Fog as a Returning Character

The moment I arrived in Silent Hill f, I could tell the fog was back, and not just as eye candy, but as a choking and tangible entity. It is a character, and not a backdrop. It’s an impenetrable barrier, a veil that absorbs sound, muffles your footfalls, and time moves differently. There were moments where I caught myself standing still just watching the fog, convinced it was so painfully obvious, that I could see a figure or something ghastly moving just out of reach. The fog in this area is not meant as a simple decoration; it is the very essence of the terror, and it is something that truly works.

The feel of the sound is as important as the visual in the space. This part of the score might seem dissonant. In fact, it is jarring, static, and distortion corseted into some kind of rhythm, but certainly not something that you will want to hum. As you start playing it, the tune integrates into your body as if you are a puppet, every strung nerve maximally toned. And, finally, the silence comes—a thick silence, uncomfortable and constraining, and heavier than the sound ever could be. Every part of the space carries a threat, and, days later, I still remember going more slowly at the borders of the seats that day and, more than once, trying to decipher some shapes in the dim light. For me, this is precisely what Silent Hill should have been.

Return of a Veteran

I remember playing Silent Hill the moment it was released. Coming all the way to New Zealand, the first launch of Silent Hill was accompanied by a gag promotional item – a pair of underwear that was packed with the game. The reasoning was obvious, and trust me, I should have preserved it with the rest of my belongings for the latest sequel. I have to say, after the many sequel iterations and comparisons like the experimental misfires and genre offs, I have to say that Silent Hill f has emerged from the mist as the truest sequel. Homecoming and Downpour detours all, this is the bloodline the series was always meant to have. Appendices with the sound mixed to gnaw like a parasite – the steadfast fog once more is in position to the liege, and the narrative has found blasphemy in the lost, ravenous, cruel.

Language as a Layer of Dread

I put on the English voiceover at first, but switched to the Japanese audio and subtitles because I liked it better. This is perhaps the easiest, yet disquieting experience of the game. Each sentence in Japanese has a near ritualistic quality to it, as if the entire phrase is etched into stone or was whispered as a spell. It is not a matter of just listening to someone speak in a different language, it is all in the rhythm, the sharpness, the delivery, the breath. It is real and true dread that lies in these performances. When dubbed in English, part of that spellbinding quality is retained, but it is shrouded in something all too comfortable and all too clean. Each Japanese sentence, in its articulation, seems to be a blade cutting through the fog.

The Journal That Breathes

Within every game, even among PS5 horror games, there is a detail that is profound, tiny, and necessitates comment: the journal. It’s more than a menu, a script, or a set of notes. It is a relic, heavy in its binding, immersive in its design, and rests in a tactile silence. Each page turn tumbles more towards a violation. It is intricately woven with the anxiety of something confidential, something that should not be core sampled and brushed through, like a relic that contains more sinister than salubrious offerings.

Performances That Cut Through the Fog

Silent Hill f is a silent film which does not indulge in camp. No actors are making faces at the camera. No attempts at over-the-top drama that would soften the fear. The actors are silent and carry the horror through their intensity. They do not act out fear, but instead, dread. Their presence is enough to make sure the player does not escape from the experience. While most horror games emphasize caricature, Silent Hill focuses on real people, and the descent into horror becomes even more disturbing.

A Narrative Devoid of Clarification

Still lost, yet elated after a good ten hours of play, remains a joy in Silent Hill f. For the release of Silent Hill, the only time when I felt strongest was during the moments I was not able to understand the narrative of the game, mainly during the times of uncertainty. Every realization is another question.

There is no spoon feeding, there is no expository dumping to aid you. The narrative serves only as a construct maze, shrouded in fog, and I have yet to escape its confines. The fog is not purely a negative; it's a victory. It feels as though there is a story, and it functions as a story by resisting imagination, simulation, and interpretation.

Relentless Combat

Example, Silent Hill. On f, it is clear the game possesses real bite. It plays in a real, tangible, responsive world, pleasant to all players who buy PS5 games. Here, the combat is visceral. Automatically, there is no combat without complete precision. Every window of attack is small; the very rare double window of attack requires the enemy to be slightly in a precise position.

Every single encounter is less of a mash attack and feels more like a tactical puzzle of life. One particular boss, for every single encounter, a complete three hours of my life was devoted. In every aspect, every single attempt was another test of my patience and adaptability. Out of the countless dominations that it was able to withstand, each was like an individual lightning streak, a moment of mental alacrity.

You could say that on lower difficulties, the game nears a more pure horror rhythm, as the atmosphere does more of the work than the mechanics. But on Hard, the system shifts to a more punishment-duel system, nearly Soulslike in its relentlessness. It does have some issues; clunky moments do exist, but unlike any other game, it does reward mastery in a way that Silent Hill has rarely done before.

Tremors You Can’t Forget

The scarecrows take the trophy for the most terrifying. Their bodies are the most abstract of forms, with each of the movements bizarrely entrancing and terrifying. They do not just stalk you; rather, they inhabit the fog with grotesque elegance as they bend and contort. Then, there is the design element that is so obvious to everybody, they are the most horrid. It is a contradiction that you can’t take your eyes away from, pure horror mixed with pure lust, and pure disgust mixed with pure attraction. Silent Hill has never strayed from a contradiction, and in this scene, it strayed more than the others, with its creatures that disturb and distract in equal parts. Forget the first titles where nurses were overexposed; in Silent Hill f, it is the scarecrows that carry the real payload.

