In some methods, Silent Hill f represents a contemporary begin for the revered franchise. The primary new mainline entry in over 13 years unfolds in Japan, removed from the sequence’ namesake foggy American city, and throughout the Sixties, no much less. To see how these adjustments are molding this installment, I traveled to Konami’s workplace in Tokyo to play the primary 5 hours of the survival horror title. Regardless of the radically completely different setting and period, Silent Hill f seems like a return to the traditional entries, albeit with some ache factors surrounding fight.
In case you’re a newcomer to Silent Hill, fret not; developer NeoBards and Konami are treating Silent Hill f as a contemporary slate divorced from the established canon, making it an important entry level. The sport stars Shimizu Hinako, a rebellious teenage woman dwelling within the small, secluded city of Ebisugaoka. Hinako has a tumultuous dwelling life. She hates her abusive father and resents her subservient mom for permitting her father to have his means with them. That is maybe why Hinako rejects conventional feminine roles and behaves extra “masculine”, to the chagrin of her mother and father and even a few of her pals.
Regardless of projecting a troublesome exterior, Hinako thinks little of herself, writing in her journal that “there’s not a single extraordinary factor about me.” Hinako does adore her older sister, nonetheless, viewing her as a protector and confidant. Sadly, her sister has since married and moved out, leaving Hinako alone in a house she detests.
Hinako finds help in her childhood buddy, Shu, and fellow pals Sakuko, a spunky woman hailing from a household of shrine monks, and the extra shy Rinko, who might have a crush on Shu. Sadly, it isn’t lengthy earlier than a sinister fog and crimson vein-like vines overtake their dwelling. I don’t know why or the way it occurs, however the village is remodeled right into a nightmarish, but hauntingly lovely model of itself, because of the blood-red flower blossoms overtaking every little thing. Monsters stalking the streets have changed Ebisugaoka’s residents, and Hinako turns into separated from her pals.
Talking to developer NeoBards inventive director Al Yang, Silent Hill f primarily attracts design inspiration from Silent Hill 1 and a pair of. Relating to fight, nonetheless, the staff examined Silent Hill 4: The Room and its extra melee-centric motion. Don’t anticipate to wield weapons in Silent Hill f; Hinako solely makes use of close-range weapons reminiscent of pipes, bats, and knives. Weapons additionally degrade and break with use, and you’ll solely equip three at a time. Though you may restore them utilizing software kits, a part of Silent Hill f’s problem is available in monitoring weapon sturdiness and figuring out if it’s price sporting down an excellent weapon in opposition to a terrifying foe.
I make this willpower usually; the village’s slender alleyways means circumventing enemies isn’t as simple because it was in earlier Silent Hill video games. As such, I frequently needed to depend on Hinako’s dodge to evade assaults, which expends a stamina meter. Executing a last-second excellent dodge replenishes this bar – an important ability to grasp as you’ll want your vitality to fend off unavoidable threats.
Bludgeoning fleshy, mannequin-like creatures and eerie masked scarecrows feels weighty and fittingly clumsy (Hinako is only a child, in spite of everything), whether or not utilizing gentle assaults or slower, extra highly effective heavy assaults, every carried out utilizing the fitting shoulder buttons. If this configuration sounds suspiciously Souls-like, it’s not totally inaccurate. Between the deliberate assaults and the necessity to always monitor the stamina bar, Silent Hill f has shades of the subgenre From Software program popularized.
Whereas that’s fantastic, Hinako’s stamina regenerates too slowly for my tastes. Even if you don’t absolutely expend stamina, it takes a couple of second and a half earlier than it begins to refill, which seems like an eternity as a result of it’s simply lengthy sufficient to be weak to successive assaults from the much-faster enemies. Monsters transfer shortly and erratically, and dodging threats like a leaping foe that hops round Hinako expends a ton of vitality in a short time. I usually died merely from missing the vitality to flee after dodging two or three assaults in a row. Hinako describes herself in her journal as being a former monitor and discipline athlete, so that you’d assume she’d have higher conditioning.
One large, nearly Souls-esque boss combat was an absolute nightmare due to this stamina limitation, and never simply within the literal sense. Greatest described as a demonic little one wielding a spiked hammer, a torn maw of flapping pores and skin, and draped in priestess robes with lengthy needles protruding of her, she’s absolute nightmare gasoline (particularly since my demo station was close to a life-size statue of her). This monster’s relentless assaults require fixed dodging, extra so than the delayed regeneration of your stamina meter can deal with. Tack on that you just want stamina to retaliate in addition to chase her when she begins disappearing/reappearing across the area, and taking her down is infuriatingly powerful. I spent a full hour on this combat and I wasn’t alone. Each particular person I spoke to shared comparable frustrations, and I hope it is reworked for launch after giving my critiques to the inventive director.
When operating away isn’t an possibility, you may interrupt enemy assaults by retaliating once they emit a telltale jittery glow. Nailing this efficiently stuns the enemy. When you can obtain this by retaining a pointy lookout – counter home windows are fleeting – a mechanic referred to as Focus makes figuring out these openings simpler. By holding the left shoulder set off, the display darkens to higher expose and prolong the period of the counterattack window.
