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Silent Hill f review | Rock Paper Shotgun
Game Reviews

Silent Hill f review | Rock Paper Shotgun

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Silent Hill f review

Silent Hill f marks a big change for the survival horror series with a new setting, time period, and combat focus, but it still delivers strong scares and a lot to think about – even after you’ve stopped playing.

  • Developer: NeoBards Entertainment
  • Publisher: Konami
  • Release: 25th September 2025
  • On: Windows
  • From: Steam
  • Price: $70/£70/€80
  • Reviewed on: AMD Ryzen 5 4500, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, 32GB RAM, Windows 10


Is there anything left that Silent Hill can offer us? Last year, I felt the answer to that question was a resounding no. The series’ comeback game The Short Message, a short teaser of a horror experience, landed far, far away from my tastes, and last year’s Silent Hill 2 was a remake of a game that needed one perhaps less than any other. This year is different though, because it has a true, full-sized, and most importantly new entry to bring this question back to the forefront. And Silent Hill f is a game that has, annoyingly, put me in my place.


The game’s series-first setting, 1960s Japan, feels quite well positioned to deal with some pretty big themes outside of the usual guilt and grief – in particular, gender inequality. Going into it, this is probably what made me the most nervous. Having now played it, that anxious feeling has quietened, as I think what it does have to say is in part worth saying in the first place, but also worth engaging with – even if I have some caveats. An intriguing turn of events for Silent Hill revival sceptics like myself.


Silent Hill f starts us off with teen girl protagonist Shimizu Hinako bailing on an argument with her alcoholic, abusive father to go see some friends, including Shu, her male (that’s important) best mate. That classic fog starts to roll in soon after her arrival, another friend turns into flowers, and a monster gives chase, sending the remaining lot of them into a surreal, twisted version of the place they call home. Same shit, different country.


Immediately, I felt surprised by how it did all feel like ‘a Silent Hill game’. For one thing, Hinako is introduced with precious little context for her life and backstory: she’s just thrust into the mess of it all and forced to deal with whatever trauma she’s been keeping bottled up. It’s a similar trick to the one Silent Hill 2 pulls early on, withholding details on why James has come to town, and Silent Hill f is certainly successful at spinning the intrigue on who Hinako is and why she’s in this position herself.

Image credit: Konami / Rock Paper Shotgun


Its more important accomplishment, though, was having me Scooby-Doo-style spinning my legs in the air in an attempt to run away in terror. SHf’s monsters, beasties, and physical manifestations of [insert interpretations here] were truly horrid to look at, and worse to have snarling up in your face. Some of them move erratically, which makes their violent lunges harder to predict, and while bigger enemies are slower and more lumbering, they still move with an domineering sense of threat. All of which makes the more Souls-influenced melee combat interesting, if still likely to prove divisive.


Hardware ed James, for one, wasn’t the biggest fan when he played at Gamescom last month. I don’t know if any tweaks were made since then to tighten up the bludgeoning, but I had no problems with it myself. Missing a swing generally felt like my fault, the impact of steel pipes and axes always landed with a satisfying thunk, and nothing – be it my arsenal or the fog’s monsters – felt imbalanced for an action-horror adventure.


It’s just.. it is quite actiony. You have a stamina meter, which depletes with weapon swipes as well as dodges, though perfect dodges will restore that stamina while slowing down time. Combined with a parry-ish move that stops enemies in their tracks so you can launch into a counterattack, the fighting is rarely bad, but it never feels very Silent Hilly (Shilly?).

This isn’t the Resident Evil 4ification of Silent Hill either, to be clear. Hinako doesn’t do any sick flips, and not once does she parry a chainsaw. I’d even say I enjoyed the combat more often than not. But still, I’m not sure at home it feels within a world like Silent Hill’s, especially considering Hinako is a teenage girl with no apparent combat training. It’s something I ended up justifying in my own head: Hinako is quite an angry teenage girl, as many are and should be – the world is not known for being kind to that particular demographic historically – so why shouldn’t she get to exert some of that rage?

