Silent Hill f fans reckon that its recent casual difficulty patch was inspired by the lead actor's livestreamed struggles with the game

Japanese actor Konatsu Kato reacting with disgust to a gruesome face uncovered in silent hill f gameplay. — (Image credit: Konami, Konatsu Kato (via YouTube))

Silent Hill f recently received a big update that adds a casual difficulty, speeds up NG+ runs, and reduces the number of areas where players are forced to engage with combat. The patch seems like a sensible response to some general criticisms of the acclaimed horror revival. But fans of the series are convinced that the update originated from a much more specific source—the game's lead actor.

Japanese actor and model Konatsu Kato lends her voice and likeness to protagonist Shimizu Hinako in Silent Hill f. But Kato has also been livestreaming her own playthrough of the game since October, fulfilling a promise she made to fans earlier in the month. Her streams have since gone viral, with the VODs of her streams receiving millions of views on YouTube.

As reported by Automaton Media, part of the reason behind the popularity of Kato's streams is her specific journey with the game. More than just being about her reactions and opinions, Kato is not a regular gamer, so Silent Hill f has proved a bit of a baptism of fire for her. Viewers have watched her contend with the game and its peculiar combat system in real-time, leading to events such as her encounter with one particular monster that lasted almost an hour and left Kato visibly upset.

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This, combined with the fact that casual difficulty dropped after Kato's streams became a hit, have led Japanese fans of the game and Kato's playthrough to dub the difficulty "Konatsu mode". Moreover, some fans have suggested that the playthrough directly influenced Konami's decision to add an easier difficulty option into Silent Hill f.

In a post on X (translated from the original Japanese) YouTuber kokkun_game stated, "If other developers, not just Konami, came to recognize that some people can’t progress even on the lowest difficulty setting and it motivates the re-evaluation of difficulty of the horror genre as a whole, it means Konatsu Kato has made an enormous contribution to the game industry."

While this is rather speculative, it is likely that Konami keeps a close eye on Kato's streams, since she is literally the face of the game and therefore a representative of Silent Hill's brand. Certainly, it's possible that Kato's streams helped sway Konami's decision alongside the broader complaints about the game's combat.

It's worth noting that we thought Silent Hill f was a thoroughly excellent game even before Konami issued the patch. Elie Gould called it as a "true return to form" in their Silent Hill f review, adding that it "not only can stand proudly shoulder to shoulder with other goliaths in the series, but one that is brave enough to take risks and deploy changes to set the groundwork for what I hope to be the new standard of Silent Hill games going forward."

Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.

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