To the chagrin of domestic game developers and gamers, Japan’s Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) age rating board has a tendency to censor or sometimes even ban games that include graphic depictions of violence – and it does so in sometimes unpredictable and inconsistent ways. That’s why it comes as a surprise (and to fans, a relief) that the upcoming Silent Hill f will not feature any differences between the Japanese and overseas versions.
The confirmation comes from the official Silent Hill X account, which also reveals that there will not be any national or regional restrictions imposed on the game.
This statement seems to be a way to reassure fans in response to Silent Hill f getting a CERO:Z (ages 18 and up) rating, which is a first for a Silent Hill game. With depictions of themes like gender discrimination, child abuse, bullying, drug-induced hallucinations, torture, and violence in a 1960s Japan setting that were not filtered to comply with modern ethical standards, it seems that Silent Hill f’s developers want everyone to experience the uncensored psychological horror of the game.
The final statement is just as important, as Silent Hill f was initially thought to be banned from launching in Australia due to the Australian Classification Board temporarily giving the game a “Refused Classification” rating. The board has since retracted this rating and classified the game as “Mature Accompanied (MA 15+)” following re-review.
It is currently unknown if Konami made any compromises to Silent Hill f that would allow it to go uncensored for all versions. Given Silent Hill f’s setting is inspired by a real-world location and that the story is being written by psychological horror veteran Ryukishi07, there already seems a lot of reasons to be scared about this latest installment.
Silent Hill f is set to release on September 25 for the PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S.