As it happens, the reasoning behind Hinako’s rage is something that Silent Hill f manages to explore with both zero subtlety and a surprisingly amount of nuance, whether it’s focusing on Hinako herself or exploring why her dad is such an abusive drunk. Ultimately, Silent Hill f isn’t about dash-dodging around yokai: it’s about expectations of gender.


See, there are two other things to know about Hinako. The first is that she has an older sister, Junko, whose youthful kindness and playfulness faded away once she got married – not that it hurt her position as their parents’ favourite daughter. The other is that Hinako is seen as quite masculine by her friends and family. She’s a bit rough and tumble; she doesn’t care for dolls, but she does like playing Space Wars with her platonic “partner” Shu.


Now, I’m not saying that in the year of 2025 we’re entirely free to express ideas around gender as and how we like, but it certainly was a damn sight worse in the sixties, and Silent Hill f doesn’t shy away from that. It’s immediately apparent that there’s an expectation placed upon Hinako that she must fit into society and, just like her sister, eventually find a man to settle down with – notions she wholly rejects. Shu’s just her partner, people.

Image credit: Konami / Rock Paper Shotgun.


Even so, they’re notions she can’t seem to escape, even when she’s repeatedly plucked from the ‘real’ world to another, more mystical one, as this is a realm where tradition reigns supreme. There are torii gates. There are old lanterns. There are Zen gardens and Shinto temples. At my most cynical, this is where Silent Hill f’s presentation of its new setting seems to teeter on the edge of Thing, Japan a little too precariously. It’s not without purpose, however. The trials that Hinako endures here certainly feel tantamount to being forced to fit into society, and it’s something that I think that might even strike a chord with gender non-conforming folks out there.

I don’t want to spoil too much of what textually happens, because Silent Hill has always been its best when you’re interpreting its themes for yourself. Likewise, it’s hard to examine the effects of writer Ryukishi07’s signature approach to structure without giving too much away, even if it’s executed wonderfully. But for me, it’s a game about figuring out who you are when the people close to you (and society at large) have such narrow expectations for you. There’s even an eyebrow to be raised here at Hinako’s mother, a parental figure you’d think, or hope, would be more protective than she is shown to be in such a world. Nuance! All of this is a powerful thing to feel and experience in a game, and a fresh one for Silent Hill specifically.

Watch on YouTube

I still hold complicated feelings on Silent Hill f. There’s a big part of me that wanted to resist it, simply because of the industry’s current overreliance on wringing out (and recycling) existing series. And yet here I am, constantly thinking about it, what it’s saying, dealing with how I’ve been confronted with messy emotions and upsetting realisations. It is, in fact, interesting, and games being interesting is more important to me than how they fall on a simple good/bad scale.

So yes, Silent Hill does still has something to offer, and right now I can’t stop thinking about the game that provides it. Or talking about it! I’m excited for my partner, a fellow Silent Hill lover, to play it, so I can dig into its themes with them. And then grab my friend, who’s only just got into the series, and do the same with them.

There’s nothing I love more in life than a piece of art that triggers a desire for discussion, and in the face of my own assumptions, Silent Hill f has done that for me. Its combat, its new setting, or even its subject matter might not do that for you, but the bottom line is, it turns out that even after all these years, Silent Hill can still strike up an exciting conversation.



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Hinako holds back a blind mannequin woman trying to stab her
Product Reviews

Silent Hill F would be better if the combat was less enjoyable, or if there was just less combat

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When the previews started coming in I was worried that Silent Hill F seemed like it emphasized the combat more than I prefer in my games of dread and slow-burn tension. What I want from a Silent Hill is an in-depth psychological portrait of someone who is deeply unwell. If I have to shoot a few mannequins to get it that’s fine, but it’s not why I’m here. I don’t want a combat system where I can master the timings and get into a flow state, I want it to be janky and panicked like it’s simulating what it would be like for an ordinary person to be handed a plank with a nail in it and thrown in a room with a monster made of nightmares.

