While maintaining the essence of the original franchise, Silent Hill f takes the series on a distinctly different path, with more action-focused gameplay, a Japanese setting, and a new approach to writing characters. As a collaborative effort between Konami, NeoBards Entertainment and 07th Expansion, the latest Silent Hill entry was received quite positively for its gameplay and innovative take on the story in the context of the series.
In a recent interview with Famitsu, series producer Motoi Okamoto talked about the difficulties he faced in finding the right balance between the definitive elements of Silent Hill and the deliberately bold decision of having visual novel creator Ryukishi 07 as the writer. Funnily enough, he used the unconventional metaphor of ramen to describe the two distinct styles – calling them shoyu ramen and tonkotsu ramen respectively.
“Even during the game’s development, I was wondering…how would writer Ryukishi07’s full-on manga-like, exaggerated characterization, like a rich tonkotsu ramen, blend with the shoyu ramen-flavored Silent Hill series? What kind of flavor would that be? There was something so unpredictable about it, and I went through a rather tough time as the producer. If the characters become too manga-esque, that would make the story stray from the Silent Hill series, but it they end up becoming too much like “live action,” there’d be a risk of losing Ryukishi07’s flavor.”
Okamoto compares the Silent Hill series to shoyu ramen, a type of ramen with a clear, soy-sauce seasoned broth and a rather straightforward but deep flavor. By contrast, the tonkotsu ramen attributed to Ryukishi07’s style is made with a milky and rich, opaque broth based on simmered pork bones. The classic Silent Hill titles have depth, but are down-to-earth in their approach to characters and narrative – viewed as the staples of the horror genre. On the other hand, Ryukishi07’s writing style is character-driven, dense, and dramatic. Finding a balance between those two qualities wasn’t so easy, but the mixture of those two drastically different flavors is what helped bring Silent Hill f to life, says Okamoto.
“Trying to balance those contradicting elements while working on the game, I made some discoveries. I believe that the miraculous balance is what helped us bring out a new kind of flavor that wasn’t present in past series’ titles – through characters like Hinako, Sakuko, Rinko, Shu and Fox Mask,” Okamoto explains.
Thankfully, many bold choices the team made throughout development, trying to put a different spin on the classic horror series while maintaining the core balance, seem to have been the recipe for success. According to Okamoto, the new narrative approach led by Ryukishi07’s pen opened up the potential for virality, with numerous fan theories, memes and artwork circulating the internet, boosting the game’s popularity and fortifying its online presence. However, as he suggests, the series is only going to evolve from here. Future titles won’t necessarily follow the formula of Silent Hill f, and Okamoto hopes each new installment will bring a completely “new flavor” to the franchise. While it’s still a bit early to think about a new series installment, it will be interesting to see what Konami has in store for the future.
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