Silent Hill f producer praises its 86 Metacritic score, says he expected the challenge to be divisive, and the story reception is proof the Higurashi When They Cry writer was the right man for the job

The review embargo for Silent Hill f has lifted, and series producer Motoi Okamoto is mighty pleased with the game's 86 Metascore (now 85 at the time of writing).

Ahead of Silent Hill f's launch on September 24, a flood of largely positive reviews suggests Konami and developer NeoBards have successfully taken the series out of the titular Maine town and into '60s Japan with an entirely new protagonist and self-contained story. The biggest gripes seem to be aimed at the game's combat, but in general the world, story, characters, and fear factor are seeing high praise from most outlets, with GamesRadar+'s Silent Hill f review calling it "the legendary horror series' most unsettling atmosphere and writing to date."

In reaction, Okamoto says he's "thrilled" with the Metascore, acknowledged the divisiveness of the combat, and praised the writing of legendary writer Ryukishi07, best known for the Higurashi When They Cry series.

"I'm thrilled that it received a Metascore of 86, tying with the Silent Hill 2 remake. With Japan as the setting, Mr. Ryukishi07 handling the scenario, and a combat-focused game design, I had a feeling it might divide opinions given all the challenging elements, but I'm truly grateful for such high praise," said Okamoto on X via machine translation.

"Even amid the mixed reception, the story has been almost universally acclaimed by all media outlets, so entrusting it to Mr. Ryukishi07 was absolutely the right call. I think this is a work that fans of Mr. Ryukishi07, as well as Silent Hill fans, can both enjoy and recommend."

As someone who felt some trepidation about Silent Hill f, specifically its departure from the series' established tone and its focus on parry-heavy combat, I'm also glad to see folks seem to be generally happy with it. That said, it seems my concerns about combat were warranted, so this might just be one I have to play on story mode, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Silent Hill f is just one of many upcoming horror games we have to look forward to.