To cut a long story short, Silent Hill F is not that kind of game. It’s the kind with an involved combat system it really wants you to get to grips with. You may be playing a teenage girl in the 1960s, but by god you’re going to have to master the blade.

(Image credit: Konami)

It’s not just a matter of “light attack, heavy attack, maybe a dodge if you ask nicely.” In Silent Hill F you can time a heavy attack right to do a counterattack, and can spend focus to broaden the counterattack window. Stay in focus mode till a bar fills up and you can launch a special focus attack. Dodge at the right time and you’ll get your stamina back, because of course there’s a stamina bar, that’s the kind of game this is.


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By the time I unlocked something called “awakened mode” I realized I’d hit the limit of combat mechanics I could be bothered internalizing. Silent Hill F keeps tutorializing new combat ideas even in its final act, well after the point where I’d bothered caring about them.

There are times when you can avoid fights, which is good. The weapon degradation system—yeah, it has one of those as well—means in theory you could end up unarmed because your crowbar, lead pipe, and kitchen knife all break while you’re in a field somewhere whomping undead scarecrows dressed as high school students. So being able to run past and around enemies is an option, but unfortunately it’s only a sometimes option.

(Image credit: Konami)

At other times you’ll need to kill someone to unlock a box holding a crest you need to solve a puzzle, or just to be allowed into the next area. This seems particularly true in the dark shrine world that is Silent Hill F’s replacement for the usual rusty chainlink hellscape otherworld. In the dark shrine world weapon degradation is disabled and you get to wield a naginata like you’re in Soul Calibur 6. But combat eventually stops being optional back in the foggy world as well, with a gauntlet of enemies who have to be killed to make skin walls go away before you’re allowed into the underwhelming finale and inevitable twist ending.

Early on, there’s a moment where you have to get a key out of a well while being menaced by a monster who is like the Hulk wearing the flower outfit from Midsommar. You don’t actually need to fight him, though. Get him to chase you around the other well in the yard and you can buy time to turn the crank and raise the bucket, eventually getting the key you need without having to master another enemy’s precise counterattack window and perfect-dodge timing.

I wish Silent Hill F had leaned into that style of play, but it’s just not that kind of game. It’s an action game with a horror veneer, and that’s something I go to Resident Evil for rather than Silent Hill.



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The silent quantum crisis that could undermine DeFi
NFT Gaming

The silent quantum crisis that could undermine DeFi

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Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news’ editorial.

Stablecoins are the backbone of the digital economy. They enable payments and trading, providing stability and efficiency on the blockchain. With institutional adoption on the rise and regulations improving following the passage of the  GENIUS Act, stablecoin markets appear stronger than ever.

Summary

  • Stablecoins face a looming quantum threat — current cryptography (RSA, elliptic curves) could be broken once quantum computers hit “Q-Day,” exposing billions in assets to instant theft.
  • The risk is urgent and underestimated — experts warn quantum machines may arrive within a decade, while finance is already preparing with quantum risk tools; yet crypto lags dangerously behind.
  • Blockchain immutability is a double-edged sword — stablecoins can’t easily swap out old cryptography, leaving dormant wallets and static addresses highly vulnerable.
  • The solution: quantum-safe cryptography + crypto-agility — lattice- or hash-based signatures, paired with upgradable infrastructure, can future-proof stablecoins against attacks.
  • Regulation is catching up — U.S. laws like the GENIUS Act, along with global standards from NIST, will soon require quantum resilience, making preparedness a competitive and compliance necessity.

However, the financial world faces a quantum disaster. While billions flow through stablecoins, few in the crypto sector discuss the quantum crisis that could wipe out stability overnight. If we don’t act now to create quantum-proof stablecoins, the entire digital asset economy could collapse with one breakthrough. Beneath the success of digital assets lies a threat: quantum computing.

