Although the announcement of the Silent Hill remake was the big news at Konami Press Start, another part of the franchise also made an appearance.

Silent Hill: F is a prequel set in Showa-era Japan in a small town called Ebisugaoka. What makes Silent Hill unique is that it draws inspiration from American horror but offers a Japanese perspective. The streets are named after authors such as Dean Koontz, Robert Bloch, Richard Bachman, and Ira Levin. However, they also borrow from books by Japanese authors like Ryū Murakami and Kōbō Abe. The monsters and otherworldly elements have a design that feels like a Japanese version of Clive Barker through David Lynch’s vision.

“Silent Hill was a series that fused western and Japanese horror, but as the series progressed, I felt the Japanese horror essence was lost. I began to feel a desire to create a Silent Hill with 100% Japanese-style horror essence. Japanese horror is not simply grotesque; it is the coexistence of beauty and the disturbing. We are creating this title with the concept ‘find the beauty in terror,'” said series producer Motoi Okamoto.

Al Yang, the director of Neobards, the studio developing Silent Hill F, elaborated on this further. According to Yang, one of the key concepts of Silent Hill F is the idea of beauty in horror. The visual design is intended to evoke a sense of unease and horrific charm that compels viewers to stare. These designs are based on the work of Japanese artist Kera, who has contributed to Spirit Hunter: NG and Magic: The Gathering.

Considering how poorly most Silent Hill games made by American or Western studios have been received (especially Silent Hill: Homecoming, whose protagonist, a Special Forces soldier, was a stark contrast to the ordinary people in previous games), it makes sense to create a Japanese-inspired sequel.

Source: PCGamer