Silent Hill f, the grand return of Konami’s signature horror franchise, released to great acclaim and quickly became one of the fastest-selling titles in the series. Similarly, Urban Myth Dissolution Center, a mystery visual novel steeped in urban myth and the occult, became a Japanese indie gaming success story for developer Hakababunko, selling over 300,000 units within 3 months of its release last year. The success has allowed the team to expand the adventure into new mediums through various external partnerships, including its own real-world mystery game. As two major success stories from Japanese gaming in 2025 with development teams who admire each other’s work, the two teams have now launched an unlikely collaboration that includes its own free spin-off game.
Though the partnership may at first seem quite unusual, there is more connecting these two games than one may first assume. Prior to the release of Silent Hill f, the game’s author, Ryukishi07, was most prominently known for his work on his own series of mystery visual novels, Umineko and Higurashi. Meanwhile, in the 2025 edition of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu‘s annual game-of-the-year lists, which are voted on by developers and producers, Silent Hill f producer Motoi Okamoto cited Urban Myth Dissolution Center as a highlight of the year’s releases. Indeed, it ranked third overall in the developer-voted rankings, coming in behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yotei and above both Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World.
For this collaboration, a new piece of artwork created by Silent Hill f character designer and illustrator Kera has been produced, while the games will be available in a reduced-price bundle on Steam. But that’s not all. In the gameplay and visual style of Urban Myth Dissolution Center, a short free mini-game scenario featuring characters from both games has been released, playable within your browser. In it, Hinako from Silent Hill f finds herself lost inside a derelict school, where she encounters various figures and strange phenomena.
The Japanese indie gaming scene has been growing in recent years as smaller creators from the region create unique alternative experiences to those released by major developers, increasingly finding an audience among players both at home and abroad. Konami itself has sponsored and run various game jams and events tailored to the growing scene in Japan. With Urban Myth Dissolution Center being one of the more successful and beloved indie games of recent years to come from the country, this collaboration is a chance to shine more light on a game that many of the developer’s peers have fallen in love with over the past 12 months.
