Summary
WhileSilent Hill fis clearly making a bold move in departing far away from the titular town which has been the setting for the series, there is still a likelihood it will have references to the olderSilent Hillgames and certain commonalities will be shared. Certainly, by having too many callbacks and references to older games,Silent Hill fwould risk negating the advantages it could give itself with a new setting far away from the expectations that came along with previous games.
However, despite the move, it is also undeniably still part of the ongoingSilent Hillcanon and there must besome level of linkto that within, but whether this will take the form of something so small as a reference in a note or a very literal link between the towns of Silent Hill and Ebisugaoka to explain why the other world appears here as well (or if these links will just be thematic similarities) remains to be seen. While it is expected that many new monsters will be created for this entry there is still some speculation as to what, if any,monsters from previous entrieswill return or be redesigned for an appearance inSilent Hill f.
5“Bogeyman”
Stalking Players Until Their Heart Stops
While it seems highly unlikely (thankfully) that the mistakes of old will be repeated andPyramid Head will be wandering around1960’s Japan, it would not be at all surprising if there was some centralBogeyman-type figurestalking Hinako throughout the story.
Other than Pyramid Head, there have been several different incarnations of this enemy type within theSilent Hillseries such as The Butcher inSilent Hill: Originsor the hammer-wielding Bogeyman inSilent Hill: Downpour.
Furthermore, the popularity of thestalker/recurring enemy in horror has skyrocketedin recent years, undoubtedly owing much to how terrifyingly well theResident Evilseries has realized this archetype in recent years with characters like Jack Baker inResident Evil 7and Mr X in the remake ofResident Evil 2.
4Nurses
The Core Of Silent Hill’s Healthcare
Nursesare a stapleof horror media, especially theSilent Hillgames, with only three series entries in which they don’t appear (Shattered Memories,Downpour,andThe Room– although the Patient enemy inThe Roomis very similar) so there is a high chance of their return here in some form or another inSilent Hill f. Perhaps they will appear in the old-fashioned uniforms of the earlier games, or it could be used as an opportunity to draw from the garb of historical Japanese nurses in a redesign of this classic enemy.
AsSilent Hill f’s new trailer seems to be indicating the importance, and perhaps merging of, the past in its present setting, the Nurse seems like a fitting enemy to bring back, or perhaps they will even be introduced as the first chronological appearance of the enemy.
The New Freaky Kid On The Scary Block
While it is unlikely that this exact monster will reappear inSilent Hill f,as its manifestation was strongly linked to the story and characters ofSilent Hill: The Short Message,it is quite possible that the floral design and perhaps some entity linked to this monster will make an appearance in the series' next entry.
As theSakura Headwasthe first new monsterto appear as part of theSilent Hillseries revival, and the definite linked theme betweenTheShort Messageandfis child abuse, it wouldn’t be surprising if a central theme in the design of Sakura Head, such as the floral disfigurements, was also prominent in the enemy design inf. There is a definite similarity betweenSilent Hill f’sFlower Girl andThe Short Message’sSakura Heads.
2Dogs
The Perfidy Of Pets
Another frequently recurring enemy type in theSilent Hillseries is variations on adog-type monster, dating back to the very firstSilent Hill. What did all these furry compadres do to wind up in Silent Hill again and again? Repeated piddling on the carpet? Tormenting neighborhood cats? Did they all just forget where their bones were buried?
Sadly, they can’t, or won’t, tell, and in a cruel twist of fate, these loyal companions are always opposed against the player character en masse. Maybe Vincent is asking them, “They look like bones to you?” If dogs do return inSilent Hill f, it can only be hoped that they aren’t redesigned as little Shiba Inu’s, although there is a history with that breed andSilent Hillas well.
1Insects
Nature Can Be Terrifying
Larger than lifeinsectshave reappeared in many of theSilent Hillgames, sometimes even as bosses, butrarely as anything pleasant. As the town of Ebisugaoka, the setting forSilent Hill f, seems to be somewhat rural and features plenty of rural countryside, the possibility of some giant horrible bug is ever increased.
Previous entries have featured larvae, cockroaches, beetles, worms, moths, macro moths, and more. It may be noted that spiders are not on the list (although there have been spider-like humanoids such as the evolution of the mannequins in theSilent Hill 2remake) and it can only be hoped that this trend continues and there is not some huge, horrific arachnid awaiting players in Ebisugaoka. It won’t remain a very silent hill for long if there are giant spiders awaiting players.