A Loop of Suffering and Mastery

Silent Hill f, at its core, is based on a loop of adaptation. The structure, much like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, is about mastery, but the spine-crushing atmosphere of Silent Hill alters the flavor. The dread, the atmosphere, is the first layer of punishment that one must peel off. The rest is a terrible bundle of collapse at the edge of which one must pay to find a shred of success. Exhausting it may be, but it is also a thrill.

On standard difficulty, the layer of punishment is lighter, and the dread is left to hover over the mechanical brutality. But in Hard mode, the game is a devotion asking for nothing less. Suffering, the loop of defeat and persistence, is, in a different way, easily submerged in the fog’s grasp.

A Resurrection, Not Just a Sequel

Silent Hill f is not just another entry in a series attempting to relive lost glory. It is a resurrection. The essence of the franchise has been rediscovered: the fog, the ambiguity, the intimate terror, all of which have been augmented with new designs, new performances, and new risks. It is not perfect. The combat can falter, the spikes in difficulty can be quite vexing, and the story will undoubtedly alienate most people.

It is not nostalgia. It is not imitation. It is a reclamation.

Final Reflection

Silent Hill f impressed me more than I had anticipated. It hit me differently, provoking not just fear, but something akin to inner pain, a discomfort that lingers after the controller has been set down. The fog feels alive again. The narrative is adamant in not explaining itself. The scarecrows disturb me with their paradox of horror and beauty. There is more than mere horror for the sake of horror. There is horror as the act of reflection, horror as the act of artistic expression, horror as the act of confronting something you wish you could turn away from but cannot. For the fans devoted to the series, those who like psychological horror that is more disturbing than startling, Silent Hill f is an intricate design of a nightmare to inhabit.

As one of the most highly anticipated sequels of the decade, Resident Evil Requiem is poised to push the series into uncharted territory. With its dual-protagonist system, fluid first- and third-person perspectives, and a focus on cutting-edge visuals, it is shaping up to be an essential experience for survival horror fans everywhere.

Bookmark this page to stay updated on everything you need to know, including release dates, pre-order bonuses, gameplay mechanics, and PC specifications.

Resident Evil Requiem Release Date

Capcom has officially confirmed that Resident Evil Requiem will launch on February 27, 2026. The game is set for a full release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), with a Nintendo Switch 2 release planned for Summer 2026. Currently, there are no plans to bring the title to older-generation platforms.

Resident Evil Requiem Pre-Order Bonus

True to modern gaming trends, players who secure a pre-order for Resident Evil Requiem will receive an exclusive digital gift: an “Apocalypse” themed costume for Grace Ashcroft. It’s a stylish way to prepare for the end of the world.

Resident Evil Requiem Special Edition

In addition to the Standard Edition of the game, Capcom is offering a Digital Deluxe Edition for fans looking for the complete package. This premium version includes a wealth of cosmetic and nostalgic content to enhance the experience.

Deluxe Edition

• Resident Evil Requiem base game
• Grace’s Costumes: Dimitrescu, Film Noir
• Leon’s Costumes: RE4, Apocalypse, Film Noir
• Screen Filters: Apocalypse, Film Noir
• Weapon Skins: Four unique designs, including the S&S M232 “Apocalypse”
• Charms: Mr. Raccoon, DSO Emblem
• Audio Pack: Raccoon City Classic
• Files: Letters from 1998

Resident Evil Requiem Story

Set thirty years after the events of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Requiem returns to the atmospheric roots of the franchise. The narrative follows two distinct protagonists as they investigate a series of grisly murders in the American Midwest, all while the 30th anniversary of Raccoon City’s destruction looms.

Grace Ashcroft is a talented yet reserved FBI agent haunted by the murder of her mother. Her investigation leads her to the long-abandoned Wrenwood Hotel, the very site where her mother, Alyssa, perished eight years prior. This personal connection adds a layer of fatalism to her mission as she navigates the hotel’s decaying halls.

Meanwhile, Leon Kennedy returns as a seasoned DSO field agent. Leon is on a mission to track down Victor Gideon, a shadowy scientist with ties to the original Umbrella Corporation. While many plot details remain classified, Grace and Leon’s paths are destined to converge, exposing a new conspiracy of biological grotesqueries.

For more information on how the Resident Evil storyline connects to Reqiuem, be sure to check out our story recap blog article.

Resident Evil Requiem Gameplay

Building on the design foundations of RE7 and Village, Requiem balances series tradition with bold innovation. The game diverges from its predecessors by featuring two protagonists who play fundamentally differently:

• Grace Ashcroft: Lacking heavy weaponry and ample ammunition, Grace’s segments emphasise stealth and guile. Players must use the environment to distract foes and escape quickly, but caution is paramount; enemies can track Grace’s movements by sound, even through floors and ceilings. Grace is also responsible for handling the game’s more complex puzzles, all while being hunted by relentless, Nemesis-like pursuers.
• Leon Kennedy: Leon provides the high-octane action fans expect. Equipped with firearms, chainsaws, and hatchets, Leon can perform signature melee moves like German suplexes and tactical parries. His chapters focus on thinning the herds of twisted terrors using raw force.

While players can switch between first- and third-person perspectives at any time, each mode complements a specific playstyle: the claustrophobic, jump-scare-heavy stealth of Grace’s journey feels most immersive in first-person, whereas Leon’s frantic, multi-enemy combat is better suited to third-person for superior environmental awareness.

