Silent Hill 𝑓 & Women as Suffering Machines

Picasso once said that women are machines for suffering. The use of the word machine in this case implies that it is the woman herself who manufactures

the suffering, who subjects either herself or others to it. Given his

alleged treatment of artists and models such as Fernando Olivier, Dora Mahar, and Maritius Walter among others, it would seem that what Picasso actually

meant, subconsciously or not, is that women are machines with the purpose of being fed suffering, specifically his own. He kept Olivier

locked up in his Paris apartment whenever he went out for errands, leaving her deprived of freedom, yet convinced that she was satisfied. He had

Mah and Walter literally wrestle each other over the prospect of remaining his one singular muse, though he would eventually replace them both,

as he always would. He fed his mistresses and wives his brand of suffering.

They gave him his art, and finally he disposed of them when he found a newer, more appealing machine. There are two

kinds of women, Picasso said. goddesses

and doormats. Though it would appear that throughout his relationships with these supposed goddesses, he was actually tearing them down piece by

piece until they eventually became his doormats.

Sill F is the story of women as machines for suffering, of women as goddesses and doormats, and the men who tread upon them. It's the story of being shackled

them. It's the story of being shackled to the societal expectations of our assigned genders, our attempts to free ourselves of those expectations, and the risk of simply changing one pair of

shackles for another. Sill F takes us to 1960s Japan. Its subject matter is right

1960s Japan. Its subject matter is right here, right now, wherever you are. It's

everywhere, all of the time. Oh, and the black screen is not a stylistic choice.

I just forgot to shoot this part.

One of of the most common and insidious tools used by people who commit emotional abuse is blame. Specifically,

the shifting of blame. It is, after all, less taxing to convince someone else that they are the problem than learning, accepting, and admitting the opposite.

In Silhou F, the motif of blame is introduced as soon as the game starts.

An alcoholic father scolds his daughter, protagonist Hinako Shimizu, for not listening to him, for not being more like her sister, not seeing that it's his own irresponsible behavior as a

parent that has turned her ears off to his aggressive rantings. He then shifts the blame once more to his wife, claiming it's because of her spoiling their daughter that Hino has grown up to

be such a brat. The real issue is that Hinaco's father went broke when his close friend and restaurant partner ran off with all their money and now intends to pay off his debts by giving away

Hinaco's hand in marriage. Whoever her

father used to be, he is now a man who views Hineo not as his daughter, but as an object to be traded away for his own benefit, as he has already done with her

sister, Junko. Hino leaves the house to

sister, Junko. Hino leaves the house to find a friend to talk to at the local general store in her fictional home village of Febisuga. On her way, she passes the house of her old classmate,

Sakugo, who for reasons initially unbeknownst to you, greets Hinako by calling her a traitor. This is also the last thing she says before leaving Hinako to meet up at the shop. Hinako

was the first friend Sako ever had, and she quickly built a codependency on her.

Sako's greatest fear, as it turns out, is being left alone in the literal dark.

So, when Sako started feeling like Hin was about to abandon her, like when Hin's track and field obligations meant leaving Sako behind in PE class, Sako started building resentment towards Hino

herself rather than the team's demands.

As Hino arrives at the general store, she's met by her closest childhood friend, Shu. Their conversation is

friend, Shu. Their conversation is awkward. Something is brewing that

awkward. Something is brewing that neither of them wish to address. Though

after a while, Shu points out that it's unlike Hino to just let things happen, but that he will be there for her regardless of what choice she makes. He

hands her a box of pills, one of the recurring healing items found in the game, which are meant to help against the stress induced headaches caused by her terrible living conditions. Or at

least that's what Shu would like her to believe. In one of the games endings, he

believe. In one of the games endings, he admits that the pills help you reflect within yourself, but that they are also extremely dangerous. Apparently, this

extremely dangerous. Apparently, this was a price he was willing to pay for Hino to hopefully reconsider agreeing to the planned marriage. They are then

joined by Ringo, who is visibly upset by Hinako's presence, clearly expecting that she would be spending time with Shu alone. It does not take long for the

alone. It does not take long for the story to reveal that Ringo is in fact in love with Shu and that she blames Hino for standing in the way of their inevitable romantic relationship. The

fact that Shu hasn't reciprocated a single one of her advances is of no significance to Ringo because clearly it's not because of her or even Shu. It

simply has to be Hinako's fault.

