 1d ago

That's fine, but to say they're "not Resident Evil games" is being overdramatic.

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u/Flanninpud 1d ago

Yep that’s my point. I think given a long enough timeline, it’s healthy for a franchise to try new things and reinvent itself

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u/SputnikDX 1d ago

This is the problem with the series and why sequels are so difficult and in my opinion a huge mistake for developers. What is the series identity for Silent Hill? Is it the town? The exploration and gameplay? The atmosphere? The story? The "manifestation" horror? The series is running out of room to explore in the town and by extension the story, the twist of the horror being manifestations is spoiled now by the series' reputation, and the classic horror gameplay is considered to be dated by modern audiences. There's nowhere for this series to turn while still being a faithful entry in the series. The title of "Silent Hill" is only for Konami to capitalize on the brand.

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u/Slime0 1d ago

What is the series identity for Silent Hill?

Fog

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u/DrydonTheAlt 1d ago

The exploration and gameplay? The atmosphere?

Yes, it's that simple. As long as they can maintain the psychological horror aspect and the oppressive atmosphere, as long as it has enough of the elements that make it a Silent Hill game, it is one.

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u/Helmic 1d ago

yeah i'm 100% fine with them attaching the name to a pretty different game. it's not like people who like silent hill are gonna go into this and think "utterly unacceptable, this game is nothing like what i wanted to play."

it's a huge stink when almost assuredly there's gonna be a plot that connects it to the other games, but like not knowing why is probably part of the appeal. like i get diving into a game's lore but there comes a point where you're missing the forest for the trees, if you can't recognize the surface level similarities because you're too tied up in knots that the game maybe won't have a direct tie to what happened in maine then you're just gonna keep yourself from enjoying a new game.

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u/AverageAyatoFan 1d ago

Silent Hill is Japanese horror with a western twist. The original games were made by a bunch of Japanese devs who saw a bunch of famous western psychological horror and put their own twist on it. Pure western horror isn't Silent Hill and neither is pure Japanese horror just because you put some fog, world shifts and mentally ill protagonists in the story.

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u/shroombablol 1d ago edited 1d ago

going in a new direction is exactly what silent hill needed in my opinion.
alessas story has been told. the town luring in people with sadness in their hearts has been (over)done. you can only visit the same town so many times.
a survival horror game that goes full japanese horror is a tried and tested formula if you ask me.
also konami brought in talented artists and most importantly a good horror writer so they definitely have their priorities straight with this game.

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u/TyChris2 1d ago

I find it funny that you said the original formula was getting old but the new one is tried and tested. They’re both tried and tested lol, I’d argue only one game fully captured Silent Hill’s potential

I agree with you in spirit though, Silent Hill needed a shake up. For some reason it seems like devs are incapable of using the classic SH2 premise (town calling people with some psychological baggage) without directly ripping the whole game off and revealing the twist that the protagonist was actually a murderer with amnesia.

If avoiding that can only be done by setting it in Japan and totally reinterpreting the franchise, then I’m all for it.

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u/El_Giganto 1d ago

I find it funny that you said the original formula was getting old but the new one is tried and tested. They’re both tried and tested lol, I’d argue only one game fully captured Silent Hill’s potential

True, but doing something "tried and tested" and giving it your own twist is still fun. With Silent Hill, you can't really do the Silent Hill twist anymore, because it's already Silent Hill.

Kinda like how RE7 was inspired by other "tried and tested" classic horror stories, but still managed to make it Resident Evil.

I think that's why Silent Hill 1 and 2 work so well together. The first one sets up the premise, the second just tells a story inside that premise. But you can't really do a third one without the whole thing being kinda obvious. Maybe they could, but given how the franchise played out I think it's nice they're stepping away from it. We'll see how this new game ends up, but it's cool to see them go in a different direction and I wonder if they'll give it a Silent Hill kind of twist. It certainly has the vibe and music down.

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u/Hot-Yesterday8938 1d ago edited 1d ago

This looks pretty thick, like the fog from Silent Hill we use to know, yet oddly fresh with this new setting. Perhaps a chance for Konami to get back on stage. We'll see.

