Silent Hill

[Xev]

another "didn't play it" brainlet.

the game never demonizes marriage, Foxmask/Kotoyuki is essentially a Hot, considerate rich man who deeply wants to be with Hinako because of something she did in his youth that she doesn't even remember.
He literally swoops in, mails her tons of love letters, then offers to buy her hand in marraige to help fund the cancer meds for Hinako's Mom and make their debts disappear.

the game doesn't say ANY of that is bad, Half of Hinako wants to be with Kotoyuki and likes him, half of her wants to do her own thing, and there's also a tug of war with spooky Gods of the Land who have manipulated events.
It isn't the marraige that terrifies Hinako, its change, simple as that, change and the fear of becoming her "idea" of her Mother, which turns out, isn't even true, all of this unravels by NG++ and she realizes she might want to Marry Kotoyuki afterall, after giving it pause, that is what her "two sides" come to a consensus on.

How old is this foxmask supposed to be because he sounds like a groomer.

 

[Zenos Yae Viator]

How old is this foxmask supposed to be because he sounds like a groomer.

He's younger than HInako lol.
HInako is in her 20's and he's like a year or so younger

*sees the main character literally getting her arm chopped off to get a devil trigger furry arm*
*gets visibly branded*
*literally says women were treated like animals*

you must understand, there are "Two" Hinako's, think of it like Persona 4, there's "Hinako" and "Shadow Hinako", the drugs she's on given to her by Shu is allowing a sort of inner conversation that has spoiled by the fact Eldritch Jap Gods have invaded her Super Dream.

The one getting the Fox Arm and all that shit, is the Hinako that likes the marriage and Kotoyuki, but its depiction is spoiled by Non-Shadow Hinako who see's it as a series of horrible changes you can't come back from.

essentially Both Selves are corrupting each other's Dream Realms, this is why the enemys ingame are different for both, Shadow Hinako is the source of the Rot/Spider Lily shit, and Hinako is the source of all the enemies in the Dark Temple.

In the True Ending they resolve their differences and their inner dream is just the regular old village with nothing crazy anymore.

 

[Toxic BRAAAAP Mask]

If you read Higurashi you'd know hes just redoing concepts he already did down to the friend group itself.

I didn't realizing until playing just how much of Higurashi is recycled into f, holy shit.

Outside of the other gameplay points people have made, man does it have some basic bitch cringe shoujo manga tropes in the story and the feminist themes are beaten over your head in a way that makes it painfully obvious this was written by modern hands instead of being a period piece with some authenticity.

Also, this game's localization is not consistent at all. Some spots I swear they just popped it into MTL and shoved it into the game. It's clear the international audience was an afterthought with how the dialogue is paced, word choice, and how much Japanese cultural references won't be gotten by your run-of-the-mill non-weeb bcause they're not alluded to in the notes.

Regular Joe isn't going to get some of the actions she goes through in the spirit realm have allusions to wedding ceremonies which is a massive misstep in forshadowing that marriage is the endgame. Most also won't get the sun shower reference in ending two as being tied to the myth that foxes steal their brides and sun showers only happen during fox weddings. Or the fact her monstrous self is in wedding garb and white is traditionally a mourning color (a fact they could express in localizing the JP name of the boss, but they didn't because weebs like JP words I guess).

So much will only be noticed by Japs and weebs because they were lazy and don't care about making a product with depth for all overseas fans and probably paid chinks or jeets to localize it. Also the other languages are based off of the English translation which makes for a bad game of telephone and lost meaning (sorry frenchies and spaniards, you don't deserve as good as the anglos so thy could save money). My complaints are so numerous I've lost count and I lament the fact I know Jap language at times like these, and that's just the stuff that's referencing shit like patriarchy to connect to modern buzzword feminism instead of the accurate nuance that should be used.

One final spergout, autistic redditors are latching onto the fact there's a letter that mentions autism in relation to side character Sakuko and if I see one more retard claim it's rep I'm going to claw their eyes out. The letter states she displayed mild characteristics of autism but goes on to say all her tests were in normal range and it's normal for a kid to imagine seeing things and fear the dark, basically that she is NOT autistic and requires no treatment.

Not only can redditors not read and comprehend, autism in the 60s was vastly different and widely debated in the West let alone Japan's messed up mental health field. In fact the term used for autism today in JP is what is used in the letter, the origin term being one character shorter and refers to social withdraw as a symptom or particularly in rference to schizophrenia, one of the diseases that old autistic diagnosis criteria resembled more.

You know, schizophrenia, the condition associated with hallucinations, the thing the character is having in this instance that is unequivocally not a part of modern autism nonsense. All of this could be avoided by having a good localizer who knew to take the time period into account make the connection it was schizophrenia they would be talking about, but I guess those localizers don't exist or are too expensive for Cashgrab Konami. Either way these shits shouldn't be wanting to have their 'rep' be the hallucinating schizo, or maybe they do, I don't fucking know anymore.

Now give me my fucking MATI hats.

 

[Pumpkin_Spice_Bastard]

Gotta like how much discussion f stirred.
Also, I guess we are not getting Born from a Wish DLC, huh.