While stablecoin issuers celebrate compliance and innovation, many remain vulnerable to the growing risk of quantum attacks. The cryptography that stablecoins rely on, such as elliptic curves and RSA signatures, could be susceptible to attacks from quantum machines. National security agencies and cybersecurity experts have warned about this, urging critical infrastructure to start transitioning to post-quantum cryptography before 2030. Once quantum computers reach “Q-Day”, the day they can break current public-key cryptosystems, any stablecoin using old cryptography would be at risk of immediate attack. It’s estimated that unchecked quantum computing could lead to up to $3.3 trillion in indirect financial losses due to vulnerabilities in infrastructure. 

Given the global scale of stablecoins, with billions in daily volume, they represent an attractive target. However, there is a solution to “future-proof” stablecoins today. 

Future-proofing stablecoins 

Quantum preparedness is now a hot topic in global finance. However, the crypto sector is lagging in this discussion. By 2026, 65% of banks and 70% of hedge funds are expected to utilize quantum risk modeling tools. Almost half of global CFOs see quantum technology as vital for their long-term strategies. These trends show an urgent need for quantum-safe solutions. They also highlight the importance of strengthening the core cryptography in financial systems.

The quantum threat is closer than many think. Experts predict that powerful quantum computers, capable of breaking current cryptographic standards, could emerge within a decade or even sooner. Recent market research indicates that the global quantum computing market is expected to grow from $1.68 billion in 2025 to nearly $30 billion by 2034. This growth reflects rapid technical advancements and increasing investments from both the government and private sectors. 

However, stablecoins face unique risks. The immutability of blockchain means that tokens can’t be easily altered with new cryptography after launch. This immutability is a double-edged sword. It ensures that history remains unchanged, but also means cryptographic flaws cannot be easily repaired. As quantum technology advances, dormant or legacy wallets and static addresses may become vulnerable. Without upgrades, billions in value may be susceptible to theft. 

Why quantum could break stablecoins…sooner than you think 

The time to future-proof stablecoins is now. Strong issuers must quickly adopt quantum-resistant cryptography. They should use advanced signature schemes, such as lattice-based or hash-based cryptography, to protect against attacks. These types of cryptography are considered “quantum-safe.” Unlike older systems such as RSA or elliptic curve cryptography, no known or expected quantum algorithm can efficiently break them. 

This makes them the best choice for securing digital money in a quantum future. Quantum computers can solve the math problems behind elliptic curves and RSA cryptography, which stablecoins currently use. This means digital signatures could be broken almost instantly when powerful quantum machines become available. Since public keys are always exposed on blockchains, a quantum-equipped attacker could swiftly compute private keys. This would allow unauthorized transactions across entire token networks.

However, technical upgrades alone are not enough. Stablecoins should be designed with “crypto-agility.” Their infrastructure must allow seamless upgrades to security and enable protocols to adapt quickly as quantum standards change. This should happen without migration risks or disruptive forks. 

Regulatory readiness is also crucial. As central banks and global agencies accelerate the development of quantum-readiness roadmaps, stablecoin issuers can expect new certification standards and deadlines for demonstrating quantum-safe compliance. Landmark legislation in the U.S., especially the GENIUS Act, has created the country’s first comprehensive federal regulatory framework for stablecoins. It mandates that all issuers wanting to operate in the U.S. must meet oversight, transparency, and compliance requirements. 

The regulatory language has focused on solvency, consumer protection, and anti-fraud rules. Now, these standards are changing fast. They’re starting to incorporate tech resilience, such as quantum-safe cryptography. The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and other agencies are finalising new post-quantum cryptographic standards. Many regulators will likely need these standards for all high-value digital asset systems by 2030. The GENIUS Act allows regulators to create additional rules and capital requirements for risk management. This will help set clear quantum-readiness benchmarks in future guidance and rules. 