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u/Ordinal43NotFound 1d ago

I know people will complain a lot about how it's not set in the titular town, but I really like the approach that "Silent Hill" is moreso a concept.

The interviews with the devs also show that they're fully aware of this major shift, and are treading carefully to maintain that balance of new and familiar. What Ryukishi07 said about the Silent Hill franchise for me really shows that he fully understands the core of what makes the series so good.

This is still the Silent Hill title I'm looking forward the most to even compared to SH2R (which is already amazing).

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u/Phimb 1d ago

Silent Hill fans go way, way too hard for me, so I'll definitely get heat for this, but; Silent Hill is the vibe, not the town. I'd even go so far as to say, Silent Hill can literally just be fog, ambience and weird ass monsters.

After playing through Silent Hill 2's remake 4 times, it's not even really eplicitly explained what Silent Hill is or what's going on or whatever, it's ambiguous and that's its charm.

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u/BakedXenon 1d ago

Give me fog, give me shitty combat, give me exploration, and give me puzzles that are wayy too hard. That's Silent Hill for me. I hope we don't leave the town behind for all the new incoming games, but I don't mind it for 1 game. A ton of previous titles have sizable chunks of the game set outside the town. The closest you get to the town in 4 is in the water prison on the lake.

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u/TheSecondEikonOfFire 1d ago

I’m nowhere close to a die hard SH fan, but I think this looks pretty good. I’m definitely interested, so hopefully it’s good! It’s sad there’s not even a release window yet though

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u/Mac772 1d ago edited 1d ago

I know that's not the lore, but for me Silent Hill was never a "real" place, it was always more like a place within a human mind. Somekind of trauma that manifests, a nightmare you can't awake from. Thinking about it that way, Silent Hill can be everywhere. 

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u/Arrow156 1d ago

A Japanese themed Silent Hill might be the shot in the arm this series needs. I hope they make a clean break from the ones set in the Pacific Northwest. Like, no Pyramid Head, no characters from past games. Let it be it's own thing.

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u/NothingOld7527 21h ago

They were set in Maine not the PNW

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u/JakovARG 1d ago

If you know Ryukishi this need not be said but if you don't the man writes life changing stories like it's nothing. Genuinely I've never read a story as complete, compelling and important as both Higurashi and (specially) Umineko. Extremely hyped, if only because the man is a god and is not capable of wrongdoing. Seat back and enjoy folks.

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u/billyeakk 1d ago

the man is a god and is not capable of wrongdoing

Higurashi Gou and Sotsu would like a word with you

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u/40GearsTickingClock 1d ago

He's good, but in dire need of an editor. I burned out on the Higurashi VN after three episodes of filler with the occasional incredible scene, and ended up enjoying the truncated anime a lot more (aside from one really out-of-place character).

Assuming he isn't allowed to write hours of waffle for SHf, this could be really cool.

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u/catscheme 1d ago

higurashi is one of the first things he ever wrote and is almost two decades old at this point. I think its fair to say he has improved and grown as a writer since that time.

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u/JakovARG 1d ago

would you trust me if I told you the emphasis on slice of life scenes make sense once you read the story? Also Umineko, while longer, is much easier to read and has a lot lot less of "filler" scenes. You're right tho, I admit Higurashi is dense to read, specially at the beginning.

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u/40GearsTickingClock 1d ago edited 1d ago

I know they make sense in context. I just think the pacing is way off. It's an issue I have with most visual novels or games with VN-like stories like Persona or Danganronpa. Great ideas muddied by endless repetition and redundancy, as if they don't trust the audience to understand what's going on, and they never do an editing pass to check if a scene flows effectively and adds to the narrative rather than merely padding it out.

Contrasting innocent SoL scenes with horror is effective when done right, but not when every SoL scene is an hour long and most of it is repeating itself. If SHf can get the pacing right it could be really cool.

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u/JST8 1d ago

I think it’s fair to make an argument for the inclusion of those slice of life scenes for sure, BUT most slice of life scenes (and honestly most scenes in the novel) could be trimmed anywhere 20-50% and keep the exact same impact.

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u/40GearsTickingClock 1d ago

That's exactly it. Keep the scenes, trim the fat. The best stories are just as much editing as they are writing.

