With Silent Hill f taking over the headlines, it has already proven that the series is more than capable of moving away from the established and iconic Silent Hill town without compromising its story or atmosphere.
Granted, there are still a few loose ends from previous titles where studios struggled to capture the blueprint that made Silent Hill games great, especially with Downpour and the PSP title Origins. Both entries remained tied to the series’ mythical foggy town. Downpour’s issue was its clunky combat design and weak variety of creatures, while Origins’ main concern was that it felt more like “fan fiction” than a fully realized entry in the canon.
What does Silent Hill truly need to function well? The answer is exactly what you’d expect.
The Fog
Silent Hill is all about the fog. With Silent Hill f receiving rave reviews (including ours), the horror remains intact and the fog persists, even though the story takes place far from the sleepy little Maine town fans grew to love.
The fog is practically a character in itself within Silent Hill games. It is an unexplainable horror that haunts the protagonists, manifesting through trauma and mental distress, overwhelming both players and characters alike.
A good use of the fog in Silent Hill is when it functions as a morally gray entity. It is not evil, not malevolent, and certainly not benevolent either. It merely serves as a driving force that pushes the protagonist forward and forces them to confront the horrors they are caught up in.
Psychological Horror
Silent Hill has always thrived on psychological horror. The fog acts as a foil to the protagonist’s journey of atonement or self-discovery. Each entry simply needs the right ingredients to push its characters to the edge, as seen most clearly in James Sunderland and Harry Mason from the first two games.
There have been many titles that brandish the psychological horror genre, with some notable titles like The Evil Within, where Sebastian Castellanos succumbs even deeper to the madness he creates. It's clear where The Evil Within's inspirations come from, and the impact that the Silent Hill franchise has on the genre is nothing short of monumental.
Heavy Subject Matter
It wouldn't be a Silent Hill game without the use of mature themes and heavy subject matter. From guilt, loss, shame, grief, and a whole lot more, it is a franchise that relies on these themes to be effective; otherwise, we'd just be playing a regular survival horror game. In Silent Hill, all it takes is a little fog magic, and things can go from zero to a hundred real fast.
Among the many themes of the series, abuse has always been a core element of Silent Hill. With Silent Hill f, that tradition continues, strengthened by Ryukishi07’s writing. The key is laying down solid groundwork for exploring these complex themes in nuanced ways without overexplaining them. The best Silent Hill games leave space for interpretation, encouraging fans to theorize about the true nature of the horror; hence, you always see a myriad of YouTube essays talking about past entries.
While disturbing imagery and gore often define the surface of a Silent Hill game, these essential ingredients are what make it truly work. Strong writing and the exploration of complex themes are vital, and the fog must remain a constant presence. Without them, the series loses its identity.
The eponymous Maine town has already served its purpose in earlier entries. Purists may not see a game as truly “Silent Hill” without it, but Silent Hill f proves otherwise. It CAN exist without the U.S. town, and it CAN still work provided that it has all the ingredients mentioned in this piece. Does it have a culturally relevant subject matter? Does it have the fog? Is it about a distressed protagonist? That's Silent Hill.
And the best part about this is that Konami has just begun a franchise revival with Silent Hill, and there's more coming our way, including Annapurna's Townfall and the remake of the first game. There has never been a more perfect time to be a fan of the series.
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