Survival horror title Silent Hill f is well on its way to being my game of the year. I’ve even written about how I can’t stop thinking about its story and creative approach to New Game Plus.
Another one that maybe couldn’t stop thinking about Silent Hill f is Konatsu Kato, the actor who portrays the main character Hinako Shimizu in the game.
In an interview with Japanese gaming outlet Famitsu, Kato talks about her time as Hinako and the mental toll it may have taken on her during Silent Hill f’s development.
“I think the recording went smoothly at first,” Kato told Famitsu. “But as the shoot progressed, the story branched out more and more. As we shot different developments, I got to thinking, ‘It was the same scene right now, but the words and emotions are different… Huh… Where am I, what am I doing now, Hinako?'”
As an example, Kato brought up a scene that occurs late in the game (oh, spoiler alert too Silent Hill by the way!).
In the scene, Hinako comes face to face with another version of herself. The first time we encounter this scene, in the first playthrough, we’re not immediately sure if this is a hallucination on Hinako’s part, or perhaps a past version of herself.
“I was Hinako, but the other person was also Hinako,” Kato said, referring to the iconic scene, “and I became confused and lost track of who I was, both in character and in reality. At that time, there were times when I would burst into tears without even thinking about anything. As the time I spent in front of her increased, so did my confusion, and I remember there were days when I was about to go.”
Hinako seems to have left quite a deep impact on Kato, who praised the independent nature of the character while also sounding somewhat afraid of her. “I’m impressed that she has such diverse perspectives despite still being a high school student. But I hope she never appears in front of me. Just imagining meeting her makes me lose my mind.”
However, Kato’s closing comments almost make the recording process sound a bit like a fever dream. “This might sound like a negative statement, but strangely enough, I don’t really remember how I was involved in this project from the beginning to the end of its planning or how I approached it,” she said.
“The only thing I remember clearly is, as I mentioned earlier, not knowing where I was or who I was. Other than that, I can only remember fragmentary parts, like the dubbing. What I’ve talked about today is something I’ve squeezed out of those fragmented memories…”
In my opinion, Kato’s experience in portraying Silent Hill f’s the protagonist sounds pretty on-brand for the series’ many troubled protagonists. Her comments in this interview feel like they could just as easily be read in an in-game memo or a note left by a character you’ll never actually meet. It’s almost creepy.
However, Kato’s comments do a pretty excellent job of summarizing why I personally rate Silent Hill f so high. It’s an incredible, unique take on the series’ brand of painful, psychological horror. Hinako’s journey is one I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and I constantly questioned what exactly was real.
Silent Hill f is one of the best horror games I’ve played in years, right up there with Alan Wake 2. And honestly, hand over story duties to Umineko creator Ryukishi07 turned out to be an unexpected stroke of genius.
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