I really appreciated how it put a spotlight on women’s experiences - gender roles, societal pressure. The 1960s setting may feel distant, but that’s exactly why it works, it forces you to question whether things have really changed all that much, particularly in Japan (as someone who is Japanese).

The story delivers on what Silent Hill has always been about: the horrors of being a woman. I’ve seen people say it's “too woke” and overt in the messaging but I think it kind of has to be, to force you the face the issue in a way you can't ignore.

The environment and sound design are incredible, that unease where nothing is happening, but it has you on edge.

Now… the combat lolll. I played on hard, and the clunkiness plus the stamina bar actually made some encounters feel tedious, especially when you're having to fight monsters back to back. It wasn’t enough to ruin the experience, but definitely made it slightly frustrating, and I ended up lowering the difficulty towards the end (which then felt too easy).

I also really wish you could steer the ending on your first run. Locking lore behind multiple replays when the game is only 10–15 hours, and costs £60, is kinda wild. It feels like the multiple endings were used to justify the price, but ain’t nobody replaying a whole story five times in 2025.

Overall, was still a solid experience, despite being slightly disappointed by the ending.