Planning for these changes will help reduce systemic risks. The stablecoin sector is interconnected and high-value. A single point of failure could harm global market trust. Being unprepared is not an option. 

The rise of programmable stable-value tokens in digital economies makes addressing quantum risk even more urgent. This is not just a guess; it’s a challenge that needs proactive, industry-wide action to tackle the $3.3 trillion in potential exposure. Stablecoins that treat post-quantum infrastructure as a baseline, utilize quantum-safe cryptography, and are designed for crypto-agility will set the new gold standard for digital money. Future-proofing stablecoins means ensuring trust and resilience in the quantum age. Those who lead on quantum security today may set the standards and enjoy the rewards, becoming the architects of a safer financial future. 

Chase Ergen

Chase Ergen is an entrepreneur and strategic advisor at the intersection of telecommunications and decentralized finance. With early exposure to the satellite industry as the son of Dish Network and EchoStar (NASDAQ: SATS) founder Charlie Ergen, he has built a career connecting legacy infrastructure with emerging digital technologies. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at DeFi Technologies Inc., advising on institutional strategy and digital asset market growth. He is also Executive Director of the Make America Wealthy Again (MAWA) Super PAC, where he advocates for innovation-focused policy and financial inclusion. Ergen brings two decades of experience in satellite and telecommunications, with strategic involvement in 5G development, blockchain infrastructure, and fintech policy. His work is driven by a commitment to building accessible, transparent, and future-ready financial systems.



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Utila founders Sam Eiderman, CTO, and Bentzi Rabi, CEO (Utila)
GameFi Guides

Silent Data Becomes First Privacy-Focused Layer 2 to Join Ethereum’s Superchain

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Silent Data, a new Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by Applied Blockchain, has become the first privacy-focused chain to join the Superchain, the company said in a Wednesday press release.

Built on the OP Stack, the London-based project is designed to let organizations run blockchain applications without exposing sensitive information, combining what it calls “programmable privacy” with scalability, performance, and regulatory alignment.

The OP Stack is the open-source development stack that powers the Optimism blockchain.

“Leveraging the OP Stack allows us to integrate into a robust and widely adopted Layer 2 ecosystem,” Applied Blockchain founder and CEO Adi Ben-Ari, said in the statement.

A layer 1 network is the base layer, or the underlying infrastructure of a blockchain. Layer 2 refers to a set of off-chain systems or separate blockchains built on top of layer 1s.

The Superchain, an ecosystem of more than 30 Layer 2 networks, includes Coinbase’s Base, OP Mainnet, Kraken’s Ink, Sony’s Soneium, Uniswap’s Unichain, and World Chain.

Silent Data is the first to introduce a privacy wrapper, enabling sensitive workloads to be executed on-chain without losing transparency or composability.

The project recently launched with a library of privacy-enabled applications and is already being tested across several industries.

Companies exploring its use include Tokeny, an Apex Group company, and Archax in real-world asset tokenization; Shell in energy trading; and CRYOPDP, a subsidiary of DHL Health Logistics, in healthcare and supply chain management.

Its stack can also be adopted by other Superchain layer 2s or projects looking to deploy their own rollups, signaling a wider move to bring enterprise-ready privacy into blockchain infrastructure, the firm said.



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Bloober Team has plans for more horror games on Switch 2 - could Silent Hill 2 be next?
Game Reviews

Bloober Team has plans for more horror games on Switch 2 – could Silent Hill 2 be next?

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Bloober Team has plans to release more horror games on Nintendo’s Switch 2, following the release next month of its latest game Cronos: The New Dawn.


“I’m trying to make my personal dreams come true,” Bloober CEO Piotr Babieno told The Game Business. “I am a huge Nintendo fan. I grew up with Nintendo consoles. The most important horrors, like Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 4… were available on Nintendo GameCube. It was a gold time for Nintendo fans. In some ways, we would like to be the one to open a new chapter for Nintendo right now.”


