Silent Hill f shifts the series to 1960s Japan and anchors its story in Ebisugaoka, a rural town with a veneer of beauty that hides something rotten underneath. At the center of that contrast is Shu Iwai, a key figure in protagonist Hinako Shimizu’s life whose background and worldview tie directly into the game’s themes of care, choice, and the dangers lurking in perfection. If you’re trying to place who Shu is and how he might matter, here’s the concise version.

Shu Iwai profile (at a glance)

Detail Info
Full name Shu Iwai (岩井 修)
Hometown Ebisugaoka, Japan
Connection to protagonist Childhood friend of Hinako Shimizu; they still call each other “partner”
Family background Generations of physicians; knowledgeable about medicines and treatments
Character notes Progressive for the era; treats people the same regardless of gender
Portrayal Actor: Natsuki Osaki; English voice: Nicholas Leung
Debut Silent Hill f

Release date and platforms

Silent Hill f is scheduled for late September 2025, with platform listings showing slightly different dates. On PlayStation 5, the product page lists September 25, 2025 for release, and it is available as an offline, single-player title with DualSense support and PS5 Pro enhancements. You can view the listing on the official PlayStation Store at playstation.com to purchase or wishlist.

On PC via Steam, the store page currently indicates “Coming Sep 24, 2025,” and you can wishlist or pre-purchase through the official Steam listing at store.steampowered.com.

Platform Listing date Notes
PS5 Sep 25, 2025 Official PlayStation Store listing
Steam (PC) Sep 24, 2025 Official Steam store listing
Note: The one-day discrepancy likely reflects platform-specific timing or regional rollouts. If you plan to play at launch, check your platform’s store page for the unlock time in your region.

Where Shu fits into Silent Hill f’s story

Shu is introduced as Hinako’s childhood friend—someone she still refers to as “partner,” a term that signals a bond built over years rather than convenience. His upbringing in a medical family gives him a practical, clinical edge: he understands treatments, remedies, and the limits of care in a town where the boundary between healing and harm isn’t always clear.

The way Shu treats people—eschewing dated expectations about friendships between boys and girls—makes him stand out in a conservative setting. That perspective matters in a story explicitly concerned with agency: Silent Hill f is designed around a protagonist who chooses for herself, and Shu’s presence reinforces the idea that relationships can shape, but not overwrite, personal decisions.

Setting: Ebisugaoka (1960s Japan)

Ebisugaoka is a fictional town inspired by real-world locales in Gifu Prefecture, built to reflect the textures of a community aging in place—layered storefronts, homes added to over decades, and a sense of beauty that can feel almost too pristine. That overabundance is important: Silent Hill f leans into the unease that comes when something is immaculate on the surface yet fundamentally wrong underneath.

Placing Shu and Hinako in the 1960s matters as well. The social norms of the era heighten the friction in their choices and relationships—what might be unremarkable today becomes transgressive in their time, sharpening the game’s focus on stigma, guilt, and conformity.

Themes: beauty that cuts both ways

Silent Hill f pursues a distinctly Japanese horror sensibility—finding menace in things that are exquisitely composed and “too perfect.” Designer notes around this entry emphasize a deliberate tension: delicate aesthetics fused with decay, natural beauty interlaced with grotesque transformation. Shu’s medical lineage underscores that push and pull; treating what’s visible isn’t the same as curing what’s festering underneath.

Expect the narrative to probe emotional trauma, social pressure, and the compromises people make to fit into a town that doesn’t easily forgive difference. Characters like Shu serve as mirrors and counterweights, reflecting choices back at the protagonist rather than dictating them.

Gameplay snapshot: closer, more deliberate encounters

While this is still survival horror, the team has talked about a different action emphasis for Silent Hill f, avoiding reliance on ranged weapons in favor of close-quarters tools and more considered encounters. That choice aligns with the game’s thematic goals: combat is tactile and risky, and decision-making under scarcity becomes part of the horror.

Given Shu’s knowledge of medicine, keep an eye on how the game treats items, remedies, and status effects. The series has always tied resource management to mood, and here that loop appears even tighter.

Cast and voice

Shu Iwai is portrayed by Natsuki Osaki, with Nicholas Leung voicing the character in English. That split between on-screen performance and voice work is common in globally localized releases and helps maintain the period-specific demeanor the story is aiming for.

What this means if you’re jumping in at launch

  • If you’re on PS5, plan around the September 25 listing (purchase or wishlist on the PlayStation Store). If you’re on PC via Steam, the listing currently points to September 24 (pre-purchase or wishlist on Steam).
  • Silent Hill f is single-player and built for offline play, which suits its slower, decision-led pacing.
  • Shu Iwai isn’t just a side note; his background and relationship with Hinako are designed to intersect with the game’s core ideas about agency and care.

Silent Hill f is framed to be its own story, but it still carries the series’ DNA—personal demons, foggy morality, and a setting that judges as much as it shelters. Shu stands at the human center of that storm, which is exactly where Silent Hill tends to do its best work.