Silent Hill f

NeoBards Entertainment's standalone spin-off is the first mainline entry since Downpour.

Content warning

This game contains depictions of gender discrimination, child abuse, bullying, drug-induced hallucinations, torture and graphic violence.

Summary

Set in 1960s Japan, in the fictional town of Ebisugaoka, Hinako Shimizu leaves her abusive father Kanta and pitiful mother Kimie (whom she despises), to meet Shu Iwai, Sakuko Igarashi and Rinko Nishidia.

After Shu gives Hinako some painkillers, gesture instigates one of her tension headaches, and a Kashimashi engulfs the town in fog and kills Sakuko.

While avenging her friend's death, Hinako passes out and awakens in the Dark Shrine, where she encounters a mysterious man called Fox Mask, who she's never met, but seems to know her.

Something tells me that geezer might play a pivotal role later on.

Miscellany

Before starting, we must choose between two difficulties:

Action - Story or Hard

Puzzles - Story or Hard

New Game+ unlocks Lost in the Fog for both.

Inventory

Space is pretty limited, but you can increase capacity by occasionally finding shoulder bags.

Running out of slots forces us to discard one item/weapon for another.

Hokura/Hokora

Shrines initially contain four options.

Record - save progress.

Enshrine - offer items for Faith points.

Draw Onamari - receive a random amulet.

Clear Mind - restore your sanity.

When equipped, types of onamari give different abilities.

Later, when we get Ena (a wooden plaque), Pray appears.  This increases max health, sanity, stamina and onamari slots.

Items such as divine water, kudzu tea, yokan and ramune can be offered, also restoring health and sanity.

Weapons

Firearms are given the finger, but kaiken, sickle, axe, crowbar, kitchen knife, steel pipe and sledgehammer dish out punishment.

But the naginata is best.

If durability is exhausted, melee will break and disappear.

Toolkits repair, but as there's usually more weapons nearby, mechanic feels pointless.

Puzzles

Placing things in the right order and matching symbols via visual clues are held in high regard, but Fog difficulty relies on Journal entries.

Combat

Before automatically getting steel pipe, all we can do is dodge, and doing so 'perfectly' before enemy's attack lands gives stamina.

Light - weak but quick.

Heavy - slow but damaging, with higher chance of stunning.

We can also lock-on and Focus Attack (insert Street Fighter nod here).

Some enemies leave themselves open to a counter attack, indicated by a glowing aura.

If your sanity and health is spent - death. 

Series isn't famed for its fluency, so you'd think they'd finally right wrong, but no, it's clunky, frustrating and unsatisfying.

Attacks can blur through an enemy, or bypass you.  Shit, even dodging isn't guaranteed to register.

GREAT!

Finally, Hinako walks nearly as fast as she runs.

Bestiary 

In the Fog Town, aside from the Kashimashi, blobby lumps of flesh the Ara-abare have one huge knife as arm and the other used to grab you. The Birthing Monster, swollen in skin-crawling mounds, spawn more horrors, and the Vomiting Monster pukes up claret as it shuffles around.

We also get scarecrow-type beings the Ayakakashi in a field (which form part of a puzzle) 

Some are unique to Hinako's second home the Dark Shrine, like Blade Legs and the Oi-omoi (an amalgamation of doll parts with human legs).

Final Path

Given a saw by Fox Mask, Hinako replaces limb with a Fox Arm, giving the ability to siphon souls and awaken bestial form.

WHAT THE FUCK AM I PLAYING HERE?

After taking care of Rinko-like Entity, who wants to sear you with his flames of rage, we meet Junko and make our way back home, where Hinako's parents as monsters attack.

Final boss is the Shiromuku.

A restless heart leads to a corrupt soul

The 'f' in title is never explained and left open to interpretation.

Fatal Frame/Project Zero, Forbidden Siren having a baby with Bloodborne and Souls has absolutely no business calling itself a Silent Hill game. 

Gauges made experience unnecessarily convoluted and as already stated, combat sucks.

There's no memorable moments, script is poorly written, I didn't give a shit about characters and boring teenage angst story left no emotional impact.

To its credit, visuals are appealing and some of the monster designs are cool.

Initial playthrough leads to generic ending Coming Home to Roost.

I'm fully aware that NG+ boasts an abundance of riches, including unseen documents, collectibles, cutscenes, puzzles, bosses and endings.

Trouble is, I just can't be bothered.

Verdict 6/10