Did Silent Hill f deserve to be crowned Game of the Year? Many fans thought so, especially after navigating the chilling 'scarecrow puzzle' – a true test of nerves where you have to pick the one safe scarecrow from a field of horrors. It felt like a GOTY contender. But the official nominations are out, and Silent Hill f is notably absent from the top spot race. What happened?
It's no secret that horror games often get overlooked during awards season, despite their massive popularity. But Silent Hill f isn’t just any horror game. It's the first mainline Silent Hill title in over a decade, and arguably the best since Silent Hill 4: The Room in 2004. The game is visually stunning, boasts a unique and unsettling setting in rural Japan, and features a revamped combat system that, while divisive, many players found engaging. It captures the essence of Silent Hill while forging its own identity, offering fresh monster designs, unpredictable story twists, and environments that are anything but derivative.
So, the lack of a Game of the Year nomination at the 2025 Game Awards is disappointing, though perhaps not entirely surprising. The game's controversial combat mechanics, coupled with Konami's unusual approach to structuring the game's multiple endings, created significant hurdles. And this is the part most people miss... While I personally adore Silent Hill f, I can see why the Game Awards nominating body (which Polygon is a part of) might have hesitated to award top honors to a game that delivers its initial ending in such an abrupt and ultimately unsatisfying way.
Upon completing the game for the first time, every player experiences the same cutscene. This scene, however, is surprisingly brief and presents a shocking plot twist that arguably raises more questions than it answers. To unlock the other four endings, players must replay the game multiple times, meeting specific requirements such as acquiring a sacred weapon and avoiding the use of certain healing items. Think of it like unlocking the 'true' ending in a classic arcade game, but stretched over dozens of hours.
While the initial playthrough is enjoyable, Silent Hill f's default ending falls flat. After investing 10 hours into the game, the prospect of spending another 32 to 40 hours just to unlock additional endings felt daunting. Konami has since released an update to ease the burden, reducing the number of unskippable enemy encounters in New Game Plus. But here's where it gets controversial... even with these improvements, you still need at least one more full playthrough to experience a proper conclusion to Hinako's story, rather than a short, underwhelming cliffhanger that relies on shock value instead of providing genuine answers.
Data shows a significant portion of players haven't even seen all the endings. On PlayStation 5, roughly 59% of players have finished the game at all, and only about 30% have located the sacred weapon needed for two of the alternate endings. It's clear that many players haven't replayed the game multiple times, which is understandable. New Game Plus does offer new cutscenes and collectible lore entries, but the repetition can be a deterrent, especially when aiming to unlock all five endings.
Silent Hill f's default ending simply lacks the necessary context and content to feel satisfying. It doesn't feel like the end of Hinako's journey; instead, it resembles a post-credits scene from a Marvel movie, intentionally designed to force continued engagement and leave you wondering what's going on.
Now, games that require multiple playthroughs for additional endings aren't new. Baldur's Gate 3, which won Game of the Year in 2023, featured numerous endings, and likely won, in part, because all of its endings – good, bad, or ugly – still provided closure on the first playthrough. Silent Hill games have historically featured multiple endings unlocked through replays and specific actions. But the key difference between older Silent Hill titles and Silent Hill f is that previous entries still offered a complete, satisfying ending on the first playthrough. For example, depending on your choices in Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake, you might see James leave Silent Hill with Maria or drive his car (and its grisly contents) into Toluca Lake. Regardless of the specific ending, it provides a sense of resolution to James' story. Conversely, Silent Hill f's first ending is unavoidable and leaves you hanging, desperately seeking answers.
But here's a twist: Silent Hill f did manage to snag a nomination for Best Narrative. Isn't that bizarre?
So, is the default ending a deal-breaker for GOTY contention? Or does the overall quality of Silent Hill f outweigh its shortcomings? Did you find the multiple endings rewarding, or did you feel forced to replay the game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! We're eager to hear your perspective on this controversial topic.
