After 13 long years, the Silent Hill franchise finally has a new game. And not only is Silent Hill f a stunning comeback, it’s genuinely one of the best survival horror games we’ve seen in a decade. Much of the game’s strength comes from the fact that it’s completely disconnected from the franchise’s title town, instead taking place in a sleepy mountain village named Ebisugaoka in 1960s Japan. But despite the shift in setting, Silent Hill f honors the series’ legacy in some surprising ways, right down to a psychological thrill ride of a story that features multiple endings. In fact, in our review, we heavily recommended playing through the game more than once if you want to see everything. With that in mind, here’s how long you can expect it to take to beat Silent Hill f.
Be warned: while we’ll keep things as vague as possible, there will still be spoilers for Silent Hill f ahead.
How Long Is Silent Hill f?
Silent Hill f is a mostly linear survival horror game, where you explore different areas of Ebisugaoka, as well as a paranormal spirit world that the main character, Hinako, gets transported to. I say mostly linear, because exploration, item hunting, and puzzle solving are key parts of the experience, but don’t expect anything near open-world levels of freedom.
A typical playthrough of Silent Hill f should take you roughly 10 to 12 hours. However, the game’s multiple difficulty settings might affect that playtime. Silent Hill f lets you set the difficulty for both Combat and Puzzles, with three options for each — Story, Hard, and Lost in the Fog (which is even harder). The story settings for both are fairly easy, but things scale up significantly on Hard and Lost in the Fog.
If you’re worried, the best idea might be to go with Story mode on your first playthrough, as New Game Plus will let you carry over all your upgrades, accessories, and notes. We’ll get into why that’s important shortly.
Does Silent Hill f Have Side Content?
Silent Hill f doesn’t have “sidequests” in the way you might expect, but it does have a good amount of optional content. As you make your way through Ebisugaoka, you can often break off the beaten path to find notes that help flesh out the world and lore, as well as items that let you upgrade Hinako’s stats. The story’s fragmented nature means it’s almost always in your best interest to explore as much as you can.
But the majority of the game’s “side” content comes in New Game Plus, which actually adds entirely new scenes and notes, and four additional endings. Unless you’re upping the difficulty, these New Game Plus runs should be faster than your first playthrough, as you’ll have upgrades and know where to go.
How do you Get All Five Endings in Silent Hill f?
You’ll want to see more endings after you beat Silent Hill f, because the first ending is intentionally vague. Simply playing a New Game Plus, let alone finishing a run, substantially changes the story. Silent Hill f’s narrative is built around the idea of multiple playthroughs, as endings 2, 3, and 5 can only be unlocked in New Game Plus, and ending 4 can only be unlocked on a Second New Game Plus. Here’s how to get each one.
Ending 1 - Coming Home to Roost
- Simply play through the game as normal. This is the first ending you’ll see.
Ending 2 - Fox’s Wedding
On New Game Plus, do the following:
- Find and Purify the Sacred Sword, or don’t get the Sacred Sword.
- Find the Agura no Hotei-Sama.
- Don’t take any Red Capsules. Not a single one in the entire game.
Finding the Sacred Sword is a puzzle that spans the entire game, requiring you to find five Jizo statues scattered around Ebisugaoka. Luckily, once you’ve found them, each subsequent playthrough will automatically give you the Sacred Sword at the first statue. Below, you can find a gallery of where each Jizo statue can be found. While you should be finding them as you make your way through the game, you can go back through the town at the end if needed. After finding all five, you need to head to the Sacred Tree, all the way on the west of the map.
As for purifying the Sacred Sword, you need to complete the Crimson Waters puzzle, which is found at the Hermitage of Crimson Water, during the fourth visit to the Otherworld. In New Game Plus, you instantly get all of Hinako’s fox abilities on the fourth visit. Head back to where you get the Kudzu emblem (in the hallway with the Hokora), and look for a door with the Kudzu Emblem. You can now use the Fox Brooch to open the door and find the Crimson Waters puzzle.
This is the same area where you can find the Agura no Hotei-Sama.
Ending 3 - The Fox Wets Its Tail
On New Game Plus, do the following:
- Acquire the Sacred Sword (see above).
- Do not purify the Sacred Sword.
- Don’t use any Red Capsules.
Ending 4 - Ebisugaoka in Silence
This ending can only be unlocked after seeing two “complete” endings; the only non-complete ending is Ending 5. On a second New Game Plus, do the following:
- Obtain and purify the Sacred Sword.
- Offer the Brooch to the Ancient Jizo statue.
- Don’t use any Red Capsules.
You’ll find the Ancient Jizo statue on your fifth and final return to Ebisugaokoa, if you’ve done everything for the Sacred Sword.
Ending 5 - The Great Space Invasion!
This is the game’s joke ending, and has unique requirements. Here’s what to do.
- Listen to the UFO Broadcast. This is found on a radio on your first visit to Ebisugaoka.
- Read all three “The Great Space Invasion” movie posters in order. These are all found on your third visit to Ebisugaoka, in the main town area.
- Read “The Great Space Invasion” movie review. This is also found in the main town area, only after you’ve heard the broadcast and seen the posters.
