So, the geniuses behind Silent Hill f, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the *real* Silent Hill (you know, the one in their heads 🤪) wasn’t quite cutting it. Apparently, the residents of the *actual* Silent Hill were too busy arguing about the pronunciation of “gif” to get possessed by demonic entities, so the team had to go location scouting.
As reported by reliable sources (aka, some article from March 2025 that nobody remembers), Silent Hill f is all about ~atmosphere~. The dev team, probably after one too many espressos, decided their guiding vision was “finding the beauty in terror” or some other equally profound statement 🙄. Oh, and they also confirmed that this would be the first game in the series *not* set in the totally-not-ripped-off-from-Maine American town of Silent Hill. Instead, it’s in Japan, because why not? According to an interview with Famitsu (which I’m sure you all read religiously), lead writer Ryukishi07 (try pronouncing that five times fast) said they initially considered Shizuoka Prefecture. You know, where the *real* Silent Hill is probably located.
In the oh-so-reliable Google Translated Famitsu interview, the devs explain that finding the *right* location was *key* to developing the ~atmosphere~. Ryukishi07 (still can’t pronounce it) explains that using real-life settings would have a “heavier impact” on players. I guess staring at your own messy room while playing just wasn’t immersive enough. So, they visited many locations in Japan. Ryukisho07 (I give up) says, “I used real locations as the basis for the image. In fact, since it’s [literally] Silent Hill, we even visited Shizuoka Prefecture as a potential location (laughs).” Yeah, real original guys. You went to the place that sounds like “Silent Hill” in Japanese. Groundbreaking stuff.
And here’s the kicker: Mount Fuji was too much of a diva 💅. Ryukishi07 (still butchering the pronunciation) says, “However, when we actually went there, we felt that the presence of Mount Fuji as seen from Shizuoka was too overbearing and it didn’t seem suitable for a Silent Hill setting.” So, the majestic, iconic, awe-inspiring Mount Fuji was apparently too distracting for the game’s atmosphere 🙄. I guess a giant, beautiful mountain just doesn’t scream “existential dread” enough. Maybe they should have asked Mount Fuji to wear a spooky mask?
So, instead of the totally-not-obvious choice of Shizuoka, Silent Hill f is now set in Kanayama, in the city of Gero in Gifu prefecture. Their fictional town is called Ebisugoka, because they probably ran out of ideas. So, get ready to trade in your rusty pipes for… uh… rusty katanas? 🤷♀️ I don’t know, I’m not a game designer.
Mark your calendars, folks! Silent Hill f will be gracing our consoles (PS5, Xbox Series S/X) and PCs on September 25th. Get ready to be terrified… or at least mildly inconvenienced by jump scares and confusing plotlines 🤪.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