 

[Zenos Yae Viator]

One final spergout, autistic redditors are latching onto the fact there's a letter that mentions autism in relation to side character Sakuko and if I see one more retard claim it's rep I'm going to claw their eyes out. The letter states she displayed mild characteristics of autism but goes on to say all her tests were in normal range and it's normal for a kid to imagine seeing things and fear the dark, basically that she is NOT autistic and requires no treatment.

Not only can redditors not read and comprehend, autism in the 60s was vastly different and widely debated in the West let alone Japan's messed up mental health field. In fact the term used for autism today in JP is what is used in the letter, the origin term being one character shorter and refers to social withdraw as a symptom or particularly in rference to schizophrenia, one of the diseases that old autistic diagnosis criteria resembled more.

I think the game just wants you to believe she's a Spirit Medium, as she's literally possessed by some being (Tree God) who "writes" through her in a handwriting that isn't hers, something a schizo couldn't be able to do.

but yes, all the rest is perfectly reasonable critique of the many problems of this game, I think the overall plot framing and lore for the game is quite nice, but honestly, I find Hinako to be a sort of selfish protag, and I think maybe its intentional, but everyone seems to kind of miss the point of the plot entirely anyways.

 

[El Chacal De La Trompeta]

Just did the first proper boss fight. Game is good

 

[Brain Problems]

Just did the proper boss fight. Game is good

I'm glad you're liking it because it just gets worse and worse the more I play it.

Spoiler

After going through the town/rice paddies I've accepted that fighting monsters is generally pointless, yet at the same time considered that exploring is pointless since I can barely hold anything so I'm stuck either min-maxing by running back to whatever the nearest shrine is and selling things, or consuming items to fill the tiniest of health or sanity, ignoring it completely, or simply throwing shit away to make room for something marginally better/more valuable (but that typically don't stack either! Looking at you first aid kits!)

Just fought the first (Boss?) and it felt like I was fighting some abortion flower version of the The Rotten from DS2 all while I'm playing an incompetent slow STR build but with none of the benefits of it. He's got rapid attacks, giant combos, inflated health pool, and bizarre hit boxes. I have a slow pipe or a fast and easily broken sickle.

The best part was after beating him I think okay, phew, let's replenish all the resources I spent and couldn't pick up because the game has a totally retarded and pointless limited inventory system that adds nothing but tedium. So I do that, decide to explore a little bit, get confused about why the door is still locked and find out oh, yeah I'm a retard it fell down the well. I go to do the hold E to crank the well (multiple times, something that I'm starting to see over-and-over again) and suddenly the fight music starts again. These stupid fucking gooks thought it'd be dope to throw a boss that comes back to life after ~30seconds.

And then it's not enough to get the key and open the door, they threw another hold E to do something thing in the foyer of the locked area, all while you're being menaced by the boss who can still attack you from outside.

And after all that I end up in the misty field floundering at whatever cryptic bullshit the game wants me to do with the scarecrows, which feels borderline arbitrary minus it's always a girl. Seriously, explain to me what I was supposed to do because fuck if I know beyond trying to extrapolate what the hooded scarecrow is hinting at. But this segment is so incompetently done that they don't make you do it once, they don't make you do it twice, they don't make you do it the classic three times... No, you repeat the scarecrow guessing game five fucking times. The last one I think took me the longest and at one point I was just brute forcing it and reloading my save after finding it because it made such little sense and I was burning weapon durability (re-tar-ded) fighting monsters.

And the icing on the shit cake was a CTD right after I finished it. Bravo Unreal!

Silent Hill f's connections are extremely superficial and truly feel shoehorned in because Konami didnt have faith in this project by itself.

I am convinced this was never a SH game at all but rather some generic j-horror slop that the chief gooks at Konami said fuck me, this is a mess. Quick, sprinkle some Silent Hill on it and let's get out of here.

Seriously. I was never this mad playing Homecoming or Downpour or SH2remake. It's an achievement.

 

[Toxic BRAAAAP Mask]

I'm playing an incompetent slow STR build but with none of the benefits of it. He's got rapid attacks, giant combos, inflated health pool, and bizarre hit boxes. I have a slow pipe or a fast and easily broken sickle.

Just wait till you get the polearm in an area with tight hallways and you constantly hit the walls negating your heavy attack, it's peak game design. Hope you like getting trapped in a corner and being unable to escape or enjoy having enemies drop on your head instantly taking half your HP too.

 

[Pumpkin_Spice_Bastard]

Just wait till you get the polearm in an area with tight hallways and you constantly hit the walls negating your heavy attack, it's peak game design. Hope you like getting trapped in a corner and being unable to escape or enjoy having enemies drop on your head instantly taking half your HP too.

So you are saying that the combat requires skill and thought or running away?

 

[Illuminati Order Official]

SH 4 had one or two sections that do take place in it (very close to the start of the game iirc) even if they are short and the game still not only shares a lot of lore connections to the city but it keeps the style of the game reasonably loyal to the previous 3 game despite some changes even in the gameplay. Its like they knew that even if they are shoehorning the title Silent Hill into this, they still should try to justify it as much as possible. They didnt have to but they had integrity.