He continued: “We have some plans. We are not able to share our vision for the future yet. But definitely Nintendo fans could take a look at Bloober Team.”

Cronos: The New Dawn – Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase 7.31.2025Watch on YouTube


Babieno also hinted Bloober has an eye on cosy games, citing the Luigi’s Mansion series as an example of how the genre can cross over with horror.


“The best [example] is Luigi’s Mansion,” said Babieno. “What [Nintendo game director] Kono-san did with this title was pretty impressive. And I believe that there is a huge possibility to repeat such an idea in the future.”


Could we see the Silent Hill 2 remake on Switch 2. It’s currently a console exclusive on Sony’s PlayStation 5, but that exclusivity ends after the game’s first year on sale – that’ll be 8th October.

Image credit: Sony


If Cronos: The New Dawn is coming to Switch 2, then perhaps Silent Hill 2 could follow suit in the future. Otherwise there’s an opportunity for ports of Bloober’s previous games (there’s a film adaptation of The Medium on the way), or whatever else the studio is working on in the future.


Cronos: The New Dawn is out on 5th September across Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, and macOS. Eurogamer’s Ian Higton went hands-on with Cronos back in July, but found it a little derivative.

This is a news-in-brief story. This is part of our vision to bring you all the big news as part of a daily live report.



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Return to Silent Hill receives teaser trailer for film adaptation, revealing Pyramid Head and release date
Game Updates

Return to Silent Hill receives teaser trailer for film adaptation, revealing Pyramid Head and release date

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A teaser trailer for the film Return to Silent Hill has been revealed, giving us a first proper look at the Silent Hill 2 adaptation, its version of Pyramid Head, and a release window.


Christophe Gans is in the director’s chair, following his work on the 2006 Silent Hill film starring Sean Bean. Jeremy Irvine (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Treadstone, War Horse) stars as James.


Gans previously stated the film would be a faithful adaptation of Konami’s beloved Silent Hill 2. “I am delighted to partner with Cineverse, which has shown a genuine understanding of fanship,” said Gans back in May. “Return to Silent Hill is an adaptation created out of deep respect for a true masterpiece of a game, Konami’s iconic Silent Hill 2. I hope fans will enjoy and be fulfilled with the experience this new film has to offer.”

Return to Silent Hill – Official Teaser Trailer (2025) Jeremy Irvine, Hannah Emily AndersonWatch on YouTube


The trailer, above, is only 40 seconds long, but it does show a suitably foggy environment, that iconic shot of James looking in the mirror, and of course some scary nurses. Best of all, it ends with a first look at Pyramid Head.


Return to Silent Hill is set for release in January 2026.


It’s all part of a resurgence of Konami’s horror franchise, following the success last year of Bloober’s Silent Hill 2 remake. Silent Hill f will be released next month – and no, it’s not a Soulslike.

This is a news-in-brief story. This is part of our vision to bring you all the big news as part of a daily live report.



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Check Out The Official Teaser Trailer For Silent Hill 2 Movie Adaptation, Return To Silent Hill
Game Updates

Check Out The Official Teaser Trailer For Silent Hill 2 Movie Adaptation, Return To Silent Hill

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It’s a great time to be a fan of Konami’s Silent Hill series. Between Bloober Team’s great Silent Hill 2 remake last year, the upcoming Silent Hill f that launches next month, and Return To Silent Hill, the Silent Hill 2 film adaptation hitting silver screens on January 23, there’s plenty of psychological horror to go around. Ahead of the movie’s release early next year, Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting have released an official teaser trailer for the film. 

“Return To Silent Hill brings the iconic horror franchise back to the screen,” the movie’s logline reads. “When James receives a mysterious letter from his lost love Mary, he is drawn to Silent Hill—a once-familiar town now consumed by darkness. As he searches for her, James faces monstrous creatures and unravels a terrifying truth that will push him to the edge of his sanity.”

