Silent Hill f is one of the most fascinating survival horror games we’ve seen this last decade — effortlessly pushing the dormant franchise in a new direction while still managing to nail the spirit of a Silent Hill game. But perhaps most interesting of all is how it reframes the series’ focus on interpersonal trauma, filtering that theme through the eyes of a high school girl named Hinako, living in 1960s Japan. Silent Hill f is a game about the horror of losing your individuality, of a life being forced on you that you never wanted — heavily steeped in the women’s rights movement of Japan. This gives Hinako’s tale a grounded and relatable element — but in my review, I also talked about how Silent Hill f seemingly is simultaneously trying to come to grips with how the series has portrayed women. And it turns out that was intentional.
Note: This article will contain minor spoilers for the game.
