Silent Hill f Pumping up the Action to Attract Younger Players

Silent Hill f is doubling down on combat-heavy action to attract younger players and avoid becoming another Silent Hill 2 clone—an approach fans warn echoes the Resident Evil 4 model’s betrayal of the series’ survival horror roots.

In a recent interview, Silent Hill producer Motoi Okamoto and director Al Yang explained that the team deliberately made Silent Hill f more action-focused to stand out from past entries and appeal to newer, younger audiences. They explicitly stated the goal was to avoid repeating SH2’s style and instead embrace a more dynamic approach to combat.

This pivot represents a shift away from psychological dread and atmosphere-driven scares toward weapon use, melee encounters, and bloodshed—a gameplay philosophy that Resident Evil solidified after Resident Evil 4. That title famously traded locked cameras and tension for high-octane shooting and real-time action, a transition that many argue sacrificed horror for adrenaline.

Silent Hill f launches September 25 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC platforms. It relocates the series from its American fog-shrouded roots to Japan, and embraces fast-paced fights via melee weapons like pipes and spears. Though penned by horror veteran Ryukishi07 and developed under Japanese horror sensibilities, the gameplay appears primed to favor combat over creeping fear.

This transition from niche genre to mindless action game has been rather common nowadays, and purists fear the franchise will erode what made it unnervingly special: silence, suggestion, and mental terror.