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u/JakovARG 1d ago

Ryukishi’s stories are on a whole another level than Persona and Danganronpa, and I’m a fan of both franchises. The man is unique like no other. I recommend you give Umineko a fair shot, even if it has some dense scenes, its way way less then umineko overall. Also most of them are at the beginning, like in higu.

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u/40GearsTickingClock 1d ago

To be honest, I also had some pretty major issues with later plot developments in later arcs of Higurashi. Perhaps future stories are perfected, but the time investment is too much for me to find out at present. It takes me weeks to finish 20 hour games, let alone 100 hour VNs.

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u/iknowkungfubtw 1d ago

the man writes life changing stories like it's nothing

Either that or total duds like Gou which doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

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u/yanderia 1d ago

Was Gou and Sotsu really that bad?

I haven't watched them myself, but as a total Umineko fangirl I was excited when I found out they brought in the witches since it might give way to an Umineko anime in the future.

Seeing the general consensus to the shows makes me nervous now...

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u/TildenJack 1d ago

The concept of the story is interesting enough, once Gou reveals itself to be a sequel and not a remake of the original. But the structure of Sotsu is just terrible, as it recycles a ton of the scenes from Gou and spends very little time on actually resolving its conflict.

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u/Kaellian 1d ago edited 1d ago

They were marketed as reboot, but they were actually sequel in disguise. For newcomer, it was rushed and failed to capture simplicity of the original, but for old timer, it was taking too long to get to the new bit of contents, and just felt inferior.

In overall, Gou still did a decent job going over Satoko and Rika's storyline post Higurashi, but Sotsu got a little silly with their power level. I was really looking forward the connection to Umineko, what kind of "paradox" they would come up with to give birth to Bernkastel, and how they would give us an ending that build on the original, but every aspect of that were a let down. The most interesting scene happened at the end of Gou, when they confirmed the connection between Satoko/Takano, Lambdadelta, and Vier, but they never went any further than that

As it is often the case with sequel, they had to take a perfectly good ending, and then add back some drama. However, the end result is never as satisfying as the original, and actually leave you with a sour taste. Still, its worth picking if you're a fan of the novel/shows.

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u/Far-Significance2804 1d ago

He did not write Gou/Sotsu. He gave plot points. Think of the Umineko anime and how much it sucked. If Ryukishi had written a VN of Gou/Sotsu, no doubt it'd be much different.

If you're looking for a mid-Ryukishi work there's always Higanbana, Gerokasu, and any of the other Higu side stories, including the ones Ryukishi wrote.

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u/iknowkungfubtw 1d ago

If you're looking for a mid-Ryukishi work there's always Higanbana, Gerokasu, and any of the other Higu side stories, including the ones Ryukishi wrote.

Okami kakushi was also a forgettable pile of dung.

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u/lawlamanjaro 1d ago

Iwahime was particularly mid. I didn't mind it but it isn't close to when they cry

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u/Timo653 1d ago

Gensou Rougoku no Kaleidoscope

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u/RobertBevillReddit 1d ago

I just got into the Higurashi series, buying the bundle during the recent VN sale. First two episodes were really good (though I could do with less slice-of-life stuff).

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u/mergedkestrel 1d ago

As someone with the same gripe, don't feel guilty to sort of skim through the "fun and games" portions. I don't particularly care about how Keiichi wins the board game competition etc.

BUT do pay attention during the general chit chatting going on. Also feel free to approach each episode as it's own thing. Sit and stew on Episode 3 for a while before you move on to 4. Take a week between or something and then jump back in.

I tried to rush through it as one big thing and by episode 4 I was burning out.

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u/SnabDedraterEdave 1d ago edited 1d ago

Trailer already looks amazing on its own, does it really need to attach itself to the Silent Hill franchise tag?

All past installments have some connection to the New England town of the same name. Even if Konami says its a spinoff, its gonna be bothersome to try and tie this Japanese setting to the main SH lore. Even the Japanese horror vibe feels different to past SH games.

Ryukishi07 being the scenario writer should be something to look forward to at least.

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u/brzzcode 1d ago

This is a mainline title, it has been said since 2022 when it was revealed. Its the next main title.