PC Specifications

Despite its stunning visual fidelity, Resident Evil Requiem is surprisingly accessible. Thanks to the scalability of the RE Engine, the game performs well across a variety of hardware. Whether you are pushing ray-tracing to the limit or optimising for a modest build, the game is well-optimised for most PCs from the last five years.

MINIMUM:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows® 11
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3500 / Intel® Core i5-8500
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 550 XT 8GB / NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 6GB
• DirectX: Version 12

RECOMMENDED:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows® 111
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 / Intel® Core i7-8700
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6600 8GB / NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 Super 8GB
• DirectX: Version 12

Where Can I Watch The Latest Trailer?

The latest in-engine trailer sets the tone with stylish aplomb, offering an extended look at the dual narratives of Grace Ashcroft and Leon Kennedy, as they face resurgent horrors from the series’ past…

The post Everything You Need To Know About Resident Evil Requiem appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

In a move that’s either incredibly ironic or just plain dark, Epic Games has chosen The Callisto Protocol as the mystery gift for December 24. While most people are settling in for festive cheer, Epic is sending us to a high-security prison colony on Jupiter’s dead moon to fight mutated horrors.

If this feels familiar, it’s because the game was previously offered for free back in August 2024. However, if you missed that window or were skeptical about the launch reviews, now is the perfect time to grab this AAA survival horror experience without spending a dime.

The Spiritual Successor to Dead Space

Directed by Glen Schofield—the man who co-created the original Dead Space—this game was built to be the next evolution of sci-fi horror. You play as Jacob Lee, an inmate at Black Iron Prison who finds himself in the middle of a gruesome outbreak. The UI is integrated directly into the world (your health bar is a glowing implant on your neck), keeping the screen clean and the tension high.

Brutal, Up-Close Combat

Unlike many horror shooters where you keep your distance, The Callisto Protocol forces you to get personal. The combat system leans heavily on a rhythmic dodging mechanic and a powerful electrified baton. You’ll spend as much time parrying and bashing limbs in melee as you will firing your weapons.

The “GRP” gravity tool is the real star of the show. It allows you to pick up enemies and launch them into environmental hazards like spinning fans, wall spikes, or even off ledges. It adds a tactical layer to the encounters, making the gore feel almost like a puzzle.

A Technical Powerhouse

Say what you will about the gameplay pacing, but the visuals are undeniably some of the best in the genre. The lighting, character models (starring Josh Duhamel), and sound design are top-tier. It captures that oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere perfectly, making the “holiday” setting of a derelict space prison feel genuinely unsettling.

Claim It Before the Big One

The Callisto Protocol is free until December 25 at 11:00 AM ET. Since tomorrow is the actual Christmas Day reveal, the community is expecting a massive title to close out the holiday peak. Don’t let the gore distract you—make sure you add this to your library before the mystery counter hits zero.

The post A Bloody Christmas Eve: ‘The Callisto Protocol’ is Today’s Epic Freebie appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

If you were hoping for another gritty shooter or a mainstream AAA title, today’s reveal might surprise you. Epic is continuing its streak of “hidden gem” picks with Sorry We’re Closed, a 2024 survival horror title that feels more like an underground art project than a standard video game.

Forget the tired tropes of the genre; this is survival horror with a high-fashion, punk-rock soul.

The Premise: A Literal Race Against Hell

You play as Michelle, a woman living a fairly mundane life until she is cursed by a powerful archdemon. You have exactly three days to find a way to break the curse or face eternal damnation. It’s a tight, stressful narrative where your dialogue choices and actions directly influence which of the multiple endings you’ll hit.

Why It’s a Great Grab

• The “Third Eye” Mechanic: Michelle can open her “Third Eye” at any time to peer into a twisted, demonic version of her world. This isn’t just for show—it’s how you find secrets, solve puzzles, and reveal the literal hearts of your enemies to hit their weak points.
• Old School Meets New School: The game uses the classic fixed-camera angles of Silent Hill and Resident Evil, but shifts into a slick, first-person arcade shooter perspective when you aim your gun. It solves the “clunky combat” problem of retro horror while keeping the cinematic tension.
• Arthouse Aesthetic: The visuals are a wild mix of low-poly PS1 models and vibrant, neon-soaked colors. It looks like a “Club Kid” fever dream, making it one of the most visually distinct games Epic has given away this year.

Last Thoughts

Sorry We’re Closed usually goes for $20. It’s short, punchy, and perfect for a weekend playthrough. If you want something that prioritizes atmosphere and unique storytelling over budget-bloat, this is a must-add to your library.

You have until December 22 at 11:00 AM ET to claim it for free

The post Resident Evil Meets Neon-Punk: Today’s Epic Mystery Game is ‘Sorry We’re Closed’ appeared first on Game Reviews, News, Videos & More for Every Gamer – PC, PlayStation, Xbox in 2026.

As the highly anticipated release of Resident Evil Requiem creeps ever closer, there has never been a better time to unearth the history of this pioneering series. Interconnected and deeply tangled like a tentacular T-Virus mutation, the events chronicling this nearly three-decade-long trailblazer are essential to understanding what will transpire in next year’s entry. So, grab your first-aid spray and check your ammo—let’s get started.

Resident Evil Zero: The Spark

Long before a steroid-obsessed Chris Redfield was punching boulders, the nightmare began with three architects of ruin: Edward Ashford, James Marcus, and the chillingly calculated Ozwell E. Spencer. After discovering the “Progenitor” virus in Africa – an ancient strain capable of radical biological restructuring – the trio founded the Umbrella Corporation. Their goal was nothing less than weaponised evolution, refined into what would become the T-Virus.

