STACK #251 September 2025

GAMING FEATURE

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A third movie, Return to Silent Hill , is due for release in 2026. It’s based on the Silent Hill 2 game. DYK?

“The reason we set the time period of this title in the Sh ō wa era is that, after careful consideration, we felt that it was the setting, environment, and era best

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suited to depict the story’s themes with greater contrast,” explains the author. “The Sh ō wa era, though just half a century ago, feels like a different world – one that remains connected to our present, yet preserves customs and superstitions long forgotten in modern life.”

We’ve waited impatiently for 13 years, but finally this month’s Silent Hill f sees a whole new entry in the revered, twist-laden psychological horror series. We learned more of what to expect from some of the team behind it… Words Amy Flower W hile the series originally combined elements of both Japanese and Western horror, in recent outings the latter style has become more prominent. “As the series progressed, we felt that the Silent Hill f, ” muses game producer Al Yang. “So, we spent a lot of time iterating and discussing between NeoBards and Konami on how to bring the uneasy charm and loneliness of Ebisugaoka to life.” The fictional town of Ebisugaoka marks a

Ryukishi07 brings some fresh perspectives to the well-established Silent Hill formula. “We’re tackling types of themes that have never been explored in the Silent Hill series before,” he enthuses. “Personally, I believe they're well-suited to the world, but I’ll leave it to all of you to decide whether it truly fits.” Adds Yang, “Another key reason we chose this timeframe and location was that there were many, many elements we could draw from that would feel both familiar yet alien to many players, supporting that sense of uneasiness.” The NeoBards team worked hard to make Ryukishi07’s script into a well flowing, playable experience. “One of our core development goals was to make sure Ryukishi07's unique storytelling characteristics were completely preserved,” says Yang. “Because the flow and pacing of the script is very different than that of a playable game, there was a lot of discussion and iteration between our teams on what things would need to be adjusted, why they would need to be adjusted, and how to best go about it.

essence of Japanese horror had been lost,” says Motoi Okamoto, the series producer at Konami. “So, we started thinking that we'd like to create a Silent Hill that embodied 100% Japanese-style horror. We decided that if we were to make a Silent Hill with a Japanese aesthetic, a production team from Japan or Asia would be ideal. “At that time, I came across NeoBards. I felt they were a great team, as they had worked with several major Japanese publishers and were able to communicate smoothly.”

move away in setting from the titular US town, in keeping with the aim for a more Japanese experience, but that doesn’t mean that established series cues have been forsaken. “Keeping in tradition with the series, our protagonist Hinako is also designed to be an ordinary person,” says Yang. “However, it was crucial to us to have fun and interesting gameplay. The team spent a lot of time focusing on creating a combat system that would feel both fresh, but familiar, yet also being thematically appropriate and not overly complex.

“For instance, something we had to consider was the flow of the levels in relation to the story, such as when to push players along, and when to give them the freedom to explore.

“As a key concept in Silent Hill f is the idea of ‘find the beauty in terror’. We created our visual designs to have a distinct uneasiness to them, but to also have a horrific charm that would make it so you just couldn’t stop staring.” To help achieve their goal, a

“In order to present Ryukishi07’s lore in the most suitable way, we’d organise what information would fit best where. Such as through environmental storytelling, secondary information such as a note you’d pick up during gameplay, characterisation through animations, voiceover, etc. And, of course, what parts would be most suitable as a cutscene.”

As fans of Silent Hill , the team at NeoBards were up for the challenge. “With the major thematic shift, it was absolutely critical for us to not merely copy, but to really understand what the key atmospheric elements that defined the classic Silent Hill titles were in order to evolve them for

new writer was enlisted in Ryukishi07. Only known by this pseudonym, his When They Cry psychological horror visual novel series has proven a hit in both his native Japan and with Western audiences. Given creative freedom, he decided to set Silent Hill f in the 1960s.

The wait is almost over. It’s time to prepare for a scare!

• Silent Hill f is out Sep 25

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