Zero Brightness - A Podcast About Horror Video Games · Ecstattic Studio

Bonus: My Thoughts on Silent Hill F

·1 hr 4 min·4 clips

The upgrade system uses shrines, food offerings, and faith instead of combat to level up.

1. Zero Brightness presents a bonus review of Silent Hill f, released publicly in truncated form after a Patreon introduction. 2. The host, who names Silent Hill Homecoming, Silent Hill Downpour, and Silent Hill 2 remake, matters because he compares Silent Hill f against the series’ recent design history. 3. The episode asks whether Silent Hill f works as a modernization of Silent Hill 2 rather than a classic Silent Hill return. 4. Konami’s reveal left the host asking, “What is Silent Hill F?” after Silent Hill 2 remake looked like the marquee release. 5. He says Silent Hill f seemed like a spinoff or secondary release before more details made it look like a throwback survival-horror game. 6. The host says he is not into “throwback horror,” especially from a big-budget studio. 7. He says he waited for a sale, paid about $35 with account credit, and played a patched version rather than day one. 8. People who DM’d him about the launch complained that the combat felt bad or busted, but he says the version he played felt fine. 9. He places Silent Hill f in a line with Homecoming and Downpour because all three try to modernize the Silent Hill 2 formula. 10. He says all three games use lock-on, 1v1 combat structures, even if each seems influenced by different games. 11. He contrasts the older Silent Hill games’ sparse systems with these newer games’ more conventional mechanics. 12. He says Silent Hill f is set in rural Japan, probably in the 1960s, and centers on a high school girl and her friend group. 13. He says the story follows interpersonal tension, trust issues, and a friend group falling apart. 14. He describes a foggy town layer with monsters, red vines, flowers, and kudzu-like growths. 15. He says the deeper layer is a shrine-based world that is dark but not rusted or degraded like earlier Silent Hill spaces. 16. He says the town sections are the strongest part because they mix open exploration, hidden items, lore notes, and side areas. 17. He says the shrine upgrade system is his favorite mechanic because food offerings become faith, and faith plus EMA items unlock upgrades. 18. He says the combat uses stamina, dodge, counter attacks, and focus, but no block or parry, which leaves the system feeling awkward later on. 19. Listeners who like Silent Hill 2 remake comparisons and survival-horror systems will get the most from this review. 20. Listeners wanting a spoiler-light, story-first summary of the ending should probably skip it.

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