Silent Hill f was always going to be a highly anticipated game, given that we haven’t had an all-new mainline entry in the iconic horror series for well over a decade. However, now we know that it’s taking the Silent Hill formula out of the titular town and dropping into rural 1960s Japan, it feels like the excitement levels have ramped up even higher. Following Silent Hill f’s full reveal and deep dive yesterday, its newly posted Steam page also suggests that it could be the darkest and most controversial Silent Hill game ever.
I was extremely impressed with what I saw yesterday of Silent Hill f. I would’ve been happy with a return to actual Silent Hill, but I think transplanting its tried and tested formula into a new location with all-new characters and monsters is the right play. While the series has of course touched on disturbing themes and contained plenty of gruesome gameplay, Silent Hill f may take things to a different level.
At the bottom of its Steam page, you’ll find a mature content warning – a fairly common thing for horror games. But Silent Hill f’s content warning is surprisingly detailed already, despite the fact you can only wishlist the game at the moment and Konami hasn’t given a release window or date yet.
“This game contains depictions of gender discrimination, child abuse, bullying, drug-induced hallucinations, torture, and graphic violence,” the warning reads. “This game is set in Japan in the 1960s and contains depictions based on the customs and culture of that time. These depictions do not reflect the opinions or values of the developers or any individuals involved.”
Jheez. While you’d absolutely expect to see graphic violence in a Silent Hill game, there seems to be some pretty heavy themes here. While a good psychological horror game should take you to some dark and unsettling places, I do worry that some of these themes may be seen as insensitive and controversial in this day and age.
The Steam page even says that “if you feel uncomfortable at any point while playing, please take a break from playing or speak to someone you trust.”
I didn’t get the sense during the 40-minute Silent Hill Transmission stream that such themes would be explored in Silent Hill f. The game’s creators were repeatedly pushing the general concept of “finding beauty within terror” and assured fans that the atmospheric, psychological horror vibe of past Silent Hills remains. But it does seem like things will be getting darker in Silent Hill f.
Until we hear and see more about it, why not try some gruelling survival games? Alternatively, see what else is dropping in the near and distant future with our upcoming PC games guide.
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