While the world saw a benevolent pharmaceutical giant, Umbrella’s real business lay in black-site laboratories and military contracts. This hubris inevitably backfired, culminating in a localised outbreak in the Arklay Mountains. Rookie S.T.A.R.S. medic Rebecca Chambers and escaped death-row inmate Billy Coen became the first unwilling witnesses aboard a derailed train crawling with infected horrors. Their investigation led them to a grotesquely mutated James Marcus, resurrected and driven by a desire for revenge. Though Marcus was finally destroyed, the damage was done – Rebecca fled toward the Spencer Mansion, while Billy disappeared into the forest, his fate deliberately left unresolved.

Resident Evil: The Mansion Incident

Dispatched to locate the missing Bravo Team, the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team – including Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, and their commander Albert Wesker – sought shelter in the ominous Spencer Mansion. What appeared abandoned was anything but: the estate was a sealed ecosystem of zombies, experimental predators, and the Tyrant, Umbrella’s crown-jewel bioweapon.

The greatest betrayal, however, came from within. Wesker revealed himself as an Umbrella operative, orchestrating the incident to collect live combat data by sacrificing his own team. The plan unravelled when the Tyrant turned on its handler, allowing the surviving S.T.A.R.S. members to escape and destroy the mansion. Chris, Jill, and Barry emerged alive – but marked. Umbrella would never allow witnesses to walk away unpunished.

Resident Evil 2 & 3: The Fall of Raccoon City

Only months later, the nightmare went public. A T-Virus leak spread through Raccoon City’s water supply, transforming a thriving Midwestern metropolis into a necropolis almost overnight. Rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy crossed paths with Claire Redfield, who had come searching for her missing brother, Chris. Together, they fought through police stations, sewers, and laboratories, uncovering Umbrella’s sins piece by piece.

Central to the disaster was William Birkin, a scientist who had perfected the G-Virus, an unstable pathogen that drove relentless mutation and regeneration. His daughter Sherry became both a target and a symbol of Umbrella’s moral collapse. While Leon and Claire escaped with their lives, Jill Valentine was enduring her own hell nearby. In Resident Evil 3, she was hunted relentlessly by Nemesis, a bioweapon engineered specifically to eliminate surviving S.T.A.R.S. members.

With containment impossible, the U.S. government made the unthinkable decision to sterilise the city with a nuclear strike. Raccoon City was wiped from the map, and Umbrella’s public image collapsed alongside it.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica: The Legacy Continues

Umbrella’s downfall did not mean its extinction. Claire Redfield’s continued search for Chris led her to Rockfort Island, a remote prison facility controlled by the unhinged Ashford lineage. There, the siblings reunited amid yet another outbreak – this time fueled by lingering Umbrella experiments and old family grudges.

More importantly, Albert Wesker returned. Having survived the mansion incident through viral self-experimentation, he emerged superhuman, ruthless, and fully independent. Though the Redfields escaped the Ashford Antarctic base, Wesker vanished with invaluable virus samples, ensuring that Umbrella’s research would survive, no longer centralised, but scattered across the global black market.

Resident Evil 4 & 5: Global Bioterror

The series pivoted dramatically with Resident Evil 4. Leon S. Kennedy, now a hardened government agent, was dispatched to rural Spain to rescue the President’s kidnapped daughter, Ashley Graham. There, he encountered Las Plagas – an ancient parasitic organism capable of controlling hosts while preserving intelligence, signalling a shift from mindless zombies to deliberate, organised threats.

This evolution of bioweapons is carried directly into Resident Evil 5. Chris Redfield, now a founding member of the BSAA, deployed to Africa with partner Sheva Alomar. They uncovered TRICELL, a corporate successor exploiting Umbrella’s abandoned research. At its centre stood Wesker, intent on unleashing the Uroboros virus to “perfect” humanity through forced selection.

The conflict ended in spectacular excess (yes, including a volcanic showdown and the infamous boulder punch), but Wesker’s death marked a turning point. Bioterrorism was no longer an isolated conspiracy; it had become a permanent, global arms race.

Resident Evil 6: The Global Crisis

That arms race exploded in Resident Evil 6. Spanning multiple continents and intersecting storylines, the game followed Leon, Chris, and Jake Muller – Wesker’s estranged son and a living genetic anomaly – as they confronted Neo-Umbrella and its C-Virus. This new pathogen blurred the line between infection and weaponisation, capable of tailored mutations on a massive scale.

While the heroes prevented total annihilation, the cost was staggering. Entire cities were lost, alliances fractured, and the illusion of control finally collapsed. The age of clean victories was over.

Resident Evil 7 & Village: The Winters Saga

The series then narrowed its focus with Ethan Winters, an ordinary man searching for his missing wife in the swamps of Louisiana. What he found was Eveline and “The Mold” – a sentient fungal organism capable of imitation, control, and psychological manipulation. Gone were global conspiracies; the horror was intimate, claustrophobic, and deeply personal.

That intimacy carried into Resident Evil Village, where Ethan’s pursuit of his kidnapped daughter led him to an isolated European village ruled by Mother Miranda. The truth was brutal: Ethan himself had died in Louisiana, unknowingly sustained as a mold construct. Yet even that revelation couldn’t stop him from making the ultimate sacrifice to save Rose.

In the aftermath, a weary Chris Redfield took responsibility for Rose’s protection, having uncovered a final, unsettling truth – the BSAA, the organisation he helped create, had begun deploying bioweapons of its own. History, it seemed, was already starting to repeat itself.