Throughout the game, Ringo mocks her for acting and talking like a boy and even tells herself and Shu that Hinako is dead. As if saying it enough times will

dead. As if saying it enough times will change reality in her favor. As the

classic Silent Hill fog sweeps through the streets of Ebisuga, Hinako is soon transported to the dark shrine, a spiritual realm inhabited by a man whom

the game refers to as Fox Mask. This man

displays a somewhat alarming level of affection for Hako from the get-go, and he spends each of Hinako's subsequent visits to the dark shrine with molding her in his preferred image. He makes her

drink from a shrine of mindaltering water. He has her back branded with a

water. He has her back branded with a fire iron, her right arm cut off, and a piece of her face surgically removed. In

return, she is granted a fox mask of her own, as well as a new beastlike arm to tear her enemies to shreds. This is the

man Hino is supposed to marry, to whom she literally gives her hand. And what

he is doing is called coercive control.

He convinces Hineo that she must rely on him, and that all the suffering he's putting her through is for her, nay, their own good. Fox Mask tells her she

is a goddess, but aims to make her his doormat. Another way of enacting

doormat. Another way of enacting coercive control is by cutting a person off from their friends and family, which is another thing the fox mask requires of Hako. While the game avoids

of Hako. While the game avoids explicitly divulging which parts are literal versus metaphorical, the player is nonetheless asked to kill all of Hinako's friends and parents in some of

the most cold and ruthless displays of violence ever depicted in a Silent Hill game. Ringo has to be lowered into a

game. Ringo has to be lowered into a boiling pool of lava, burning her alive.

Sakugo must be left caged up in a pitch black room while she screams her lungs out. and Shu's fate is to be hanged from

out. and Shu's fate is to be hanged from a steel chain around his neck. All this

happens while Hino, now under the spell of the alluring fox mask, shows absolutely no remorse. In the third of the five possible endings called the fox

wets its tail, Heno confronts the fox mask, who in turn regurgitates classic excuses like, "I did all of this for you and why don't you understand how I

feel?" a lastd stitch effort to reclaim

feel?" a lastd stitch effort to reclaim the control over HKO that he knows deep down he has already lost. That's just

one outcome though and it's arguably not even the best one for Hako since it concludes with her simply choosing Chu over the fox mask. Which partner would

you prefer? The one that drugged you

you prefer? The one that drugged you into submission or the one who tried to?

Hino starts her journey leaving her home in an act of defiance. But in three out of the five endings, that defiance is futile. Her ascension to godhood grants

futile. Her ascension to godhood grants her a power fantasy. But even with all that physical strength, she can't meaningfully fight those weaponizing

their blame towards her. She can only succumb to them one way or another. And

with every new playthrough, you're forcing Hin to face that blame in perpetuity.

The world around Hinaco starts hostile even before the classic Sill fog envelops the village and it only gets worse from there. The player has to fend

off a variety of enemies in both Ebisuga and the Dark Shrine. And since this is a Silent Hill game, there exists both implicit and explicit meaning behind the enemy's characteristics. The Aayakashi

enemy's characteristics. The Aayakashi are essentially the animate scarecrow versions of Hinako's friends. Physical

manifestations of the blame they've misguidedly put on her. Though the

majority of the enemies, more specifically, reveal Hinako's relationship with her assigned gender and the societal role it entails. The

first enemy Hinako encounters, the Kashimashi, has her limbs sewn to joints both fleshy and mechanical, giving her the appearance of a human doll. The name

is likely a reference to a Japanese proverb, which translates to, "When three women gather, it's noisy." As

misogynistic as such a proverb may be, it is apt that such a creature exists to reflect Hineo's own internalized misogyny. Based on her personal journal

misogyny. Based on her personal journal entries, Hinaco doesn't want to be like other girls. She's come to view girls

other girls. She's come to view girls the way patriarchs of her society do, as objects to be owned by men. As a result, women, or at least the female gender

role, is threatening to Hinaku. There

are also these enemies, which I can only describe as the most pregnant [ __ ] creatures I've ever seen, who depict women not just as machines for

suffering, but factories for childbirth.

