‘Silent Hill’ fans worried about new game’s ‘Elden Ring’-style combat

Horror fans are worried about the upcoming Silent Hill f after developers said the combat was inspired by the popularity of “more difficult action games” such as  Elden Ring.

• READ MORE: ‘Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ review: more familiar, fantastical adventures for ‘Elden Ring’ fans

Silent Hill f launches in September and will take players to 1960s Japan where they will follow teenager Shimizu Hinako. “An average teen, she passes the time with nothing particularly special about her life. Until, that is, a deep fog descends on [her hometown of] Ebisugaoka, and everything Hinako knows crumbles as she finds her once-familiar home infested with spreading danger, the town empty except for the horrors teeming in the fog.”

There was a lot of excitement around the game due to the brutal trigger warnings and the involvement of famed horror writer Ryukishi07. 

Developers have already warned fans that the game’s combat will have a “heavier focus on melee and be more action-oriented compared to last year’s Silent Hill 2” but after a select number of journalists were invited for a hands-on preview of Silent Hill f, there are concerns about just how different the new game will be.  

“With multiple difficulty settings, Silent Hill f is by no means a soulslike but its boss design shares a similar learning curve that ultimately results in a great feeling of satisfaction when you finally beat it,” wrote IGN after spending five hours with the game. 

“Hearing that combat is difficult and bosses reportedly took multiple tries even on story mode makes me pause. I personally don’t like a lot of challenges in combat, so I avoid any soulslike games. If the bosses prove to be time-consuming and frustrating, I won’t be thrilled,” wrote one fan on Reddit. “I’m very excited but I hate soulslike games and I definitely didn’t want to see any of those combat mechanics in a Silent Hill entry. Still looking forward to playing it but I’m slightly worried,” added another. 

According to IGN, series producer Motoi Okamoto said that Silent Hill f’s combat was inspired by “the current popularity of more difficult action games” with many fans assuming he’s referring to Elden Ring. There are also concerns about degradable weapons and Shimizu Hinako’s ability to occasionally slow down time in battles.

“I’m not a fan of superhero dodge, slow downs, RPG upgrades and soulslike combat where I need to try one hour to defeat a boss. I don’t think it belongs in a horror game, it becomes frustrating rather than scary once you need to learn patterns of taking down an enemy,” said a third fan. However plenty of other fans have praised the atmosphere of Silent Hill f and its “intriguing” story.

Earlier this year, actor Konatsu Kato revealed that playing Shimizu Hinako caused their “sanity to slip”.

In other news, a new report claims that the beloved BioShock series is in turmoil with the long-awaited follow-up to Infinite still not ready for launch. A remake of the original game has also been cancelled. 

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