I thought the water tower is somewhere on Toluca Lake and the orphanage was in the woods surrounding the lake. It makes two out of four locations we visit to be in \ near the town.

 

[Samuel Fuller]

Irrelevant sperging, my post wasn't about how "good" or "bad" the game is.
It was about factual information of the plot, it isn't about what that guy said the game was about.
If we are going to tear apart the game and its themes, story, gameplay ect, at least be accurate in describing them.

Talking about accuracy while fucking up etc. is certainly a look..

 

[Zenos Yae Viator]

I thought the water tower is somewhere on Toluca Lake and the orphanage was in the woods surrounding the lake. It makes two out of four locations we visit to be in \ near the town.

just ghostly otherworld versions, you never visit or see the town or surrounding areas proper, more like Memories from Walter, incorrect memories from a child at that.

Talking about accuracy while fucking up etc. is certainly a look..

I'd love for you to tell me how I'm wrong, I have a pretty good grasp on the plot, the themes and subtext here, its not exactly the deepest most mysterious entry in the series.

 

[Illuminati Order Official]

just ghostly otherworld versions, you never visit or see the town or surrounding areas proper, more like Memories from Walter, incorrect memories from a child at that.

Not unfitting - SH1's otherworld is a collection of Alyssa's nightmares.

 

[Zenos Yae Viator]

Not unfitting - SH1's otherworld is a collection of Alyssa's nightmares.

well yes, it is similar, but its still overlaying the real town at least for the people in it.
SH4 is another whole layer of unreality, its just memories

 

[Toxic BRAAAAP Mask]

So you are saying that the combat requires skill and thought or running away?

It's not a matter of 'getting gud', you asshat. I'd agree if the area was wide enough to blame the player for a dumb decision, but you don't drop a new weapon with a wide swinging heavy attack motion in a section with almost no areas to use said weapon without constant frustration because a nanometer of the hitbox hit the boundaries when you thought it would be clear. It's a dumb design choice to handicap the weapon they clearly want you to use on top of avoiding enemies not because they're scary but they're annoying to even interface with in the design. It works great in the boss fight because, surprise, there's a wide enough area to use it in and there's room to actually tactically have options.

 

[Zenos Yae Viator]

It's not a matter of 'getting gud', you asshat. I'd agree if the area was wide enough to blame the player for a dumb decision, but you don't drop a new weapon with a wide swinging heavy attack motion in a section with almost no areas to use said weapon without constant frustration because a nanometer of the hitbox hit the boundaries when you thought it would be clear. It's a dumb design choice to handicap the weapon they clearly want you to use on top of avoiding enemies not because they're scary but they're annoying to even interface with in the design. It works great in the boss fight because, surprise, there's a wide enough area to use it in and there's room to actually tactically have options.

thats why you use the knife in the hallways, its specifically why you have both in that section.
regardless, you don't keep both long and get a superior weapon not soon after.

 

[El Chacal De La Trompeta]

Just wait till you get the polearm in an area with tight hallways and you constantly hit the walls negating your heavy attack, it's peak game design. Hope you like getting trapped in a corner and being unable to escape or enjoy having enemies drop on your head instantly taking half your HP too.

just dodge you dumb retard

 

[The handsome tard]

Her greatest soldier




Anyway, Akira Yamaoka appreciation post!

I dont think normies, even some fans, understand just how fucking important to Silent Hill's core identity is this guy's music. This guy had your brain and heart grabbed by the balls* and he was going to show them an unforgettable time.

I think someone described well that Akira is damn good at making what they described as "Musical equivalent of a panic attack"

And yet he is always able to have tracks that sound almost ethereal

I honestly think the death nail was when Akira left as now you couldnt even at least be assured you were going to be a good soundtrack (which even Homecoming had). It further confirms that Silent 1-4 were lightning in a bottle as it seems everything just came together at the right time in the right way to create something special and timeless. I legit cant recall a single theme from Downpour and F and any theme from SH 2 remake was either ripped from the original or kept so close to the original it might as well have been it.

Anyway, here's a funny video.

*Yes, your heart and brain have balls now, where'd you think wet dreams and heartaches came from?

 

[Zenos Yae Viator]

Her greatest soldier

Hey, if people want to lie about this mildly above average games plot details, I'll defend at least the literal plot details and actual themes if nothing else.
My actual rating of the games quality is like a solid 7.5/10, its somewhat better than SH4, but worse than all the rest in the OG series.

My gripe is when people are outright lying about the games plot to haurang it, sorry its just.. there's plenty of here to actually tear apart and use to say bad things about the game.

 

[Flopper]

I think putting the journal in the game was a mistake. I feel like a lot of things you wonder about and start to figure out like you did in previous Silent Hill games, is just outright told to you in the journal. There's no more "Oh, what could this mean? What could that mean?" You kind of took the fun away from me working things out on my own. It takes away from what they show the player all the time. They don't do this in the other Silent Hill games, a lot of it is left up to the player to figure out by themselves and see what's going on. They bash you over the head with the themes and over explain all the time. The illustrations are cool because they change as the game progresses, perhaps they should have just kept the sketches and left out the explanations.