Interestingly, they are the only enemies who put up physical barriers that Hinako can only cross after she defeats them.

In other words, it represents such a strongly imprinted idea so powerful with its presence that Hinaco has to kill it

in order to proceed. The Oi, a creature made out of disassembled Heinodolls, instead represents a more deeply buried aspect of Hinako's relationship to her

gender. Hina dolls are associated with a

gender. Hina dolls are associated with a March 3rd celebration called Hinamatsuri or Girl Day and are made with the express purpose of protecting their

young female owners. In Silent Hill F, the Omoy does the exact opposite. It

uses its guttural scream to stun Hinako, leaving her open for other enemies to strike. The Omoy forces passivity onto

strike. The Omoy forces passivity onto Hinako, reducing her to the helpless rule-abiding girl she might have been when she still kept a Hina doll of her own. Since the doll is so tied to

own. Since the doll is so tied to tradition, it only makes sense that it would try to hurt Hinaco for not abiding by traditional gender roles. Among the

more male-cco-coded enemies, we have the Aura Aare. Hinako comes across this

Aura Aare. Hinako comes across this creature several times throughout the game, but it's not until she has a boss fight with her own parents and her father turns into one that its symbolic

purpose becomes crystal clear. This is

the embodiment of male rage, specifically aimed towards women. In his

Arabari form, Hinako's father couldn't care less that he's running straight through his wife on his war path towards his dada.

What the [ __ ] happened there? Hako's

father couldn't care less that he's running straight through his wife on his war path towards his daughter. This

creature uses its superior size and strength to grab, slam, and throw Hinako around the room. Nothing else matters to it. This is not what Hinako's father

it. This is not what Hinako's father looks like. This might not be the exact

looks like. This might not be the exact kind of things he did to his daughters, but it is likely what his domestic abuse feels like to Hinako. He becomes a

towering giant and she a tool for him to channel his aggression through. This

next enemy doesn't have an official name I could find at the time of writing. So,

I'm just going to call it the worst boy who ever lived. This creature, this [ __ ] is relentless. As soon as it spots in a co, it will hunt her down

with determination and speed. And once

it catches up, it will deliver a hail storm of physical attacks, leaving few opportunities for retaliation. Worst of

all is one of its grabbing attacks, where it hops into Hinako's lap and starts licking her face.

>> Um, that wasn't fun.

That's not an experience I'm going to look back upon.

>> Remember the good old days? its own face has been ripped off, reflecting how it's only through their actions that a sexual predator will reveal themsself. This

world won't wait for Hinako to conform.

Some will simply take what they want from her, whether she gives her consent or not. While different in their

or not. While different in their approach, each and every one of these enemies have a singular message for Inko, a message of repeated lifelong

pain. Women will bring you pain. Trying

pain. Women will bring you pain. Trying

to be like a woman will bring you pain.

Giving birth will bring you pain. Your

friends, your family, the men you allow into your life or who force themselves into it. Pain, pain, and pain. It's no

into it. Pain, pain, and pain. It's no

wonder why the original ending to Salill F sees Hinako trying to heal and bury that pain with more and more of the red pills she received from Shu to the point that she loses her grasp on reality

completely and ends up going on a killing spree at her own wedding. Hinako

faces the same enemies in both Ebizoga and the Dark Shrine, though the latter could almost be called an enemy in and of itself. the way it provokes Hako's

of itself. the way it provokes Hako's non-conformant values with religious tradition and imagery. Tradition is all about respecting and sticking to a set of rigid customs and ceremonies. And

Hinaco, as previously touched upon, isn't exactly fond of the idea of becoming a tradife. Yet, in the Dark Shrine, following tradition is her only

means of survival. For example, one of the weapons Hinako acquires here, the Naginata, was used by Japanese women during wartime to uphold the safety and

honor of their home. Some women carried this weapon into battle alongside male soldiers, but it's certainly no coincidence that a weapon associated with the role of a traditional Japanese

housewife is featured here. Hako is

defending herself against the enemies of the Dark Shrine. Yes, but she's also defending the household of the fox mask.