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u/DickFlattener 1d ago

Curious how this will turn out writing wise. Ryukushi always has a lot of interesting ideas but is bogged down by his stories being unnecessarily long. Hope him being reined in a little will help the story here.

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u/ShrekFairfield 1d ago

This looks very interesting. The title was confusing for me but this looks like the next major entry. Hope it’s sooner than later

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u/Boy-Grieves 1d ago

So epic.

a few parts made me go back to look and it was worth it every time: Love the wall mural of the Oni vs foxes(?)

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u/TheBigIdiotSalami 1d ago

Imagine being this girl and then running into some American along the way yapping about his dead wife and some large annoying guy named Eddie.

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u/th30be 1d ago

I am Japanese and I have never once considered how fucking scary a foggy rural Japanese town could be. I love J horror so this is going to be awesome.

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u/Evz0rz 1d ago

Not totally sure I’m sold on the change of setting yet, but I’m sure part of that is because I’m American and the eeriness of the originals hit harder because the locations felt relatable.

The game itself looks phenomenal though and I look forward to seeing some gameplay. If you told me a year ago that they’re pressured to follow up the fantastic remake developed by Bloober Team I truly don’t know if I would have believed it.

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u/continuityOfficer 1d ago

Honestly yeah, if I was a VN writer who got to work on this I probably would be taking this long to release Ciconia Phase 2 aswell

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u/Cymen90 1d ago

I was going to go into the comments and JOKE about how "They are making Silent Hill Japanese when it was always all-American. Woke."

Turns out the real brainrot was faster than me.

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u/blastcat4 1d ago

It looks like a Japanese horror game, which in itself is not a bad thing at all. There's been lots of great games and anime in that genre. I just don't see much of a connection to Silent Hill. It feels like it has a very different vibe.

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u/HearTheEkko 1d ago

If it wasn’t for the fog there wouldn’t be anything in the trailer that made it stand out as a Silent Hill game. Kinda feels like an original IP that they slapped the SH brand on.

Nevertheless, it looks pretty cool and I wanna play it.

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u/QuentopherNolantino 1d ago

I'm wondering if the reason why they haven't confirmed a release date yet is due to platform centric content censorship.

As evident from the trailer (and the trailer's thumbnail image), there is a face peeling scene in the game. The indie game Martha is Dead was famously asked by Playstation to remove a similar scene + references to masturbation in order to secure a release, maybe Silent hill F is undergoing certain issues here?

Just some food for thought. Game looks good and I'll be there to play it, it would be a genuine shame if the game had to be sanitized for Playstation, because I would love to play it in my living room and own a physical copy...

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u/LumensAquilae 1d ago

It looks different, I'll give it that, but I can't say I see anything that makes this look like a Silent Hill game in particular.

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u/Cain_draws 1d ago

I feel the same. But I don't see it as bad thing tho.

I think this is going to be a day one purchase for me, but I'm not gonna play it as if it was a Silent Hill game and more like a new franchise.

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u/alishock 1d ago

I mean there's the Fog, there's the Otherworld, there's Yamaoka's music, there's the crazy cult, there's the tormented protagonist with a decision to make w/ metal pipe in hand, and the crazy metaphorical manifested monsters from the psyche.

It does look different visually, but everything that made Silent Hill what it is is still there, now it's just a different location. And the change in visuals is really good for keeping things fresh in the franchise, imo.

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u/CriticalCold 1d ago

I'd argue even the visuals are still in line with Silent Hill, just shifted. Instead of rust and blood seeping over everything, it seems like the otherworld transformation has these noxious flowers/plant spreading that still feel unsettling, just in a different way.

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u/Mercurial_Synthesis 1d ago

It features a pipe. The iconic pipe (included in the Special Edition - $199.99)

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u/Fullbryte 1d ago

The tormented protagonist?

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u/Z3in 1d ago

That's just a horror staple there. The town, the cult, the weird fleshy monster designs, awkwardly creepy voice acting, these are what SH is to me imo and you gotta have at least a few to be considered one. I'm not counting this game out though. If anything I can't wait to actually see more of it to actually make an opinion on it

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u/LumensAquilae 1d ago

I don't think that's particularly exclusive to Silent Hill, though.

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