The Silent Hill games have never been kid-friendly or cozy. From the beginning, the M-rated series has traded in body horror, sexual trauma, graphic violence, gore, and abusive relationships — while also dabbling in the occult, space aliens, and an all-seeing, all-knowing Shiba Inu who torments its victims from a sci-fi command station.
Silent Hill f, the newest entry in Konami’s psychological horror franchise, touches on a lot of difficult subject matter. As such, the game is prefaced by a content warning — and while many players may skip right through that heads up, we suggest that you take it seriously. Silent Hill f‘s content can be extremely graphic and potentially upsetting to some players.
Here’s the warning that players will see when they boot up Silent Hill f:
This game contains depictions of gender discrimination, child abuse, bullying, drug-induced hallucinations, torture, and graphic violence.
The game is set in Japan in the 1960s and contains depictions based on the customs and culture of that time. These depictions do not reflect the opinions or values of the developers or any individuals involved.
If you feel uncomfortable at any point, please take a break from playing or speak to someone you trust.
We won’t touch on spoilers here, but it’s probably worth offering a bit more context around some of these warnings if they spark anything within you.
Gender discrimination and child abuse are key themes in the game’s story. From the beginning, we learn about protagonist Hinako’s family, which is led by an abusive, alcoholic father and an enabling mother. Verbal and physical abuse are hinted at, if not explicitly shown. As Hinako herself puts it at one point in the game, “Women get treated… no differently than animals…”
The game’s presentation of abuse extends to Hinako’s friends and peers. Bullying is a strong theme throughout the story, and Hinako is often demeaned, mocked by her classmates, and has her gender questioned. Much of that bullying is framed around teenaged characters.
Developer NeoBards Entertainment, writer Ryukishi07, and Konami certainly do not shy away from violence in Silent Hill f, which comes in the form of torture, murder, dismemberment, burning, flaying, and self-inflicted harm. While some of the most extreme levels of violence take place just off screen, there are many instances of gore. Hinako is subjected to multiple moments of extreme torture and violence during the story, leading to some shocking results.
On top of that, some of the death scenes will make anyone who suffers from trypophobia squirm. One potential death scene shows Hinako filled with holes as an otherworldly crimson growth tears through her body.
Thankfully, Silent Hill f largely stays away from sexual abuse, and nudity is limited to grotesque monsters you battle. And speaking of grotesque, there’s some weird rotting flesh-eating at one point, but nothing that Resident Evil 7 biohazard players would blanch at.
If you can tolerate the content of Silent Hill f, it’s worth playing. The game’s heavy subjects are treated thoughtfully, based on my experience. But as Konami’s warning notes, you might need to take a break now and then. And maybe have a copy of Tetris nearby.