The dark shrine is his domain after all.

And as thanks, he puts Ino through more physical pain than those enemies ever could through religious ceremonies of bodily sacrifice. It's around this point

bodily sacrifice. It's around this point where one would rightfully ask, is Salhill F a commentary on female suffering, or does it merely exercise it? What is there to be said through a

it? What is there to be said through a story about a young woman living in a world, two worlds, where both friends and foes wish her so much mental and physical harm? Art director Box Shei

physical harm? Art director Box Shei said the following in a video published on the official Silent Hill YouTube page. Our goal was to create a kind of

page. Our goal was to create a kind of emotional dissonance, moments where beauty and unease could coexist. What

might appear captivating also exudes a sense of unease, strangeness, or concealed threat. What she talks about

concealed threat. What she talks about perfectly encapsulates the push and pull of Hako's internal and external struggles. Tradition and religion both

struggles. Tradition and religion both unite and divide. They create security as well as hostility and alienation. The

environments of the dark shrine evokes a sense of spiritual awe, but they are also tainted by the presence of hostile creatures. Just like the Catholic

creatures. Just like the Catholic Church, the red spiderlies around Ebisoga bring an aesthetic pleasantness to the village, but they're also lethal.

In Silent Hill F and real life, spiderlies are poisonous flowers commonly associated with Japanese grave sites. So, as beautiful as Ebizugawoka

sites. So, as beautiful as Ebizugawoka may appear by the third act of the game, where it has been mostly consumed by these flowers, it's a sign that the village is dying or that it's already

dead. Though, isn't there a beauty in

dead. Though, isn't there a beauty in that, too? A fresh start. Suffering is

that, too? A fresh start. Suffering is

all around Hako, but so is temptation, and it's ultimately up to Hinako to decide if she's going to give in to either.

The central theme of Sanf is about loss and reclamation of individual agency.

Hinako wants to make her own decisions, but both she and you, the player, are more often than not deprived of that luxury. Hinako is not the driving force

luxury. Hinako is not the driving force of the narrative. The narrative is forcing her along and it's entirely by design. No matter how many times you

design. No matter how many times you replay Silent Hill F, Hino has no choice but to ritually sacrifice her friends and every time she refuses to shed a

single tear for them. You are supposed to question her behavior. Question why

you can't change this outcome. Same goes

for her transformation to a fox. Women

in fiction turning into feral beasts is a common shorthand for maturing, of taking control over their lives, as seen in films like Ginger Snaps or the very

subtly named Night [ __ ] So, when Hino gets to release her inner furry, I mean fury, one would be right to perceive it at first as an act of liberation, of

empowerment. But it's not Hako's choice

empowerment. But it's not Hako's choice to transform. She's being coerced by a

to transform. She's being coerced by a man to do it. She transforms because this is the way Fox Mask wants her to be. He gifts her the illusion of

be. He gifts her the illusion of individual agency and there's nothing you can do to prevent it, at least not initially. In what is, in my opinion,

initially. In what is, in my opinion, the most tragic ending of Silent Hill F, Hinako can't decide between staying as Shu's platonic partner and Fox Mask's

new wife. So, she chooses both, though

new wife. So, she chooses both, though not before the two of them talk over her about who gets to claim ownership. In

