Silent Hill f was originally going to be set in the actual “Silent Hill,” but a major landmark ruined the atmosphere.
In an interview with Famitsu (via VGC), the game’s writer, Ryukishi07, explained that he considered setting the game in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Shizuoka literally means Silent Hill (“Silent Hill”), and Ryukishi07 felt this would make it the ideal setting for the first Japan-located Silent Hill series title.
However, he soon realized that since Mount Fuji is partially located in Shizuoka Prefecture and the massive mountain dominates the area’s landscape, the setting clashed with the game’s tone. “When creating the story, we first wanted the entire team to share a common understanding of the setting,” Ryukishi explained. “To accomplish this, we used actual locations as reference points for our imagery.”
“Actually, since this is Silent Hill, we visited Shizuoka Prefecture as a potential location,” he laughed. “But when we got there, the overwhelming presence of Mount Fuji visible from Shizuoka felt too prominent and seemed unsuitable for a Silent Hill setting.”
“Mount Fuji looms over the entire region, so its presence would overshadow the misty atmosphere we wanted to create. After scouting other locations, I found Kanayama’s grid-patterned urban landscape visually compelling and proposed it.”
While Silent Hill f takes place in a fictional town called Ebisugaoka, it’s actually based on Kanayama in Gero, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.
Silent Hill f will release on September 25 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
