Lowering Action difficulty in Silent Hill f is not done from the Settings menu mid‑run; the game instead offers a one‑time prompt after several consecutive defeats. Puzzle difficulty, by contrast, is fixed for the entire playthrough and only changes when you start a new game.

Lower Action difficulty (Game Over prompt)

Step 1: Enter the troublesome combat encounter and attempt it normally. There is no in‑menu toggle to change difficulty once a run has started, so your aim is to trigger the in‑game prompt.

Step 2: When you die, choose Continue and retry the same encounter. Keep your attempts focused on this fight to accumulate consecutive failures.

Step 3: After roughly four to five consecutive deaths in the same encounter, watch the Game Over screen for an option to lower the Action difficulty. Select the option beneath Continue to drop combat difficulty and proceed.

Step 4: Confirm the change when prompted and resume play. Expect weaker enemies, more resources, and more forgiving Sanity rules once the Action difficulty has been lowered.

This approach lets you keep your save and continue the story without restarting, but it only reduces Action difficulty; it does not provide a way to increase it mid‑playthrough.

Why the settings menu can’t change difficulty mid‑run

Silent Hill f separates difficulty into two tracks at the start of a new game: Action (combat) and Puzzles. After you begin, there is no Settings menu switch to raise or lower either track. The only mid‑run adjustment available is the in‑game prompt that appears after multiple consecutive combat deaths, and it only lowers Action difficulty.

Change puzzle difficulty (start a new game)

Step 1: Decide your puzzle setting before beginning a playthrough. The puzzle difficulty you pick at the New Game screen will apply to every puzzle in that run.

Step 2: To use a different puzzle difficulty, start a new game and select the desired puzzle setting. Your existing save remains intact, but puzzle difficulty cannot be altered within the current playthrough.

Silent Hill f difficulty options overview

Action and Puzzles are set independently when you start a game. Action presents two choices at the outset, while Puzzles offer three. Here’s what each track changes in practical terms:

Action difficulty (combat)

Setting What changes
Story Recover Health and Sanity at Hokora shrines without spending Faith; grabs and hits during Focus do not reduce max Sanity; enemies are weaker and supplies are more plentiful.
Hard Healing and Sanity recovery at Hokora requires Faith or consumables; max Sanity can drop when grabbed or hit while using Focus; enemies are tougher and resources are scarcer.

Puzzle difficulty

Setting What changes
Story Clear, direct clues and more obvious guidance.
Hard Subtler hints that require closer observation and note‑taking.
Lost in the Fog Heavily clue‑driven puzzles that rely primarily on journal entries with little to no visual guidance.

One‑way changes and planning tips. The in‑game prompt only lowers Action difficulty and does not offer a way to raise it during the same run. Puzzle difficulty is fixed once selected. If you want tougher settings later, plan a subsequent playthrough and set higher difficulties on the New Game screen.

Use the death‑triggered prompt to drop combat difficulty without sacrificing your save, and start a new run whenever you want a different puzzle challenge.