Silent Rebellion, Hino asks them not to talk about her like an object, but receives neither a response nor actual respect. The choice between the two

respect. The choice between the two isn't even hers. Not really. The

situation is thrust upon her, and the decision is arbitrarily binary. It's two

boys trying to make one girl believe that the fate of the world is dependent on which one of them she wants to smooch more. It's juvenile and fully expected

more. It's juvenile and fully expected as a tactic of manipulation. Rather than

having two mistresses fighting over one man like Pablo Picassole did, Salahill F pits Hako in an internal fight against

herself over two men. And speaking of Picasso, it's very ironic that this ending includes a postredit scene where Hinako walks into her new home with her

new husband while her sliced off face screams from the bottom of the temple steps before being crushed under the sole of someone's foot. In this ending,

Hin really did become a doormat after all. But what is it that Hino wants? In

all. But what is it that Hino wants? In

one of her first journal entries, she describes herself as a person who needs time before making a decision. She also

doesn't want others to make decisions for her. Two sentiments that are

for her. Two sentiments that are completely antithetical to most of what Hinaco ends up doing throughout your first, hell, maybe even your second or third playthrough. But that's the thing

third playthrough. But that's the thing about Silent Hill F. It doesn't end until you say it does. All subsequent

playthroughs, all the different endings essentially depict Hino imagining a different path for herself. To unlock

these different endings, you have to explore, read new and hidden documents, and solve new puzzles, one of which is real easy to miss. In other words, you

have to take your time. This theme is even imbued in the game's combat system.

Flailing Hinaco's weapon at enemies without thought heightens the risk of both leaving her open to a barrage of incoming attacks and more quickly depleting the weapon's durability.

Regular attacks may damage enemies, but they barely cause them to flinch, making it harder to read how close you are to actually taking them down. The optimal

solution is to be patient, wait for your Q to perform a counterattack, and execute. To play Sunil F quote unquote

execute. To play Sunil F quote unquote correctly is to play it as truthfully to Hinako's own character as possible. Only

then will she be able to claim her own agency. And the truth is that Hinako

agency. And the truth is that Hinako doesn't know what she wants. Only that

she needs time to figure it out. And the

more time you spend on Silent Hill F, the more informed that final decision will be. You will, for example, learn

will be. You will, for example, learn that Hinako's father was a harsh and aggressive patriarch because he was trying to live up to society's expectations of his gender. You will

learn that Ringo acts the way she does because she has turned the pursuit of finding a boy into her entire personality, giving in to the pressures Hinako actively tried to avoid. And in

such cases where Hin does submit to the fox mask, is she truly that different from Ringo? Likewise, you'll learn that

from Ringo? Likewise, you'll learn that Sakugo tries to cling to her perceived safety of tradition, striving to become the next priestess for her family's dying temple. Most important of all,

dying temple. Most important of all, though, you'll learn that the true identity of the fox mask is none other than Kodoyuki, another boy Hinako grew up with. When they were children,

up with. When they were children, Kuryuki was attacked by a fox, and Hinako was the one person there to help him. Legends around the village say that

him. Legends around the village say that divine foxes have the ability to possess mortal beings, which is what ended up happening to Kuroyuki. His coercive

behavior towards Hinako was in actuality the will of one of these fox gods speaking through Kodyuki's lips. Does

this revelation relieve Kodyuki of any and all accountability? I suppose it kind of does, though that's only if you take it all at face value. On one hand,

people can change dramatically by no fault of their own. Kuryuki didn't

choose to be bitten by the fox, but it inevitably changed him. The lore of the game might dictate that there was absolutely nothing Kuryuki could have done personally to reclaim his agency

from the fox. In real life, though, one simply can't blame horrible behavior on personal trauma. You are not your

personal trauma. You are not your trauma. You are what you make of

trauma. You are what you make of yourself. Afterward, on the other hand,

yourself. Afterward, on the other hand, Kuryuki has his agency removed by the same divine being that took Hinakos, making them both victims of the same

oppressive patriarchal force. Two sides

of the same coin. One is made to be an abuser and the other to be abused. There

should be no confusion about who's got the shorter end of the stick within this power dynamic. Though I appreciate that

power dynamic. Though I appreciate that Silh Hill F takes the time to highlight how all of its characters, regardless of age, gender, or societal status, are

affected by its societal norms. When I heard that Ryokishi07, famous for its dark yet hopefully optimistic depictions of sensitive subject matters would helm the script

for Silhill F, this was the stuff I was hoping to see. None of the human characters are straight up evil. No one

is a monster. They're all just people who have said and done monstrous things.

