Silent Hill f Ties Silent Hill 3 on Metacritic, But Still Trails the First Two and 2024's Silent Hill 2 Remake

Silent Hill is having a moment again. After the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake got the series back on track, the brand-new, actually-original Silent Hill f landed with some weight behind it. No pressure: it is the first wholly original Silent Hill since 2012’s Downpour, and the franchise hasn’t had a universally adored entry since Silent Hill 3. And for the record, I’ll die on the hill that The Room and Shattered Memories got way more grief than Homecoming ever did.

Good news: Silent Hill f is hitting. Its Metacritic score is 85, which basically plants it in the series’ top tier. That 85 ties Silent Hill 3’s PS2 score from 2003 and matches the original PS1 Silent Hill. Above it sits the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake at 86, and then the champ: the original 2001 Silent Hill 2 at 89. Honestly, 89 feels low for that one, but that’s a different fight.

So what are folks saying? The vibe is strong: thick, eerie atmosphere; nasty creature design; and writing that actually goes for the throat. The combat’s the sticking point for some reviewers — a little too fussy, a little too stun-locky — but the story work, especially around lead character Hinako, is getting real praise.

"Silent Hill f is thick with a terrifying yet beautiful foggy atmosphere and truly gnarly monster designs, combined with incredibly well-judged, smart, and gut-wrenching writing... Still, unravelling the fears that haunt Hinako makes for some of the best horror I’ve ever played."

That’s GamesRadar+ games editor Oscar Taylor-Kent, who gave it a 4/5, and he’s not alone. Here’s the quick pulse check:

• Dexerto: 5/5
• Inverse: 10/10
• GamesRadar+: 4/5
• IGN: 7/10
• TechRadar Gaming: 3/5

Even the lower scores are more 'solid but annoyed by combat' than 'this is broken,' which, for a series with Silent Hill’s baggage, is a pretty healthy place to be.

Also worth clocking: the team behind Silent Hill f isn’t trying to live in the 2001-2003 glory days forever. The director has been clear that the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake was basically for the classic fans, and that future games will probably carry their own flavour. Translation: expect the series to evolve rather than cosplay its greatest hits.

Bottom line: a brand-new Silent Hill landing an 85 and standing shoulder to shoulder with the series’ best is not something I expected to write in 2025. After the misfires of Ascension and The Short Message, this is the first time in a long time it feels like Silent Hill knows exactly what it wants to be.