Resident Evil Requiem: The Final Reckoning

This brings us to the present. Thirty years after the destruction of Raccoon City, Resident Evil Requiem seems set to bridge the gap between the franchise’s origins and its future. The story introduces Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Outbreak’s Alyssa Ashcroft, who returns to a decaying Midwest hotel to investigate a series of recent murders and, hopefully, solve her mother’s murder at the same time.

In a potentially legendary crossover, she looks set to join forces with fan-favourite Leon S. Kennedy as they both must face their pasts and uncover the truth behind the Raccoon City Incident. With rumours swirling about Leon’s own infection and a return to the restricted “Dead Zone” of Raccoon City, Requiem is set to be the ultimate survival horror experience – a culmination of three decades of fear, shadow, and the enduring resilience of the human spirit.

The post The Road to Requiem: Resident Evil Story and Timeline Recap appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog.

The Fragility of Survival

There's something about a survival horror game that's supposed to make your palms sweat and your pulse race, right? You expect to feel like you're barely scraping by, adrenaline coursing through your veins as you limp toward your next objective. 'The Callisto Protocol' tries hard to deliver on that promise. It places you in the blood-streaked boots of Jacob Lee, a man whose only goal is to escape the hellish prison of Black Iron on Jupiter's moon, Callisto. But here's the thing: for all its spine-chilling aesthetics and brutal combat, this game isn't quite the nightmare fuel I wanted it to be.

Instead, it's more like a beautifully made haunted house where the scares never quite land, but the lights and set design keep you walking through anyway.

The Atmosphere: Chilling, Yet Not Quite Terrifying

If there's one thing The Callisto Protocol nails, it's the vibe. Every corner of Black Iron Prison feels suffocatingly oppressive. The air hangs heavy with tension, and the distant hum of malfunctioning machinery makes it clear you're trapped somewhere that's long past redemption. The snowy expanses outside are just as grim. Callisto itself seems to exhale an icy breath, with wind whipping around you as snow piles on dilapidated structures. The lighting deserves special mention—whether it's flickering fluorescents in a dark hallway or the faint glow of bioluminescent spores in an alien-infested tunnel, every scene feels meticulously crafted.

But for all its craftsmanship, I never truly felt afraid. Unsettled? Sure. Occasionally tense? Yeah. But scared? Not even once. And for a survival horror game, that's kind of a problem. Fear is the beating heart of this genre, and The Callisto Protocol's atmosphere, while gorgeous, feels more like a heavy blanket than a shocking jolt to the system.

Combat: A Bloody Grind

Now, let's talk about the combat—the meat and bones (sometimes literally) of the gameplay. Right off the bat, melee combat takes center stage here, which is unusual. Normally, melee is a last resort in survival horror, but The Callisto Protocol flips the script. You're constantly dodging and countering, feeling every swing and impact like you're actually there. And I'll admit, those first few encounters feel raw and visceral in a way that's hard to shake.

But then it starts to drag. The dodge mechanic, while intuitive at first, becomes predictable, almost mechanical. Most enemies telegraph their moves so obviously that fights turn into a rinse-and-repeat cycle of "step left, swing pipe, repeat." And don't get me started on the GRP, the telekinesis glove that's supposed to add depth to combat. Sure, it's fun at first to hurl enemies into strategically placed spike walls or industrial fans, but after the 20th time, it starts to feel like the game's designers just couldn't think of more interesting ways for me to use it.

Resources are scarce, and every encounter feels like a gamble. Do you spend your last few bullets now or save them for a bigger threat later?

The Story: Enough to Keep You Going (Even If Thin by My Standard)

Jacob's journey through Callisto isn't exactly a narrative masterpiece, but it gets the job done. The basic setup—a prison outbreak leads to horrifying mutations—is nothing new, but it's the grim atmosphere that keeps you invested. As Jacob, you're constantly scavenging for scraps of information about what caused the outbreak and why. Jacob himself is a pretty blank slate, and while the supporting cast tries to inject some emotion into the story, their arcs feel more like set dressing than meaningful threads. And honestly? Sometimes that's enough.

The Gore: A Matter of Taste

The Callisto Protocol doesn't shy away from violence. It's the kind of gore that makes you wince the first few times but eventually feels more like a gimmick than a genuine shock factor. Personally, I found it less horrifying and more gross, where I would have certainly preferred the other way around. While this observation is probably a matter of test that should not stop those who buy PS5 horror games, I believe that it doesn't really add to the atmosphere, and I couldn't help but feel like it was trying too hard to impress me with its blood-soaked brutality.

In the End, Does It Worth the Struggle?

Debatable. I prefer survival games more like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and horror games more like Resident Evil 4. The Callisto Protocol is not for everyone. Its visuals and atmosphere are top-notch, creating a world that's as stunning as it is oppressive. But the gameplay—especially the combat—starts to feel like a chore after a while. And without genuine scares to keep the tension high, the whole experience feels a bit hollow. Just don't expect to be looking over your shoulder when you turn the game off. Because for all its effort, The Callisto Protocol feels more like a chilling stroll than a heart-pounding sprint through the dark.

We're back with a brand new Now Playing! Indies and retro titles have dominated the holidays for our team to wrap up 2025. No matter what we're playing, we want to share with you and maybe send you down the path to try something new. Let us know in the comments what you're playing and what news has you excited for the future!