And they are not immune to learning from their mistakes, which is exactly what Kodyuki does. As soon as Hino is able to

Kodyuki does. As soon as Hino is able to free him from the spell that binds him to the nefarious fox god. Without the

outside influence, Kuryuki actually agrees with Hako. He is fond of her but uncertain if a lifelong commitment to each other is the best choice for either

of them at this time. And so they go their separate ways with the intention of finding each other again later in life whenever if ever it feels right to

do so. Ho meanwhile is still torn about

do so. Ho meanwhile is still torn about her future literally. The Hinako that walked through Ebisoga and the Hinako who walked through the spirit realm now

share the same space. One leans more towards an independent path and the other towards settling down with a romantic partner. One day, one of them

romantic partner. One day, one of them will win over the other. But until then, they have all the time in the world to figure it out. In Hino's own words,

>> I don't want people to make me happy. I

want to choose to be happy. Even if I end up miserable, if it's because of what I choose on my own, then it's all worth it.

>> And her sister Junko replies, >> "In another h 100red years, no, perhaps sooner than that, there will come a time

when true happiness is choosing your own path, no matter the outcome. I obviously

can't live in that world.

But I hope you can, Hinako.

>> Sill F takes place in 1960s Japan, but its subject matter is right here, right now, wherever you are. It's everywhere,

all of the time. It's not rare for a mainline Silent Hill game to touch upon contemporary subject matter. Hell, some

of the points brought up in this video, especially regarding female agency, could also be applied to Silent Hill 3 or even the original Silent Hill. Silent

Hill 3 sees Heather struggling with a forced demonic pregnancy. And the

inciting incident of the first game sees Alessa literally splitting her soul in two in order to prevent her mother from using her as the vessel for another

demonic birth. What is rare about Silh

demonic birth. What is rare about Silh Hill F is how blatant it is about its political messaging. The short message

political messaging. The short message perhaps being the other exception. It

deliberately sidesteps the danger of being misinterpreted by screaming its intentions as loudly and as far as possible. It's a game that is absolutely

possible. It's a game that is absolutely sick to the stomach of women being used as machines to be fed the suffering of others, of those who turn a blind eye to

all their own faults and failures only to blame women for them. It refuses the idea of women being goddesses or doormats. All it asks is for women to be

doormats. All it asks is for women to be treated like people. Well, actually, it doesn't ask. It straightforwardly

doesn't ask. It straightforwardly demands it. Though, not before

demands it. Though, not before subjecting you, the player, to a crushing amount of targeted misogyny.

I'm not surprised that some, let's face it, men found Silh Hill F to be obnoxiously in your face about women having it really hard. Though I am

curious about how those players never thought to interrogate why the game is like this. The blatant misogyny of

like this. The blatant misogyny of Soundhill F is there because that's how blatant it is to anyone who spends every day, every month, every year personally

experiencing it. The game makes you feel

experiencing it. The game makes you feel like you're constantly being talked down to. Congratulations. You've just learned

to. Congratulations. You've just learned one of the pillars of the female experience. That's not to say that

experience. That's not to say that Sanhill F solely sets out to educate a male demographic. I believe its goals

male demographic. I believe its goals are way more universal than that. Not a

single character, male nor female, walks away unscathed by the patriarchal norms of the game setting. Everyone

is miserable, including me and everyone playing can surely relate to the feeling of having to live up to the expectations of others. It's easy to go through that

others. It's easy to go through that struggle and end up blaming yourself for being inadequate. That's the so-called

being inadequate. That's the so-called manosphere's entire reason for being.

