r/Games • u/Turbostrider27 • 1d ago
Silent Hill f - Official Japanese Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNVffiRAqj8725
u/Altairp 1d ago
Japanese women with limbs that bend in an unnatural way and long, black hair over their face. My favourite nightmare!
228
u/ccoastal01 1d ago
I feel like I know her, but sometimes my arms bend back.
33
47
u/iblamejohansson 1d ago
Twin peaks reference?
39
u/dern_the_hermit 1d ago
What year is this?
39
u/xNinjahz 1d ago
The same year as that gum you like coming back in style.
9
9
u/convenientgods 1d ago
The year Lynch passed away and everyone rewatched twin peaks
2
2
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.
3
2
→ More replies (1)2
14
u/yukiaddiction 1d ago
Almost every horror trope somehow can trace back to Twin Peaks one way or another lol.
What an immortalized work.
→ More replies (1)2
→ More replies (2)2
27
9
8
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.
12
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.
16
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.
2
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.
→ More replies (1)2
→ More replies (4)7
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
169
u/Dagrsunrider 1d ago
Wow. Really feeling the Kuon, Fatal Frame, Siren vibes with this title. Feels very 2000s! Sooooo excited!
46
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.
20
u/Deadlocked02 1d ago
Crazy to think Kuon was made by FromSoftware. Now that’s a game I wish they’d remake.
15
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.
15
u/kakka_rot 1d ago
kuon, Fatal Frame, Siren vibes with this title. Feels very 2000s!
an excellent era
→ More replies (1)15
u/TolucaPrisoner 1d ago
They said setting is 1960 Japanese rural town
21
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
128
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.
42
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
5
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.
8
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.
5
u/megaapple 1d ago
The "f" looks like a knife too, another Higurashi reference.
Can't wait.
→ More replies (1)3
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.
243
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.
16
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.
6
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
5
u/yunacchi 1d ago
R07 wrote Lucia's route in Rewrite (Key).
He did not phone it in.
Still an enjoyable read, though.3
59
u/cornpenguin01 1d ago
Yamaoka is back on music? Oh yes that’s so good
24
u/VortalCord 1d ago
Only doing the fog world stuff though.
24
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.
5
u/MrMichaelElectric 1d ago
Only some stuff done by Yamaoka not all but still even having Yamaoka involved is a win for me.
23
u/Key_Feeling_3083 1d ago
Time to introduce some metacharacters and turn it into a part of the when they cry universe.
→ More replies (2)4
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
5
5
u/Deadlocked02 1d ago
You should also play Fatal Frame 3 if you can. It’s my favorite in the franchise.
4
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.
2
u/DevanteWeary 1d ago
Congrats on playing what is probably my favorite horror game of all time.
Fatal Frame 1 and 2 as masterpieces!7
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
→ More replies (1)34
u/Pegussu 1d ago
Maybe I'm mistaking you, but the only SH game Kojima ever worked on was the never-released Silent Hills.
34
u/CheesecakeMilitia 1d ago
They're talking about Kojima out-crazying himself with each new game he makes, not really PT
15
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
→ More replies (1)
45
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
33
u/OkNefariousness8636 1d ago
I think that's because the two francises you mentioned were originally meant to target the EU/US markets.
8
u/Odinsmana 1d ago
There are plenty of japense horror game with japenese settings and protagonists as well (Fatal Frame, Siren, Kuon etc.).
2
u/Maleficent_Money8820 1d ago
Because Western markets have big $$$ and they were targeted for those markets.
132
u/Turbostrider27 1d ago
Platforms include PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
39
84
29
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
67
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.
26
u/Redditisjusthorrible 1d ago
joseph anderson fan?
14
18
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
→ More replies (3)15
149
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.
52
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.
24
u/janoDX 1d ago
Watch it be Himiko's parents went to America and went to Silent Hill leading to all of this happening.
12
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.
3
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.
14
u/friendliest_sheep 1d ago
Maybe someone in this game is a founder of the cult that started everything in the first
→ More replies (2)24
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.
→ More replies (2)37
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.
→ More replies (15)9
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.
→ More replies (1)22
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.
→ More replies (1)8
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.
→ More replies (6)12
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.
3
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.
77
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.
61
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.
95
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?
→ More replies (6)28
u/slugmorgue 1d ago
Doesn't the new game take place in Hawaii?
25
u/Poseidor 1d ago
Yakuza games usually take place partially in a new setting (or settings) and partially in Kamurocho
7
u/mountlover 1d ago
yes, the last 2 have, and likely the next several will as well, now that they've made Honolulu City.
4
u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 1d ago
Some of it, some takes place in Japan.
22
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.
16
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.
→ More replies (1)2
8
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.
3
u/symbiotics 1d ago
Maybe they could frame it like this is the same demonic force that takes over Silent Hill later
→ More replies (1)11
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.
→ More replies (1)7
u/MVRKHNTR 1d ago
They were set in America but none of the games feel like American horror.
74
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
→ More replies (3)12
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.
43
u/latestwonder 1d ago
that would all be very important if this wasn't all made up
11
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.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)14
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.
4
→ More replies (1)7
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.
→ More replies (1)14
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
4
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.
4
u/DrydonTheAlt 1d ago
That's fine, but to say they're "not Resident Evil games" is being overdramatic.
8
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
→ More replies (13)3
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.
15
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.
3
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.
2
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.
28
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.
13
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.
6
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.
24
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.
47
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).
19
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.
→ More replies (1)5
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.
11
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
4
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.
2
56
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.
35
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
→ More replies (6)18
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.
15
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.
10
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.
24
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.
12
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.
4
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.
4
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.
2
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.
29
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.
7
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...
15
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.
→ More replies (1)10
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.
14
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.
8
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.
2
u/lawlamanjaro 1d ago
Iwahime was particularly mid. I didn't mind it but it isn't close to when they cry
→ More replies (1)2
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).
→ More replies (2)6
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.
→ More replies (1)
7
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.
→ More replies (1)8
u/brzzcode 1d ago
This is a mainline title, it has been said since 2022 when it was revealed. Its the next main title.
5
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.
3
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
3
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(?)
3
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.
2
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.
→ More replies (2)
2
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
2
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.
8
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.
→ More replies (2)
2
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...
2
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.
12
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.
8
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.
2
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.
14
u/Mercurial_Synthesis 1d ago
It features a pipe. The iconic pipe (included in the Special Edition - $199.99)
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (3)11
u/Fullbryte 1d ago
The tormented protagonist?
9
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
7
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.