James Burns (SUPERJUMP Editor-in-Chief)

I've been spending my end-of-year leave falling in love with all things Metroid (a series I had wanted to love for so long but could never really get into). After completing Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Metroid Prime Remastered, I decided to go back to the beginning and check out Metroid Zero Mission on GBA.

For the uninitiated, Metroid Zero Mission is a remake of the original Metroid, which was released on the NES. I've been playing it on the glorious Analogue Pocket, which has been an utter delight.

Metroid Zero Mission takes the original game's concept and overall design and brings modern quality of life elements to it (including a highly functional map, massively updated/modernised controls, an entirely new art design, updated soundtrack, and a combination of completely new and "remixed" levels). These changes are great for me, because I don't really have the patience to play the original game without a guide (there's no in-game map, for example, so you'd have to draw your own as you go). Zero Mission not only adds a map, but it also injects far more save rooms into the game, so if you save frequently, you're never really spending a lot of time retracing your steps when you die. While this could be considered an over-correction, I think it's worth bearing in mind that Zero Mission is a handheld experience (unlike the original), which means it's geared towards smaller bite-sized play sessions and a faster overall pace.

Having just beaten Kraid - and several other newly-added mini-boss style combat encounters - I've completely fallen in love, and I feel that I finally "get" Metroid. I've had Zero Mission in my collection for a long time, but never played it. Now I'm really wondering why I waited so long; a combination of super sharp controls, lovely art and sound design, and incredible environmental/navigation puzzles make Zero Mission an unmissable classic. I can't wait to continue my Metroid journey!

Ben Rowan

I’ve been firing my way through the newly released Neon Inferno on Switch recently, Zenovia Interactive’s latest pixel-art run ’n’ gun. I covered their previous title, Steel Assault, for our Hidden Gems series back in October, so diving in has felt instantly comfortable. Zenovia's clear love of big, bold pixels is front and centre again, but Neon Inferno pushes past that mid-’90s look, back when Neo Geo cabinets were the vanguard of graphical wizardry. With its liberal use of coloured lighting, dense crowds of sprites, and dynamic shadow work, this title feels like something genuinely “retro next-gen,” like a classic 24-bit arcade machine supercharged with a modern GPU.

Gameplay-wise, the big hook is the two-layered combat, which plays out like Huntdown mashed with the gallery shooting of Wild Guns. You’re constantly shifting focus between the enemies directly in your face and those lurking in the background. It’s a continual back-and-forth between the two modes, and once you get the hang of it, everything just works. It definitely adds a level of depth and challenge you won't find in most platforming shooters. Zenovia’s magnificent boss design is still their signature party trick. Every stage builds toward huge, ridiculous showdowns, the kind that take dozens of attempts as you start memorising every dodge, jump, and attack.

The setting is great, too. It’s NYC in 2055, a cyberpunk sprawl where every street corner is soaked in neon, and the noir-leaning story throws in branching paths and light RPG elements to avoid a straight-line slog. With punchy sound effects, a killer soundtrack, and gorgeous design, the whole experience is loud, stylish, and gloriously over-the-top. If you love Metal Slug and Contra-style run ’n’ guns, miss that era of pixel-art excess, and you want something with a fresh mechanical twist, Neon Inferno is absolutely worth a squiz.

Cat Webling

After hearing about it for ages, I finally started playing Tiny Bookshop...and oh my goodness, why did I wait so long?! This adorable game about running - what else? - a tiny bookshop from a trailer in a little English coastal town is everything you need from a cozy game. It's got cute animals, lovable characters, and hours you can sink into managing your inventory, recommending books, and exploring all of the fun little side quests that come up as you set up shop around town.

You can decorate your shop, painting it cute colors and setting up little trinkets to make it exactly the right cozy spot for you. The best hidden gem in this game, though? You can adopt a bookshop dog! I named mine Buddy after a real-life bookshop dog in my town.

Vitor Costa

After many people recommended it, I decided to give Blue Prince a try. While doing some research, I was particularly intrigued by the fact that the developers were inspired by Raymond Smullyan’s logic puzzles. During my philosophy degree, I had a lot of fun solving his puzzles in Alice in Puzzle-Land: A Carrollian Tale for Children Under Eighty. Nowadays, I often recommend the book to students interested in logic.

I confess that, as a puzzle enthusiast, I was initially disappointed by how easy the logic puzzles in the game are. It didn’t take long, however, to realize that this difficulty is only the most superficial layer of Blue Prince’s puzzle-adventure design. The game is less about mechanical deduction and more about investigation and puzzle-adventure; at times, it strongly reminds me of Myst. I don’t enjoy roguelikes as much as I enjoy puzzles, so it annoys me slightly to rely on luck or repetition to solve “puzzles within puzzles.” Still, this design choice ultimately makes the solutions more rewarding, and each day spent inside the abandoned mansion makes the search for the mysterious forty-sixth room feel more concrete.

I’m currently on Day 36 and still haven’t reached it. I recently discovered underground areas that significantly expand the scope of exploration, and there are also many narrative mysteries yet to be solved. When I finish the game, I might write an essay about the layered puzzle-adventure design of Blue Prince, which is the aspect that has intrigued me the most.

Jahan Khan

My gaming over the last few years has been all about the off-ramp alternatives and supporting after-market releases for legacy hardware. Retro is cool again, and maybe it's due to the popularity of 90s media and shows like Stranger Things, but the kids are into Game Boys and Ataris. In 2025, I ordered homebrew releases from Atari Age, a community and publisher that gives homebrew projects the full retail treatment, like it was the 1970s all over again: cardboard box case and full instruction manuals, a true labor of love.