Sill F spits on that notion. It shows

that blame and suffering is something that you're being fed by systems and norms and the people who reap the benefits from perpetuating them. Before

I even played the game, I read a book called Monsters: What We Do with Great Art Made by Bad People by Cla Deeder.

And there was this one chapter that stuck out to me. In it, Deder references a documentary hosted by Steven Fry where he mentions his fantasy of going back in

time and pleading to famous German composer Richard Vagner to abandon his nationalistic and anti-Semitic views in order to be remembered as the great

composer that he actually was. free of

the stain that would later come with his name being associated with the Nazi party.

>> Listen, you you you're on the brink of becoming the greatest artist of the 19th century and future generations

will forget that simply because of this nasty little essay that you're writing and because of the effect it'll have.

Unless I acade what would he say to that if he had known that the person who was most hurt by his antise-semitism was himself.

>> Are you sure?

>> Deer points out that Fry sees himself as being able to educate Vagner. After all,

Fry knows better. As if people in the late 1800s weren't capable of the critical thought that we possess today.

Truth is, Vagner could have known better but chose not to. Similarly, one's

initial reaction to the gender norms of 1960s episogala would likely be something along the lines of, "Well, at least we know better now." I don't believe that to be the purpose of

setting the game so far back in time. I

believe this time period was very deliberately chosen to highlight just how little things have changed since.

Say you had a time machine and you went back to tell a father figure like Hinos to stop treating his daughter badly. Say

you go back to tell Picasso to stop treating his muses like disposable tools of artistic inspiration. Would that in any way change the fact that we are currently living in an age where women's

agency is being stripped away to the point of almost matching the norms of those time periods? Hell, you don't think someone from the 2050s would like to come back to our time to tell us to

stop treating trans and queer people as badly as our current world governments are? It's not a problem of ignorance.

are? It's not a problem of ignorance.

It's a problem of calculated determination. Kako essentially gets

determination. Kako essentially gets that moment with her father that Steven Fry wished he could have with Vagner. A

moment of a villain admitting to his misguided ways. Though while Fry would

misguided ways. Though while Fry would likely have forgiven Vagner, Hino does not forgive her father. No amount of understanding of why he did the things

he did changes that he did them. And

while he may ask for forgiveness, he's not entitled to it.

No one is. Everything that Hinako goes through in Silent Hill F, all the pain and suffering, all started with her father depriving her of her agency and

by proxy, the player. Women are not machines for suffering, but to paraphrase the late film critic Roger Eert,

art is a machine for empathy. And

stepping into Hinaco's shoes is excruciating and above all, frustrating. You fight towards a goal

frustrating. You fight towards a goal that might not even exist, and the people and creatures you come across along the way don't treat you much better than the dirt they're walking on.

Unless you aren't already aware of the game's different outcomes and what they entail, why even bother putting Hino through all that suffering? Because

perhaps the suffering of trying to change things, as impossible as they may seem, is preferable to the suffering of

not being able to.

This was initially supposed to be something leaning a bit more towards a traditional review, but since that didn't really fit with what the video ultimately became, I suppose I'll throw in my overall thoughts on the game here.

In short, I really liked Silent Hill. In

my second ever video on this channel, I suggested that saving the series would require it to not isolate itself behind the borders of the titular town to explore its themes and iconography

through different cultures and time periods. And so far, the short message

periods. And so far, the short message and now Silent Hill F have done exactly that. It may look and even feel

that. It may look and even feel different from past entries, but the core is still very much intact. I've

seen a bunch of criticism being thrown at the combat system that it's too similar to the Souls games and whatnot.

