Legendary survival horror collection Silent Hill has entered a brand new period this week with the arrival of the extremely anticipated Silent Hill f. f goals to ship Silent Hill’s themes of dreadful, psychological horror in a model new setting, that includes new characters and a brand new fight system.
Learn Extra: Silent Hill f: The Kotaku Evaluate
The fight right here is a bit more action-focused than in earlier entries within the collection, although the sport nonetheless manages to really feel harmful at each flip. And whereas I had a delightfully macabre time with this elegant survival horror recreation, there have been just a few issues I want I’d recognized earlier than leaping in. So, after spending tens of hours on this recreation in each Story and Arduous mode, enable me to share with you what I realized whereas surviving the fog.
1. Don’t sleep on omamori
f could also be a survival horror recreation, however it’s received a contact extra build-crafting than you may count on. Not solely are you able to enhance Hinako’s max well being, stamina, and sanity, you can even equip omamori to enhance her talents. You’ll be able to enhance the utmost quantity of omamori slots by spending sufficient religion at shrines.
When you could be higher off investing religion in enhancing your stamina first, it is best to nonetheless be commonly checking which omamori you’ve collected so far to see the place you’ll be able to gently enhance your fight abilities. Plus, unlocking an additional omamori slot may be actually advantageous.
2. Cease hanging onto these choices
As you traverse the bizarre and terrifying world of Silent Hill f, you’ll discover numerous choices like vintage combs and dried carcasses. These things haven’t any utility past incomes religion by providing them up at a shrine. However they do take up stock house. On various events, I discovered my stock full solely to see that there was some random providing I picked up some time again nonetheless taking over house, doing nothing however inconvenience me.
Verify your stock for choices each time you’re at a shrine and also you’ll have much more room to spare.
3. Spend money on Stamina first, Sanity second
Stamina is Hinako’s tremendous energy. No, actually! Whereas our woman is a lot able to bashing in a monster with a metal pipe, weapons break fairly rapidly and there are various events when you’ll be able to simply be overwhelmed by enemies. You’ll want to have the ability to deftly get out and in of skirmishes with the creatures of the fog. For that reason, I like to recommend investing in enhancing your stamina first, adopted by sanity second.
Sanity is what’s going to can help you pull off a reasonably highly effective counter assault, in addition to Hinako’s charged mild melee strike (this potential isn’t accessible at first).
Having a beneficiant quantity of stamina to maneuver out of the best way of enemies, and sufficient sanity to ship extra highly effective strikes, will provide help to get hit much less and guarantee enemies go down sooner.
4. Don’t get into ineffective fights
The creatures of the fog could be creepy, however you’ll rapidly understand that a lot of them are fairly straightforward to take out–particularly should you’re used to combat-focused video games like Darkish Souls. That stated, resist the urge to go wild and clear the city of monsters. Whereas your weapons within the Darkish Shrine segments of the sport gained’t break, the random pipes, crowbars, and kitchen knives you’ll choose up in Ebisugaoka are fragile little issues and you’ll simply end up and not using a weapon all too simply.
Hinako can’t punch or kick, so should you’re and not using a weapon, you should have no offensive choices in opposition to monsters. No bueno. Choose your battles strategically.
5. Higashi is kinda damaged
Early on, I uncared for consuming any Higashi, which restores your stamina, as a result of managing stamina appeared like a me-problem greater than the rest. That was till I received to onerous mode and needed to tackle one of many recreation’s early bosses and, effectively, I realized that this merchandise is kinda damaged.
Not solely will consuming it replenish your stamina, however you’ll have limitless stamina after consuming for a slightly beneficiant period of time. This offers an ideal alternative to spam your dodge whereas additionally getting in near ship a ton of hits with out worrying about your stamina.
6. Preserve your distance and use the digital camera to see round corners earlier than exposing your self
Silent Hill f is fairly low on leap scares. However there are various events wherein monsters are desirous to hop out from a hiding spot and assault you. When this occurs, it’s greater than seemingly that you simply’ll get pulled right into a seize animation the place the digital camera will zoom as much as present the monster brutally attacking Hinako.
There’s no manner out of this animation as soon as it begins. Mash all of the buttons you need, you’re not getting out of it with out shedding a piece of your well being. So normally, it’s greatest to try to depart far between you and any monster you occur to be combating.
A technique to try this is to make use of the third-person digital camera to see round a nook the place you think a monster could also be hiding. The sport will play some mild static (although it sounds a little bit extra like a document participant looping on silence on this recreation) when a monster is close by, so belief your eyes and ears to keep away from pointless injury.
7. Counter assaults get simpler when you unlock Hinako’s charged-up assault
Silent Hill f’s counter-attack could be a little difficult to tug off at first. You must await the monster to flash in coloration, then maintain down focus, then execute a heavy assault. On condition that focusing drains your sanity meter fairly rapidly, countering an enemy could be a bizarre, time-sensitive juggling act.
That stated, when you unlock Hinako’s charged-up mild assault, issues get a little bit simpler.
Since it’s a must to maintain down your focus button anyway to cost up your mild assault, it has the additional benefit of placing you in an excellent place to efficiently pull off a counter-attack. When you’re ready for Hinako’s assault to cost up, hold your eyes on the enemy. In the event that they flash in coloration, overlook the sunshine assault and instantly hit your heavy assault button. Because you’re holding down your focus button, you’ll set off the counter assault.
8. Nail that excellent dodge
Dodge simply earlier than an enemy strikes you, and Hinako will hack the foggy Matrix to decelerate time and recharge her stamina immediately. It’s a reasonably small window, however nailing this transfer is fairly important for surviving the sport’s harder enemies. Hinako runs out of stamina fairly quick, so do every little thing you’ll be able to to protect and restore it.
9. Look out for useful gadgets throughout boss fights
Fragile weapons and sparse gadgets could make you’re feeling fairly on edge at instances in Silent Hill f, particularly throughout boss encounters. Luckily, the sport desires you to succeed greater than you may assume. Whereas my first run by means of “Story” issue didn’t have me determined for therapeutic gadgets, Arduous mode is a distinct matter.
Luckily, I’ve observed that it’s fairly widespread for the sport to throw some gadgets your manner throughout boss fights; you simply must hold your eyes peeled in corners and different non-obvious locations.
10. Gather every little thing; learn every little thing
Us masochists certain do love a recreation that kicks you once you’re down. However there’s a lot extra to Silent Hill f than the battle in opposition to the fog’s shambling, knife-wielding monstrosities. Hinako is sort of the diligent note-taker and artist, and you’re lacking out on so, a lot should you don’t take the time to learn the varied character entries and in-game paperwork. Not solely is the artwork design on-friggin’-point in f, however a lot of the sport’s great use of metaphor and its dives into Japanese folklore are discovered within the journal.
11. Resist brute-forcing your manner by means of puzzles
Attempting to brute-force your manner by means of most puzzles in SHf is a fast strategy to sink into some severe ennui. Puzzles on this recreation typically have too many variables for this method to reach an inexpensive period of time, and making an attempt to take action is far more irritating than simply figuring them out as meant.
Whereas the clues in it aren’t all the time the obvious, spend a while finding out Hinako’s pocket book. You’ll be able to all the time leap to it whereas a puzzle by way of the on-screen immediate within the decrease left-hand nook.
Silent Hill f gained me over with its brutally darkish story before everything, however its fight has a satisfying rhythm that settles into place over the course of the sport. Hopefully with the following tips, you’ll find yourself with just a few much less damaged weapons and even fewer scars from these model psychopaths.