Check out the Return To Silent Hill teaser for yourself below: 

 

Return To Silent Hill hits theaters on January 23, 2026. It has a run time of 105 minutes and is directed by Christophe Gans, the director of 2006’s Silent Hill. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer’s Silent Hill 2 remake review, and then check out the latest trailer for Silent Hill f, which hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on September 25. 

What do you think of this Return To Silent Hill teaser? Let us know in the comments below!



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European Technology Sovereignty Watch
Gaming Gear

Europe’s silent tech crisis deepens as entire industries run on American systems while sovereignty slogans collapse under Washington’s shifting political winds and corporate dominance

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  • European firms are deeply locked into foreign office suites and systems
  • American platforms manage the communication backbones of Europe’s largest corporations
  • Reliance on external providers exposes utilities and healthcare to foreign oversight

For years, European governments and corporations leaned heavily on American technology offerings instead of nurturing local alternatives.

That choice now carries visible consequences, as sanctions and shifting trade rules brought in by the Trump administration drastically reshape the balance of power.

A recent analysis of business email domains across Europe by Proton shows a striking majority of publicly listed firms rely on American providers such as Google and Microsoft.


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Data reveals the depth of reliance

Behind the rhetoric of digital sovereignty, the reality is that much of Europe’s digital infrastructure rests on technology stacks that entities outside its borders control. This is not just about convenience software but also about essential systems that underpin finance, healthcare, and utilities.

Email may appear mundane, but it often serves as the gateway to office software, online collaboration platforms, and cloud-based storage.

When a company commits to a provider for email, it usually adopts the full suite, embedding foreign technology deep into its operations.

This trend is not limited to smaller economies but also includes the continent’s largest players, where dependence cuts across industries from energy and telecommunications to pharmaceuticals.

In countries like Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, over 90% of publicly listed companies rely on American services for email and related infrastructure.

However, the shocker is probably Ireland, which is at loggerheads with the US on several policies, but 93% of its businesses depend on American tech.

The UK, although mostly an ally of the US, has an alarming 88% of businesses relying on US tech, while other European heavyweights like Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland recorded 74%, 72%, and 68% of businesses relying on US tech, respectively.

Even France, which often champions its own autonomy, sees two out of three (66%) companies tied to US providers.

Eastern European countries like Bulgaria (16%) and Romania (39%) are the least dependent on American tech, and Russia is not even on the list of nations dependent on the US.

National security concerns emerge when utilities, transport systems, and healthcare facilities communicate through networks governed by foreign jurisdictions, but perhaps not when the network belongs to the US.

The reliance stretches far beyond convenience; it embeds itself in the very systems Europeans use every day – dependence on foreign technology does not just present a financial vulnerability; it raises questions about surveillance, geopolitical leverage, and the future of innovation.

AI training programs outside Europe’s control can sweep in sensitive business data, while reliance on external platforms exposes companies to warrantless legal demands.

This arrangement has also fostered a talent and capital drain, as engineers and investors direct their focus toward Silicon Valley rather than strengthening European ecosystems, whether through proprietary services or alternative Linux distros.

Some argue that American technology simply offers the best tools available, which may be true in terms of efficiency and global reach, yet the consequences of reliance are increasingly hard to ignore, since the US can turn off the switch at any time, and thousands of companies will be in crisis.

The fact that so many European firms cannot operate without American software demonstrates the fragile nature of Europe’s autonomy.

Rather than securing independence, Europe risks locking itself further into external dependencies at a moment when political winds in Washington are shifting.

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Silent Hill f producer insists it is "an action horror game" and any comparisons to a soulslike are "disingenuous"
Game Reviews

Silent Hill f producer insists it is “an action horror game” and any comparisons to a soulslike are “disingenuous”

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Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto has called comparisons of the upcoming Silent Hill f to soulslike games “disingenuous”, insisting “a lot of these things we actually pulled from classic Silent Hill titles”.

