The Silent Hill franchise is known for its several optional endings, depending on how you play the game including at least one goofy one involving UFOs or a Shiba Inu. The latest mainline entry, Silent Hill f, is no exception; however, there is one important detail that I learned when I reached its climactic ending. Silent Hill f restricts you to one singular ending on the first playthrough no matter what you do. You can only access alternate endings on New Game Plus and even New Game Plus 2. Should Konami have barred players from accessing multiple endings on the first playthrough?

Author’s Note: This banter only contains mild spoilers via number of endings and game structure; however, story and content within the endings will NOT be discussed.

Fresh out of playing Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2 remake last year, I was chomping at the bit to play Konami’s latest, Silent Hill f. Although I was aware of the types of endings you could obtain in Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2, I played how I wanted and enjoyed being surprised by the result. While I haven’t replayed them for the other endings yet, I appreciated the option and how they are built into the games’ narrative.

When I beat Silent Hill f, I was floored at the ending. My jaw dropped, and I panicked, trying to figure out what I’ve done to receive the ending I did (for background: I tend to be a goody two-shoes and aim for the “best” possible ending, even if it doesn’t make canonical sense for a game). After credits rolled, I looked up game guides and learned there are a total of five endings, and players are locked to one ending in the first playthrough, regardless of how you played. Some sites even alluded to the fact that the true ending must be achieved after at least TWO playthroughs.

At first, I was disappointed at how Konami approached multiple endings for Silent Hill f. I scoured the map and overthought every possible way to influence the ending during my first playthrough, only to feel like I wasted my time. Why force people to play the game at least twice to have the chance to influence the ending? More importantly, was New Game Plus going to be different enough to be worth it?

Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed playing Silent Hill f. While not as “scary” as Silent Hill 2 with the dirty prison, gross holes to stick your arm in, dark, dingy hospitals, and other stereotypical horror tropes, I found Silent Hill f to be utterly enrapturing. It’s chock-full of lore and environmental storytelling. Also, as a female of Asian descent, there were a lot of themes I could relate to. All this to say that I booted up New Game Plus (which is a first for me) just to see how different the experience was, and boy, was I pleased.

Without spoiling anything, I will simply state that there was a surprising number of differences in New Game Plus beyond saved skill and stat boosts that made combat easier. In addition to the obvious chance to find items you missed in the first go-around, but there are additional puzzles, notes, and side objectives that can influence your ending. For example, I stumbled across interactable Space Wars posters which heavily imply its hand in the UFO ending. Even some of the cut scenes are altered with different dialogue, shedding more light into Hinako’s circumstances. The additional content definitely helps fill in gaps that were left during the first playthrough. There is even a portion of the game that allows you to breeze past some content that would have otherwise felt repetitive, if you so choose (of course by doing so, I skipped a major puzzle that impacts the ending).

Despite my initial hesitation with Konami’s approach to locking alternative endings behind New Game Plus, I’ve slowly eased up on the position. The content in New Game Plus is new enough for me to keep chasing loose ends and patching holes in the intriguing lore. Konami’s done well to dangle secrets in front of me to keep me motivated. I may not like this approach for every single game, but in the end, I do think this works for Silent Hill f.

Have you played through Silent Hill f and are pursuing alternative endings in New Game Plus? How do you think of Konami’s approach? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.

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