An oppressive fog descends over a mountain village, unsettlingly framed by a torii gate. A haunting melody ¡ª like something sung at a local matsuri ( festival) ¡ª plays in the background, and I feel like I¡¯m being pulled into another world at once familiar and foreign.

For any horror game connoisseur, the name ¡°Silent Hill¡± will instantly conjure up memories of foggy streets and twisted nightmares, all with a pervasive American ambience.

But , the latest entry in Japan¡¯s most prolific psychological horror franchise, released Sept. 25, has a distinctively Japanese aura.