After exploring the many versions of the Shimizu Residence in Silent Hill f, you will face the Mother and Father – the twisted versions of Hinako’s parents. As this fight takes place in the Fog World and not the Dark Shrine, you will have to rely on your breakable weapons and regular abilities.
Note that spoilers follow for Silent Hill f.
While the Mother has less health than the Father, defeating her first will cause the Father to attack more frequently. Defeating the Father before the Mother will end the fight immediately and net you the “Just Shut Up for Once, Dad!” achievement, which is something to bear in mind if you are either speedrunning or hunting for achievements.
The Father is a reskinned Ara-abare – one of those big, hulking monsters that you encounter throughout the game. Aside from a few extra moves and a larger health pool, approach fighting the boss as you would the standard variant. Be aware that hitting his right side (the one with the bladed arm) will cause your attacks to bounce off him.
Watch out for the Father’s roars, grabs, and charging slash from a distance
The Father will always start the fight by roaring three times at you. These roars will stun you if they hit, leaving you open to his and the Mother’s attacks. You won’t take damage from the roars, but the quick inhale startup can easily catch you off guard and deplete your Sanity. This move is usually done from a distance, but the Father isn’t shy about shouting at you up close, either.
The Father’s second ranged attack is a long-reaching grab, the startup animation of which is denoted by him throwing his tentacle arm backwards. The range of the grab is quite deceptive and will pull you close to the boss should it land.
Both the roars and grabs can be avoided by dodging to the side. Should you get hit by either of them, he will follow up with one of his other attacks.
The last of the Father’s ranged options is a charging overhead slash. The boss will slowly wind his bladed arm back before running straight at you. Thanks to the long startup animation and the damage of the attack being relegated to just the overhead slash (you won’t get hit by the charge itself), this is one of his moves that is easy to dodge and punish.
The Father does some nasty damage with his melee attacks
In addition to his grab and roar moves, the Father has two attacks that he will use at close range. The standard overhead slash, much like the charged version, has a long startup animation where he winds his bladed arm back. Unlike the charged version, however, this overhead slash can be countered just before the boss drops its arm. Use your Focus meter and keep an eye out for the red distortion effect to get the counter timing just right.
The second of the Father’s close-range attacks is a series of horizontal sweeps that comes in two flavors: one is a two-hit combo with his tentacle arm, and the other is a five-hit maximum combo with both of his arms. The start-up for both versions is similar to the grab, so dodge the initial swipe and be ready to adjust your positioning depending on which attack he commits to.
The Mother trades power for speed
The Mother doesn’t have as complex a move set as the Father, but her attacks are quick and meant to disrupt the overall fight. Her two most disruptive moves are her knife throw and grab attack.
After holding her knife above her head with one hand, the Mother will throw it at you like a ranged projectile. The only way to avoid the knife is to dodge it, whereupon you can close in on the Mother for some quick damage.
Be wary of overcommitting, as the Mother’s second disruption attack has her throwing down her knife to run and grab you. Should you fail to avoid dodging the grab, the Mother will throw you in the general direction of the Father. The larger boss will then seize the opportunity and attack you with one of his hard-hitting moves.
The Mother’s final attack is a series of rapid slashes. While she usually does a quick step followed by two slashes, she can commit to as many as seven in a row. Watch for when she holds her knife above her head with two hands to know when she will execute the longer combos.
Similar to the Rinko-like boss, fighting the Mother and Father boils down to crowd control. You can choose which boss to prioritize, but don’t be afraid to switch your attention between the two as the fight goes on.
Silent Hill f is available for the PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S.
Related guides: Silent Hill f: How to defeat the Sakuko-like monster