Not only do I disagree with that take, I'd argue it has much more in common with the combat systems of Silent Hill 4 and Homecoming. I haven't seen anyone

and Homecoming. I haven't seen anyone who has been able to explain what is so inherently bad about that. Either way, I don't find the combat system to be the

issue. The issue is the copious amount

issue. The issue is the copious amount of times you are forced to use it, especially during the third act. It's

thematically fitting that Hinako has to face her demons. Perhaps it's even more fitting that this process eventually becomes tedious. Still, it's the one

becomes tedious. Still, it's the one thing about San F that I could have lived without. Other than that though, I

lived without. Other than that though, I think this is another home run for the revival era of the series, and I sincerely hope the developers at Neobards are allowed to continue being a

part of it. I also just want to point out that well, there's no coincidence that we got a game like this and by Sweet Carol, which cover some of the same topics in the same year. Like there

was no coincidence that we got two horror films about forced pregnancies, The First Omen and Immaculate last year.

Art always says something about the times it was made. And if the current times are going to keep looking like this, well, we're certainly going to be seeing a whole lot more stories like Silent Hill F in the near future. With

that out of the way, I want to give a special thanks to all the lovely patrons who make my videos possible. Here are

some of them. 12pad

day, Callum Wall-E, Chromataphorium, De Wright, Eban, Phantom, Emilyn,

Eric, Hamilton, Schneider, Ava Leance, Huard Cougar Icarus Harker Jesse Earl Kis

Lavis, Lost Nicole Rowan Woodcock

Sable Cow, Cesard, TB Sky, the Fluof, the Sphere Hunter, Vinders, and Wine Casra. I also want to thank Delaney of

Casra. I also want to thank Delaney of Infinite Snow Productions and Hamish of Writing on Games for editing the script.

Ruby Seals of Codex Entry fame, the sphere hunter herself, Suzie Hunter, and Delaney again for providing their voices. And La for the amazing makeup

voices. And La for the amazing makeup and camera work. 2025 basically became the year of Silent Hill on this channel, and I feel like it's time to cover some

different topics for a while. Though

rest assured whenever the next Silent Hill title releases, we will eventually regroup for another trip through the fog. I hope to see you all then. And I

fog. I hope to see you all then. And I

mean also in my first video of 2026, whatever that may end up being.

Do you seriously believe any of that [ __ ] matters? Of course not. Have you

not been paying attention? The only

thing that matters is the canonical UFO ending. Sure, you could argue that

UFO ending. Sure, you could argue that the UFO endings from the previous games were there just to be a simple gag. You

could say that even though you would be wrong. The UFO

ending of San Hill F, however, is irrefutably canon because it's rooted in the game's actual narrative. Early on, it's

actual narrative. Early on, it's established that Hin and Shu had this childhood game they used to play together called Space Wars, where they shared a toy ray gun to protect the

Earth from invading space aliens. A

timely reflection of a country still recovering from the devastating aftermath of World War II.

>> Lord of the Fireflies, more like [ __ ] you, I have a laser sword. In New Game Plus, Hinako can uncover ominous radio transmissions and posters pointing at

aliens being the cause of everything that's been going on around Ebisuga. So,

when you discover the final item on this quest, you're gifted a 4-minute cutscene where it's revealed that aliens have come to gradually and secretly replace

the local population with their own shape-shifting kind. So, the main

shape-shifting kind. So, the main characters agree to reveal awkward truths about each other in order to prove that they are still themselves.

Shu is a pervert. And the alternate version of Hinaco turns out to be a robot built by Sako to detect aliens, but fails to do so because its battery immediately dies. Then Hin's parents

immediately dies. Then Hin's parents turn up to tell the group that the aliens have been taken care of by the neighborhood watch. But can they be

neighborhood watch. But can they be trusted?

Can anyone be trusted? They tell Hako they're going to make her favorite dinner, but Ho points out that it's actually Junko's favorite dinner. Are

they shapeshifting aliens or just shitty parents? Also, the Sheba dog from

parents? Also, the Sheba dog from previous games is steering the UFO, which was confirmed to actually be Cheryl Mason back in Silent Hill Shattered Memories, which means that Sil

F takes place in the same timeline as the other games, and by extension, they're UFO endings. You can't deny it anymore. The Silent Hill UFO endings are

anymore. The Silent Hill UFO endings are all canon. The truth was out there, and

all canon. The truth was out there, and I [ __ ] found it.