Higurashi and When They Cry creator Ryukishi07 has opened up about writing Silent Hill f, likening the game’s supernatural and psychological elements to, uh, “salad dressing.”
While the hype train is firmly out of the station for Silent Hill f — the upcoming Silent Hill title that resurrects a franchise that hasn’t had a new mainline game since 2012 — we haven’t heard very much from writer Ryukishi07 at all, which made his recent appearance at Anime Expo 2025 in LA last month particularly exciting.
On a panel alongside producer Motoi Okamoto and composer and sound designer Akira Yamaoka, Ryukishi07 admitted he’d approached this project differently from how he typically writes a book, focusing the story on a single central theme.
According to Famitsu, via Automaton, Ryukishi07 said that it would initially be difficult for players to distinguish between the game’s supernatural and psychological horror motifs, as they’ll often feel like one and the same. As the game progresses, however, players will understand more of what’s going on —and it’s here that the game “will be like a salad dressing”, he said.
Explaining the metaphor, Ryukishi07 said it was like the two elements would feel distinct, like a salad dressing where the oil and other ingredients like vinegar eventually separate, even if there were initially blended together.
If you’re a little taken aback by such a comparison, I promise you are not alone. Ryukishi07 did, however, add that in addition to uncovering facts and clues about the town of Ebisugaoka as we progress, plenty will be left for us to interpret or speculate on — which is what Silent Hill fans love to do, of course.
Ryukishi07 also revealed that Silent Hill f’s story isn’t just one of horror and torment. Like many of Silent Hill’s back catalog, this game explores aspects that make us human, including love, sadness, and more.
Silent Hill f is not a sequel to any of the existing Silent Hill games. Instead, it will offer a standalone story “independent from the series.” That came from publisher Konami itself, which finally confirmed on X/Twitter that the latest instalment of the horror series — which is usually, if not always, based in a sleepy resort town on east-coast America — will be “a completely new title” that “people who have never played the Silent Hill series can enjoy.”
Okamoto said that tougher combat, with the visuals and music’s “juxtaposition between beauty and terror,” along with the “terrible beauty of the game’s monster design,” makes for a terrifying adventure. Even the puzzles are apparently “grounded in psychological anguish and suffering.” Yikes.
Silent Hill f takes us to 1960s Japan, where we’ll follow Hinako Shimizu, a teenager struggling under the pressure of expectations from her friends, family, and society. As displayed at the beginning of the Japanese-language reveal trailer back in March, it is the first Silent Hill game to get an 18+ rating certification in Japan. It’s out for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series on September 25.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
