Silent Hill F Spoiler-Free Review – PS5, Xbox and PC

I think they called this Silent Hill F because you might find yourself wondering what the F is going on.

Is Silent Hill F good? Is Silent Hill F worth it for fans? Heck, is it even a real Silent Hill?

Silent Hill F can feel like two completely different games depending on one simple choice. One path is punishing and tense, the other is filled with more beatdowns, but it’s not as exciting as you might think. Both reveal something strange about what Silent Hill F is trying to be. In Silent Hill F, you play a young girl named Hinako, who gets caught up in a hellish supernatural situation in a small foggy town in Japan, complete with deadly mannequins and other creepy nonsense.

Here’s what I discovered after finishing it.

WATCH THE VIDEO REVIEW (or keep reading below):

An Important Gameplay Decision

Silent Hill F gives you 2 action difficulties: Story, which is too easy and doesn’t even use all the game systems – and hard, which is just brutal in comparison. Silent Hill F is sorely lacking a middle option that provides a good but more manageable survival horror experience – and a few extra enemy types wouldn’t have hurt either. The puzzles come with their own difficulty option, and are quite solid on hard mode – so I did enjoy that.

On the easier of the two difficulty levels, the game felt a little too action heavy, – with dodging and counter attacks that didn’t feel all that suited to what should be a survival horror, although I did enjoy how most of the weapons really had a chunky, clunky, heavy and satisfying feeling to them every time you give the enemies a good whack. The interfaces and equipment systems also could have been a little more refined, and felt a little clunky themselves.

Setting the Tone with Graphics and Sound

It’s quite a good looking game, with some cool and appropriately grotesque art and sound design, but the graphics are nothing you’ve never seen before, and I did often experience harsh stuttering during many of the cutscenes. The small Japanese town its mostly set in is detailed and pretty, and there are some other great looking areas you get whisked away to at times as well.

Repeat Performance

When it comes to the story, I dunno if it was just me, but I didn’t understand the metaphors being offered up until right at the very end, and it felt like the last sections of the 12 hour campaign had overstayed their welcome a little, however, the ending did ultimately leave me feeling good – albeit a little confused – about the experience.

That’s when I discovered that the game has additional endings and some changes, only unlocked with multiple playthroughs. Great bang for your buck if you’re into that sort of thing, but many of you will sooner find yourself heading to YouTube to watch endings and explainer videos.

Imposter Syndrome?

I’m actually somewhat of a Silent Hill virgin, as I’ve never properly played any of the mainline numbered Silent Hill games. But based on everything I do know about the games and stories, and what I’ve heard from fans over the years, I’m not convinced that Silent Hill F is a good representation of what fans might think of as a proper Silent Hill experience.

Verdict 8/10: I can still recommend Silent Hill F, but it’s not an entirely strong recommendation. It is good and I like where the story goes, but as a whole, it’s maybe only an immediate option for horror lovers who have already exhausted all other options – and at the same time, hardcore Silent Hill fans might find it to be too much of a departure from what they’re used to – and too loosely connected to the rest of the franchise.

As a last extra bonus recommendation: If you’re looking for something already showing up on sales or subscription services that provides a similar experience pulled off masterfully, give Alan Wake 2 a look if you’ve not yet played it. It’s magnificent, and great timing is that news also just hit that it’s on PS+ now (October 2025)!