Silent Hill F
NeoBards Entertainment/Konami
Silent Hill is back, and it seems to be back in a pretty significant way. The latest game in the series, Silent Hill F, is debuting to positive reviews. You might be wondering when exactly you can play the survival horror game from developer NeoBards Entertainment and publisher Konami. I’ve got you covered.
Those who bought the digital deluxe edition are already able to play Silent Hill F, as early access started on September 23. If you’re opting for the standard edition, the release dates and launch times are not exactly uniform. Here’s a breakdown of when you can start playing in different time zones and on your platform of choice.
Silent Hill F Release Date And Launch Times
If you’re picking up the game on PS5, Xbox Series X/S on on PC via the Xbox store, the you’ll be able to play Silent Hill F on September 25 starting at:
- 12AM AEST (Australia east coast)
- 12AM JST (Japan)
- 12AM HKT (Hong Kong)
- 12AM GMT+3 (Eastern Europe/East Africa)
- 12AM CEST (Western Europe)
- 12AM BST (U.K.)
- 1AM BRT (Brazil)
- 12AM ET (U.S./Canada east coast)
Those in other North American time zones can technically start playing the standard version on those platforms on Wednesday:
- 11PM CT on September 24 (U.S./Canada Central Time)
- 9PM PT on September 24 (U.S./Canada East Coast)
As for the Steam and Epic Games Store versions of Silent Hill F, that has a global release time of 12AM ET on September 25. Here’s what that might be in your time zone:
- 2PM AEST (Australia east coast)
- 1PM JST (Japan)
- 12PM HKT (Hong Kong)
- 7AM GMT+3 (Eastern Europe/East Africa)
- 6AM CEST (Western Europe)
- 5AM BST (U.K.)
- 1AM BRT (Brazil)
- 11PM CT on September 24 (U.S./Canada Central Time)
- 9PM PT on September 24 (U.S./Canada East Coast)
Silent Hill F Reviews And Metacritic Scores
Reviews for Silent Hill F are fairly strong, as it garnered Metacritic scores of 86 on PC and PS5, and 82 on Xbox.
I’m a big admirer of Lewis Gordon’s writing. Over at The Verge, he noted how the writing and the level design weave together:
Silent Hill F feels revitalized thanks to a story penned by renowned Japanese manga author Ryukishi07. Hinako is at a pivotal moment in her life, still at school yet on the cusp of an arranged marriage by her abusive, alcoholic father. She is tormented by social anxieties: the gossiping of friends and absence of her older sister. This plot is revealed patiently through cutscenes and scattered letters. It’s typical video game storytelling, but Silent Hill F offers a beguiling marriage of game space and narrative. The town of Ebisugaoka opens up alongside the mysteries; the streets seem to double back on themselves like this tricksy story.
In their review for The Gamer (with a score of 9/10), Jade King highlights the game’s marriage of beauty and brutality, and how it approaches the weight of expectation that young women in 1960s Japan faced:
While Bloober Team’s remake of the legendary second entry was a positive step in the right direction, Silent Hill F feels like Konami finally cementing the survival horror icon’s return. It is an emotional, unpredictable, and unsettlingly beautiful glimpse into the worst parts of human nature. Hinako Shimizu’s journey is one designed to make the player ask uncomfortable yet necessary questions with no guarantees that you’ll enjoy the answers. But it’s through that bravery that Silent Hill F is able to achieve greatness.
Over at Gamespot, Jessica Cogswell gave Silent Hill F a score of 9/10 and dubbed it a new benchmark for the series:
Although the game distances itself from previous entries in the series–most notably by trading in its Lynchian-meets-Boschian ambience and small-town America setting in favor of slow-burning Japanese horror and the humid foothills of Honshu – its overall experience is every bit as memorable as those offered by its predecessors. And yet Silent Hill F is not merely a somewhat-divergent continuation of a beloved series; it’s an evolution, offering several gameplay improvements while also paving a new path forward. With its brilliant writing, well-designed and strategic gameplay, engaging combat, and spectacular visuals, Silent Hill F firmly establishes itself as a phenomenal work of psychological horror and among the best entries in the Silent Hill series.
I’m not sure when I’ll get around to playing Silent Hill F – I have a bunch of other games to prioritize at the minute. But I’m certainly interested in checking it out, especially after reading these reviews.
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