Silent Hill f’s Connection to the Classic Games, Finally Explained

Konami keeps saying Silent Hill f is a clean break from the old series. Play it for an hour and tell me that with a straight face. The game is loaded with lore threads that tie back to the classics, and the biggest one is a name longtime fans know by heart: White Claudia.

The 'standalone' that is absolutely not standalone

Official line: treat Silent Hill f like its own thing. Reality: the deeper you poke around, the more it winks at the mainline games. The White Claudia connection is not subtle, and it is not a coincidence.

White Claudia 101 (and why it matters)

In the original games, White Claudia is that infamous plant whose seeds were used in old rituals. The cult, The Order, processed it into PTV, the illegal drug that did a lot of damage in Silent Hill 1. It is foundational to the town’s rot.

How Silent Hill f ties into that

In f, you meet Shu, a pharmacy trainee who gives Hanako (your lead) red and white pills for her brutal headaches. The pills list something called Kakura-Makakura, supposedly made from kudzu root and peony. That points to a flower referred to in-game as Hakukuso (you will also see it written as Hakkokusou), which is said to pack a hallucination hit strong enough to punch through to the other side.

'Converse with gods, visit their lands, and even awaken dormant powers.'

It’s finicky to grow, and the in-game notes dance around the exact conditions. But then you notice the pond behind Shu’s house quietly blooming with white flowers. That lines up almost perfectly with Silent Hill 1’s in-game documentation, which describes White Claudia as growing by water, with oblong leaves and white blossoms. The vibes match, and so do the specifics.

Peonies, Aglaophotis, and another red miracle

There’s another layer: Hakukuso/White Claudia is presented as a type of peony. Peonies already have history in the series through Aglaophotis, the red flower tincture used in Silent Hill 1 and 3 to expel demonic influences. In f, you can find an oddly named item, the Hotei-sama Sitting Cross-Legend (yes, that label sounds like a mistranslation), which contains a red liquid with a very familiar claim:

'Eradicate even the most wicked evil.'

Between the plant lineage, the watery bloom clue, and the red counter-agent, the game is practically drawing arrows back to the originals. You can call it a new chapter, sure. But the DNA is showing.

• White Claudia: Ritual plant from the classics, turned into PTV by The Order.
• Silent Hill f: Shu’s pills for Hanako include Kakura-Makakura tied to Hakukuso/Hakkokusou (a peony with heavy hallucinogenic properties).
• Environmental clue: White flowers by Shu’s pond mirror SH1’s 'grows near water' note.
• Aglaophotis echo: f’s Hotei-sama item is a red liquid that claims to purge evil, just like the old games’ demon-expelling remedy.

The game is hitting big numbers, fast

Silent Hill f was pitched like a spin-off. The audience did not care. Konami said on X/Twitter that the game shipped over a million copies in its first four days. It has already outpaced the numbers posted by last year’s Silent Hill 2 Remake. On Steam, it’s sitting at a Very Positive rating, which is not exactly common in an era where a lot of launches feel half-baked.

So what now? More, please

If nothing else, this proves players want the series’ brand of psychological horror, especially when it plays with legacy lore instead of pretending it never happened. Konami should absolutely keep the momentum going with sequels and spin-offs that keep threading characters and concepts across eras. That’s how you keep lifers happy and give newcomers the good stuff without homework.

The basics

Game: Silent Hill f
Developer: NeoBards Entertainment Limited
Release: 2025

Spot any other Silent Hill f connections I missed? Drop them in the comments. I will happily disappear into the corkboard with string.