Review #051 – Silent Hill F

If Silent Hill F is the series' blueprint going forward then Konami's decision to revive the franchise and focus on its psychological themes rather than the town itself was, in retrospect, a great idea. NeoBards doesn't necessarily have the most ironclad track record but they've done an excellent job blending the franchise's horrific atmosphere with a rural 1960s Japanese motif.

Throughout the game you’ll bounce between typical small town survival horror scenarios and other dream-like sequences exploring the main character’s traumatic and twisted psyche. Watching the game’s narrative unfold was grotesquely intriguing, and it definitely goes in some wild places I didn’t see coming. Any parts involving Fox Mask were particularly unsettling.

You’ll get to do a little exploring here and there but general progression is fairly linear. Combat is fun and very Dark Souls-like with slow, deliberate swings and lots of stamina management. I just kept wanting to see where the narrative was going, and luckily both the storytelling and moment- to-moment gameplay are engaging and skillfully designed.