I was particularly excited for Kovi Kovi, which is a Puyo Puyo-style puzzle game, and oh so very addictive and nuanced. It's amazing to see programmers still squeezing new life out of the Atari 2600 console, and this dedicated (global!) homebrew scene only seems to be gaining more momentum.

Matthew Lawrence

I recently purchased an Xbox Series X and have been spending my time playing through some games that I had tried on my PC, but moved on from due to poor performance. One such game is the remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

While I played the original a few years back, I never really got very far into anything outside of the Dark Brotherhood questline. This time, however, I have found myself quite engrossed with the storyline quests, the guild quests, and the side quests. Skyrim was the only other Elder Scrolls game in which I've invested a serious amount of time. Still, I have been pleasantly surprised at the length, complexity, and variety of quests, particularly those within the Dark Brotherhood questline.

From a technical aspect, I have also been awe-struck with just how good the game looks and plays in relation to the original. Graphically, the game is beautiful and continues to impress me with the fluidity of the lighting and the depth it adds to the game. The updated UI, particularly the HUD, makes much better use of the screen by decluttering it and adding some much-needed space between the various HUD elements. These changes, in addition to the already rock-solid gameplay that has been largely preserved from the 2006 original, make it feel like a faithful remaster of an already great game. I'm excited to continue my current playthrough and the countless playthroughs I’ll surely do in the future.

Bryan Finck

Since we last talked, I've finished my time with Ghost of Yotei, and the final act was even better than the rest of the game. I thought Sucker Punch did a great job with Lord Saito's villain arc, and even though a lot of the lore around him was buried in notes and letters, the performance really sold the anger and cold savagery under the surface. I liked it a bit better overall than the original game, and I'm excited to see where the series goes from here.

I spent the rest of the month with Pacific Drive, a game that caught my eye as soon as it was revealed at the September 2022 Sony State of Play event. The early reviews were underwhelming, so I waited for a sale, and happily, it came to PS Plus in November. Very quickly, I realized this was going to be one of my favorite games of the year, as it is quite unlike anything I've ever played.

At its heart, Pacific Drive is a mix of survival horror and extraction-type gameplay. You find yourself mysteriously transported into the Olympic Exclusion Zone, the unfortunate epicenter of a government experiment gone wrong. There are all kinds of scary environmental dangers (radiation, crazy storms, exploding mannequins, etc) you must escape, with no way to fight back. What you do have is an ancient station wagon that becomes your protector and friend across 20+ missions.

Your job is to take your car into the Zone, collect all kinds of loot from the remains of the government experiments and various flora and fauna they created, and get out with your car and your body intact. Whatever you bring out with you goes toward souping up your car (and maybe some new threads for you, too); new gear, like lead-lined doors and armored bumpers, will help you survive as you delve deeper into the zone. It gets crazier and scarier as you go, and there's a compelling story to keep you pushing forward.

The action is fantastic, with really compelling discoverability and great driving mechanics. The extraction parts at the end of each level can be incredibly tense, and I routinely found I was holding my breath until I made it safely out. I really enjoyed the voice acting performances as well; they make you feel a little less lonely in this desolate wasteland. There's a ton of replayability here, with a vast area to explore, tons of loot to power dozens of upgrade possibilities, and even challenge runs to enjoy once the story is done. I hope a lot of folks play this through PS Plus, because I'd love to see what developer Ironwood Studios can pull off with their next game.

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A big thank you to our writers for dropping by and to all our loyal fans for being here to check it out! Be sure to tell us what you're playing in the comments, and check back next month for more of what our team is getting into. 

After a 13-year wait, it’s finally time to enter the abandoned lunar base and unravel the mysteries of what happened there in the first-person survival horror game Routine. Routine Developer: Lunar Software Price: $25 Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC (reviewed) MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review. Routine was originally announced […]

Silent Hill F is not only the first brand new survival horror game in the franchise in a long time, but also the series' first spin-off, bringing the action to new locales and situations. We leave the horrors of America for a trip to 1960s Japan. While the game presents a fresh take on the series, its gameplay feels like it's being pulled between two horrors.

Cursed All Over

The story follows Hinako, a teenage girl in a rural mountain town. One day, a fog rolls in that seems to cause everyone to disappear, and the town is now full of strange monsters out to get her. She not only needs to navigate the town with the remaining survivors, but a strange man haunts her nightmares.

The story is great, and the game avoids retreading the themes and plot of prior games in the series. Hinako is portrayed as a tomboy and someone who does not like that women are seen as nothing more than a traditional housewife to a man. This upsets her father, who views her as less than her older, married sister. The girls of the village treat her as an outsider and a freak because she doesn't act like the other girls, and because her best childhood friend is a boy. The impact of misogyny and how it can be inflicted by both men and women is on display here.

While the story may be different, you're still going to wander around seemingly normal environments, getting into fights and puzzle-solving. Silent Hill F, however, does things a bit differently with both.

Spooky Soulslike?

The combat system here feels like an attempt to mirror the more personal and methodical fighting of a Soulslike. You'll pick up weapons from the environment in the everyday world, while the nightmare world has stock weapons. The everyday weapons have durability and can break after being overused, but tool kits can be found to enact repairs. Inventory management is a big deal, as you start with limited inventory slots and will want to fill them up with the various recovery items that heal or provide other bonuses. You can find inventory upgrades that are definitely worth seeking.

