Right from the outset, Konami has made it clear that Silent Hill f is going to feel like a new direction for the beloved horror series, taking players to rural '60s Japan and placing them in the shoes of a brand new hero, high school student Shimizu Hinako. And although Silent Hill 2 Remake was a macabre return home for many longtime fans, Silent Hill f's lead developers want series diehards to know the future of the series probably won't always look familiar.
Talking to PC Gamer, game director Al-Yang and series producer Motoi Okamoto touched on the well-worn subject of Silent Hill f being more combat-focused than previous entries.
"This entry in the Silent Hill series is more action-focused than previous ones," Yang said. "But because of this, we tuned our difficulty to be more suitable for players from both classic Silent Hill titles."
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Again, the Silent Hill f developers have never been shy to highlight this new emphasis on action and combat, although they did recently push back on comparisons to the Dark Souls series, saying they "disagree" with people labeling the new Silent Hill game a Soulslike, thank goodness.
Still, Yang and Okamoto strive to walk a tightrope between old-school Silent Hill and the new, combat-centric approach they're hoping will draw in new fans.
"We want to give old fans, the classic fans, kind of like, 'Ah, this is what I came here for, a succulent Silent Hill meal,' you know," Yang said. "But also something for newer fans, or people who want to try something a little bit different. We're trying to keep the classic Silent Hill vibes and atmosphere, but change the gameplay a little bit. We don't want everything to be the same."
Yang also pointed out that we're living in something of a Silent Hill renaissance, with Silent Hill f following closely on the heels of Silent Hill 2 Remake and preceding more to come.
"We just got the Silent Hill 2 remake, which was basically for the classic fans. And as announced already, there's a Silent Hill 1 remake, and then Silent Hill f, and then Townfall," he said.
I'm personally psyched to see Silent Hill explore new territories and characters, even if I'm anxious to see whether it sticks the landing with Silent Hill f. The fact that Konami is working with different developers for different projects means there's likely to be some variation in tone and quality, but hopefully, there's enough reverence for the Silent Hill name to inspire developers to fire on all cylinders when making contributions to the series.
"Future titles will probably carry their own flavor, depending on who we will be working with," Okamoto said. "So, instead of being too adverse to new experiences in Silent Hill games, it seems like a reality that players should come to terms with, if only to enjoy new and exciting interpretations of one of the best horror series to date."
5 hours into Silent Hill f, I've picked out the 10 biggest details you need to know
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