The comment comes as more and more footage emerges in the run-up to 25th September’s launch day. And while we already knew the combat would have a “heavier focus on melee and be more action-oriented compared to last year’s Silent Hill 2: Remake”, fans have expressed concern about how enemies react, degradable weapons, and “soulslike” boss encounters.

Now, in an interview with IGN, Okamoto – who has become a familiar face having worked on all of the games since the series was resurrected in 2022, including Silent Hill: The Short Message and Silent Hill 2: Remake – insists some of the things fans have seen in the videos “aren’t new and exclusive to soulslike games”.

Everything We Know About Silent Hill f So Far.Watch on YouTube

“This is one of the things that we see – the term soulslike – being thrown around on the internet quite a bit,” Okamoto said. “And I think it’s a label that’s a little bit disingenuous. Modern players will see like, oh there’s a stamina meter, there’s a dodge, and they’re like, ‘Okay, it’s a soulslike’.

“But to be very honest, a lot of these things we actually pulled from classic Silent Hill titles. Look at Silent Hill 4 – there’s a charge meter for your attacks, kind of like our Focus meter. And even for Silent Hill 3 there’s a stamina meter. You see it later on.”

According to IGN’s interview, Okamoto “expressed a degree of frustration with the online dialogue surrounding the game”.

“These things aren’t new and exclusive to soulslike games,” he added. “They’ve been a part of action horror games for a very, very long time. If you have these things you’re labelled a soulslike. And we’d like to reiterate we are an action horror game, but we are not a soulslike.”

Silent Hill f was unveiled as part of Konami’s four-game series revival back in 2022, but it took until the middle of March 2025 to get an update. Now that Bloober Team’s superb Silent Hill 2 Remake is behind us, the publisher is turning its attention to this follow-up, a new mainline instalment set in 1960s Japan.

It’s being developed by Neobards Entertainment (which has previously served as a support studio for Capcom’s Resident Evil games), with creature and character design by Kera, a script by When They Cry writer Ryukishi07, and music from the series’ usual composer, Akira Yamaoka. It’s set to release on 25th September.



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Save $40 On Silent Hill 2's PlayStation 5 Remake For A Limited Time
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Save $40 On Silent Hill 2’s PlayStation 5 Remake For A Limited Time

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Silent Hill 2’s excellent remake is discounted to only $30 (was $70) for PS5 at Amazon and Walmart. This limited-time offer matches the lowest price ever for the PS5 and PC survival horror game. PC players can get a Steam key from Fanatical for $37.79.

$30 (was $70)

Originally released for PS2 in 2001, Silent Hill 2 is widely regarded as one of the best survival horror games of all time. A remastered version appeared in the Silent Hill HD Collection in 2012, but Bloober Team’s 2024 remake is a fully rebuilt, modernized take on the Konami classic. The stunning visual overhaul makes Silent Hill 2’s haunting atmosphere all the more terrifying. The reworked soundtrack aptly captures the game’s tone, and the voice actor performances elevate the narrative.

Bloober Team’s remake is a dark descent into a world with an oppressive atmosphere. Full of surreal nightmares, players not only have to survive the terrors stalking Silent Hill but find answers to the questions that have haunted the protagonist James Sunderland for several years.

Now’s a great time to play Silent Hill 2, as the next entry in the franchise releases September 25. Silent Hill f is a standalone spin-off set in the 1960s. Unlike Silent Hill 2’s remake, the spin-off isn’t exclusive to PlayStation on consoles. Silent Hill f is available to preorder for $70 on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Console players should check out Amazon’s exclusive Day One Edition that includes a double-sided poster.

PC players can save 25% on Steam key preorders at Fanatical. The standard edition is only $52.49, and the Digital Deluxe is $60 (was $80). The Digital Deluxe Edition comes with multiple in-game items and outfits as well as early access starting September 23.

With the latter, you’re saving a full $20 and will get multiple in-game items as well as early access starting September 23.

Silent Hill Steam Game Deals

Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.



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