Sanity is a new resource that works with the advanced techniques for fighting. You have a light and heavy attack, which both drain stamina on use. By holding down the focus button, you'll consume sanity to either charge for a strong attack or attempt to counter the enemy when they flash to perform a stunning blow. Sanity can also drain if you are hit by certain attacks, and running out means you take increased damage. You can sell certain items for "faith" at the local shrines/save points that can be used to upgrade your stats and equip Omamoris that provide passive boosts.

The enemy design here is great despite the presence of just a few main types. Each one moves and behaves differently, with a lot of idle animations and weird posturing to make it hard to read them. These are not your basic mannequin monsters from the previous games, and that extends to the newly designed boss fights that are far more lively than previous ones. I'll talk about this further down, but the combat feels less about survival horror and more like a slower take on a Soulslike.

Brain Scratching Scares

For those fearing that a new Silent Hill wouldn't have fiendishly difficult puzzles, I can put those fears to rest. The puzzle design returns to the roots of the series and survival horror, as you must use knowledge both in and outside of the game if you want to solve them.

I played on the highest puzzle difficulty, and it was certainly a challenge. Some of the puzzles require you to understand logic or information without giving you the reference points or material you need, which can lead to frustration. For the very first and last puzzles, I had to look up the solutions, and even knowing it, I had no idea how the clues were supposed to reference the answer. That represents a breakdown in puzzle design – if the clues still don't make sense after you solved it, then the puzzle and/or clues weren't good to begin with.

It's like asking someone to solve a puzzle related to John and Jane's favorite colors, but the game never tells you who John and Jane are and expects you to know who the game developer's friends are as a reference. This feels like a return to the player-unfriendly puzzle design that dominated the adventure genre starting in the 80s.

The one upside is that the puzzles come paired with an excellent journal system, not only keeping track of the characters and monsters, but also providing a collection of all found hints and their relation to each puzzle. This is something I would love to see standardized among adventure games. However, this does come at a cost; there are far fewer puzzles compared to previous entries, and a greater focus on combat, which takes me to my main issues with the game.

All the Action and Survival Horror

Combat has never been the focus of a Silent Hill game, and has functionally been a bit janky at best. This is the first game to have a fully built combat engine; however, "combat engine" and "survival horror" don't really work together.

The aforementioned Soulslike style, on paper, seems like it would work for a survival horror game – Hinako has very long wind-up and recovery animations, so every attack has to be planned out. However, you also have a dodge with I-frames and a punish attack. The game is heavily focused on stunning enemies to deliver more damage, which heavy strikes, focus strikes, and your punish can achieve, and the game is really going to make you use them.

This is by far the most combat-intensive Silent Hill game I've seen yet. The horror of being in a town beset by a curse starts to fade after your umpteenth fight as you rip apart your enemies. What I really didn't like from a horror standpoint is that the game wants you to avoid combat and gives you the option to sneak by enemies in spots...and then it locks you into arenas to fight your way out. At one point, the game practically gives you a devil trigger and asks you to rip and tear until it is done.

Regarding enemy design, I understand the subtext of featuring an enemy that is about the horror of birth in a game about a girl struggling with misogyny. That said, having an enemy that can infinitely respawn other enemies, in a required arena, in a survival horror game, starts to get annoying, not scary.

When you are in those high-action segments, you are still using the very slow, very stilted combat system. While you can upgrade your stamina and sanity, along with the help of the Omamoris, they don't suddenly make the combat faster or provide a new dynamic, such as the auto locks featured in the Callisto Protocol. Sometimes, the enemies just refuse to use any counter-able attack, and you'll need to rely on hopefully getting the stagger off, or you will be attacked easily. There are some Omamori that are really good, but they are tied to the random draw, proving the real psychological horror is gacha. The very fact that there are repeated arena fights in a Silent Hill game makes it tempting for me to give this game an F just on that alone.

Not So Final

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that all this was designed around playing the game a minimum of 3 times, with a total of 5 endings. This is the only horror game I could think of that actually adds new challenges and puzzles on repeated playthroughs of the main quest, but it's all built on the same annoying puzzle design and repetitive combat. I do like that the world is different, leading to more information and additional content, but you must go through the entire game again to begin seeing this. The best parts of this game are when you get to wander around looking for clues and investigating, and you can do far more of that on your second playthrough and beyond.

Besides having upgraded stats to decrease the difficulty, just having more inventory space to hold and experiment with the additional items also makes things easier. An item I neglected on my first run that would have helped tremendously is the one that gives you infinite stamina for a few minutes.

However, asking the player to repeat the majority of what they just did so that the story makes sense doesn't really work in my opinion. Either the game needs to feel like a different experience, such as Madhouse mode from Resident Evil 7, offer a brand new experience like the Route A/ Route B setup in Resident Evil 2, or just let the player tear through everything they've already done to get to the new stuff.

A Loud Failure

For me, Silent Hill F fails when it comes to puzzle and combat; as a survival or action horror game, it just doesn't work. I wonder if the developers saw the success of Resident Evil 7 and its successors, and felt that the solution to bring back Silent Hill was just to add more combat and action. The story and monster designs are great, but focusing so much on combat, even to the game's difficult final boss, feels like a bit of a betrayal of the series. It's hard to be introspective and learn more about yourself and society when you're busy dodging multi-hit combos from all sides while trying to find the punish tell.

(Note: This review was written with the 1.0 version of Silent Hill F. Following the release, the game has had a balance patch that has reduced the difficulty and the amount of encounters, but I have not had a chance to replay it to see the exact changes).