Nevertheless, performing Focus drains Hinako’s Sanity meter, a useful resource additionally spent to carry out charged Focus Assaults. By holding down the assault and Focus buttons for a interval, this particular assault offers huge harm on the expense of Sanity. Nevertheless, readying this assault leaves Hinako weak, and absorbing harm that interrupts your Focus Assault lowers the Sanity bar itself. Focusing whereas wielding heavier weapons, like a sledgehammer, permits Hinako to carry out a block in opposition to most assaults, however this expedites weapon degradation. To maintain your head above water, an merchandise wheel allows you to use varied therapeutic gadgets, in addition to these restoring Sanity, on the fly.
Fight will be very difficult, particularly when coping with a couple of adversary without delay. I died usually, respawning at prayer shrines serving as checkpoints. When the going will get powerful, Shrines provide alternatives to enhance Hinako’s possibilities. For instance, you may equip her with an omamori, charms that add useful perks, reminiscent of lowering stamina utilization. Nevertheless, you may initially solely equip a single omamori at a time, and I frequently swapped them out throughout particularly brutal encounters.
Shrines additionally help you current choices, whether or not valuables discovered throughout exploration or sure consumables like well being gadgets, to earn a particular forex referred to as Religion. Spending Religion permits you to replenish your Sanity meter primarily based on the quantity spent. You may also use Religion to buy new omamori from a randomized pool, sort of ike a loot field. I’m not wild on gaining new omamori on a cube roll, provided that it not solely prices a whole lot of Religion factors to purchase, however every buy raises the fee by one other 100. Why would I need to save up a whole lot of Religion factors once I don’t even know if the omamori I get will likely be useful to a given state of affairs?
Exploring the labyrinthine Ebisugaoka presents many otherworldly surprises, places, and mysteries. This consists of the surprising help of an enigmatic and questionably reliable masked man. Draped in white robes to match his white hair, who or what this younger man is stays to be seen, however he possesses supernatural talents and seemingly needs to assist Hinako keep alive. Whether or not that is out of pure altruism or if the masked man has his personal sinister agenda must watch for the total launch, however Hinako encounters a number of eerie hints to not belief this particular person.
In between preventing or avoiding monsters, I encountered a number of elaborate puzzles, necessary and optionally available, whereas exploring Ebisugaoka’s foggy streets. These riddles will be as intelligent as they’re devious. One required utilizing a poem to seek out the right illustrations from a number of, scattered boards full of wood footage – all whereas evading a patrolling blind beast delicate to sound. Whereas I loved most puzzles, just a few left me scratching my head, and never in a great way.
At one level, I used to be trapped in a foggy, open farm discipline that warped me again to its begin if I proceeded aimlessly. Discovering the right path required pinpointing a selected creepy scarecrow out of a giant group of them, and my solely clue was a cryptic message that felt a bit too obscure. At any time when I believed I knew what to search for, I selected the flawed scarecrow, bringing it to life to assault me as punishment. I bumbled my means by means of 5 cases of this train (which felt two rounds too lengthy) and completed with out ever really greedy what I used to be doing.
These workout routines, together with a sequence in an deserted center college that required unlocking doorways and avoiding threats, greatest evoked the Silent Hill of previous. Interiors require discovering keys to unlock sure doorways. You unravel bespoke puzzles to earn new gadgets or clues. All of the whereas, you’ll confront all method of monstrosities roaming about. The open world accommodates sure optionally available constructions you may discover, too, reminiscent of the house of the city physician, which has its personal mini thriller surrounding his whereabouts.
It’s unclear what number of optionally available places, puzzles, or enemy encounters Silent Hill f presents, however they doubtless feed into its a number of endings. True to sequence custom, Silent Hill f has 5 completely different endings. Nevertheless, these alternate endings don’t develop into accessible till the second playthrough. The primary playthrough ends precisely the identical for everybody, as NeoBards and Konami need to inform a purposefully crafted story with an intentional starting, center, and finish.
When you’ve seen the canonical ending, subsequent playthroughs think about your actions (how is unclear) and result in branching outcomes. NeoBards says it didn’t write these endings as being “Good” or “Dangerous”. Somewhat, they’ll be up for interpretation. And sure, one of many endings is the fan-favorite and foolish UFO conclusion.
Silent Hill f raised the hairs on my neck greater than as soon as, because of its horrifying creatures and efficient sound design, amplified by improbable 3D audio. Whereas I’ve just a few misgivings with fight, I like the sport’s presentation, setting, and environment. Puzzle-solving is intelligent and pleasing, and I’m intrigued to see the place the story goes (particularly the branching endings). Based mostly on what I performed to this point, the sport is preemptively checking the containers of not solely a robust Silent Hill sport, however a enjoyable survival horror expertise.
Maybe greater than something, I’m simply comfortable to see the Silent Hill franchise firing on all cylinders once more. Silent Hill f has the makings of a robust entry that maintains the constructive momentum of final 12 months’s nice Silent Hill 2 remake.
