Summary
Silent Hill fis breaking new ground for the seminal psychological horror series. After numerous mainline games and various spin-offs spanning other media like films,Silent Hill fwill be moving away from the familiar but consistently creepy town of the franchise’s namesake. The next upcoming entry boasts a twisted tale penned by writer Rukishi07 ofWhen They Cryfame, and is poised to break one ofSilent Hill’s biggest and longest-standing traditions via its change of setting.
The series overall has been gaining lots of traction, in large part thanks to developer Bloober Team’sSilent Hill 2 Remakeselling 2 million copiessince its release last October, and being well-received by players and critics alike. Now that it’s been put back in the spotlight of premier survival horror experiences,Silent Hill f’s gamble in shaking up the expected setting could be just the beginning forSHto head into previously unseen territory in the future.
Though it has no firm date yet,Silent Hill freceived an official rating from South Koreain January, which could mean it’s closer to launch than previously thought.
Silent Hill f Being Set Outside the Usual Town Could Mean the Sky’s the Limit for Future Entries
Silent Hill f’s Fresh Setting and Other Elements Mark a Huge Departure For the Series
Ryukishi07 and producer Motoi Okamoto unveiled fans can expect fromSilent Hill fat the most recent Silent Hill Transmission showcase this past March. Delving more into the details at the event, the team highlighted howSilent Hill fwill take place during the 1960s in an isolated village called Ebisugaoka situated on the coast of Japan.
The title will see protagonist Shimizu Hinako, a teenager who begins to experience inexplicably terrifying events within Ebisugaoka. She is soon drawn into what seems to be her home’s own version of the Otherworld, with thetrailer forSilent Hill ffurther depicting a rain-soaked countryside and dimly lit shrines, but still displaying the series' classic creepy vibes and surreal atmosphere.
Silent Hill Townfallis also currently in development, although much less is known about its direction and vision.
Where Silent Hill Could Go After Silent Hill f’s Setting Switch
Silent Hill 2 Remake’s reimagining of the iconic fog-engulfed rural East American town brought it to life in new ways, recreating the winding streets and worn-down, labyrinthine buildings while expanding on some areas that weren’t as accessible in the original. With thebold approach thatSilent Hill fis takingin moving away from the town itself, this opens up a wide range of possibilities and potential locations that it could take fans in later games. Among some places it could go next might be ones like:
Any one of these and even others beyond not listed would be ripe for exploring aSilent Hillstorythat delves more into their respective local cultures, histories, and mythologies while entwining them with the series' established ones to create an experience firmly rooted in its traditions, but making good use of more exotic and previously untapped locations. It also could allowSilent Hillto greatly expand on its lore, and create connecting reasons for how and why characters find themselves in similar situations to the originals in different places of the world.
Silent Hill fchanging timelines to the past, versus the often contemporary ones, at least to when the games were released, also opens up a second layer for more experimentation. If it resonates with fans,Silent Hill f’s new settingcould set it down the road to having future titles take place in various locations around the world, and let the franchise massively expand its scope while still honing in on the psychological horror trappings it helped establish.
