Silent Hill f's ESRB rating has zero chill: "Faces ripped apart," "a character burned alive inside a cage," and "entrails and sinew displayed on serving platters"

Silent Hill f has been rated by the ESRB in the US, and the rating summary is one of the most explicit and intense I've ever seen.

In case you missed it, the new Silent Hill f cinematic trailer gives a sneak preview of some of the abominations the hapless protagonist Hinako will have to face off against. The trailer had some of the most unsettling creatures I've ever seen in the Silent Hill series' long history, but this ESRB rating summary suggests it was just a taster of the full meal.

It's worth noting here that some of these details are very specific and could be considered to be spoiler territory if you're wanting to go in to Silent Hill f completely blind. If that's you, turn back now.

With that out of the way, here we go: the ESRB says Silent Hill f has scenes where enemy attacks result in the player character "getting impaled in the neck and/or getting their faces ripped apart." Meanwhile, "cutscenes sometimes depict gore and more intense acts of violence: a character burned alive inside a cage; a woman branded by a hot iron; entrails and sinew displayed on serving platters in fantastical celebration/ceremony; a character sawing off her own arm; a character slicing off portions of a character's face during a ritual."

It's worth noting that Silent Hill f was also recently rated in Japan, and it's the first game in the series' 26-year-old history to be rated 18+ in Japan. Meanwhile, its Steam disclaimer is making even the most hardened horror hounds shudder, advising players to "please take a break" if they feel "uncomfortable" playing the game. This all suggests a darker, grittier, gorier game than the dark, gritty, and gory Silent Hill games from the past.

Famed Higurashi When They Cry creator Ryukishi07 says he worked so hard on the Silent Hill f story that "I don't think I would mind if it was the last thing I ever wrote."