When Konami revealed Silent Hill F as the next mainline entry in the legendary horror franchise, one detail stood out: it would be the first game in the series to take place in Japan. But interestingly, that wasn’t just a thematic decision—it nearly became a literal one.
During a recent interview at Anime Expo 2025 with Famitsu, writer Ryukishi07 shared that the team originally considered placing the story in Shizuoka Prefecture, which directly translates to “Silent Hill” in Japanese. It seemed like poetic symmetry—after all, what better place for a Japanese Silent Hill than a town that practically shares its name?
However, the dream didn’t last long. After a research visit to Shizuoka, the developers realized a major problem: Mount Fuji.
According to Ryukishi07, the region’s towering natural icon disrupted the creepy atmosphere they were aiming for. Mount Fuji’s presence was just too strong, looming over the landscape and making it difficult to create a foggy, claustrophobic feel. Rather than fighting the geography, the team decided to look elsewhere.
Eventually, they landed on a town called Kanayama, located in Gero, Gifu Prefecture, as the inspiration for the game’s setting. Its grid-like, maze-like structure and historical charm provided the subtle eeriness they needed to bring the fictional town of Ebisugaoka to life.
Set in 1960s Japan, Silent Hill F follows Hinako Shimizu, a high school girl who returns to her hometown only to find it decaying, unfamiliar, and haunted by something unnatural. The narrative explores themes of isolation, rot, and buried trauma, woven into a horror experience that leans heavily on traditional Japanese storytelling techniques.
Ryukishi07 also described his approach as more singularly focused—centered on one emotional concept rather than multiple intertwining threads. He compared the structure to salad dressing, where everything feels blended at first, only for the ingredients to eventually separate and reveal deeper elements of horror and humanity.
Developed by NeoBards Entertainment, Silent Hill F launches on September 25, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It marks a bold departure from the Western aesthetics of recent entries, embracing Japan’s unique cultural lens on fear, memory, and decay.
In the end, while Shizuoka may have shared a name with Silent Hill, it was the shadows of forgotten towns, not the grandeur of Mount Fuji, that truly fit the franchise’s disturbing legacy.
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