Whether you’re a long-time horror fan or a casual observer, there are few names as recognisable as Silent Hill. Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t at least heard of it. I reckon that most people, even if they haven’t played any of the games, would be able to conjure up a picture of deserted streets, heavy fog, and distorted monsters at the mere mention of the name.
It’s not surprising. It’s one of the most distinctive IPs out there, and regardless of your opinion on the films, they’ve allowed the series to branch out into a different medium and reach a wider audience.
Developed by Screen Burn and published by Konami, Silent Hill: Townfall is the latest entry in the popular survival horror franchise.
A First-Person Nightmare
Konami markets Silent Hill: Townfall as the first full-length game in the series to adopt a first-person perspective. I’m not usually a fan of first-person games – I prefer a wider view of what’s going on around me – but I have to admit that experiencing horror games in first-person works best, especially in a series like Silent Hill where atmosphere plays such a crucial role in its appeal.
Things are that much more unsettling when you’re wading through fog or climbing a ladder in first-person, especially when you don’t know what might be waiting for you on the other side. There are some jump scares, but Townfall never relied on them. Mostly, it was this continuous sense of tension and dread that kept me on edge the whole time.
Welcome to St. Amelia
Silent Hill: Townfall is a standalone spin-off rather than anything connected to the main numbered games. As such, it trades the titular town of Silent Hill for a coastal island in Scotland – St. Amelia.
The main protagonist is a man named Simon, who is called back to the island for reasons he doesn’t fully understand. He doesn’t know why he’s there or what connection he even has to the location. All he knows is that he needs to set things right.
Exactly what he needs to set right isn’t made clear until much later in the game, and honestly, that’s something I really loved. There are documents scattered around the map that hint at what’s going on, but the big reveal doesn’t happen until the last couple of hours of the game.
While Simon is the primary playable character, you’ll also spend some time in the shoes of two other key characters: Zoe and Richard. These segments were great because they added context that you wouldn’t get from Simon alone.
Still, even with these other perspectives, it’s not until the end of the game that things start to come together, meaning that the mystery of St. Amelia had me hooked from beginning to end.
Fight or Flight
Silent Hill: Townfall is a survival horror game with a focus on stealth. You can confront enemies directly, but Simon’s limited resources make this a risky approach, especially early in the game. The monsters that prowl the streets of St. Amelia hit pretty hard on standard mode, and you’ll struggle to find enough healing items.
Weapons are limited, too. Melee weapons like planks and pipes aren’t very durable, so they’ll break after a certain number of uses, and while you’ll eventually find some guns, you’ll need to manage your ammo effectively.
In most cases, it’s better to just steer clear if you can and save your resources for when you really need them. I did end up with something of a stockpile, though, so maybe I was being a little too strict with my resources. But it’s better to have and not need, right?
In the CRTV We Trust
Fans of the Silent Hill franchise will know that protagonists often make use of portable radios. Townfall switches this out for a CRTV – a portable television. It essentially serves the same purpose but with some added functionality.
As Simon explores St. Amelia, his CRTV will pick up signals that he can tune into. These often give hints about where to go next or clues about what’s happening on the island. You can also use it to lock onto radio frequencies. If you’re playing on PS5, you can use the DualSense’s motion controls to do this, tilting the controller until the image stabilises, which was pretty cool. The first time I tried it, it took me ages, but I soon got the hang of it. If you don’t like it, you can disable motion controls in the settings.
Perhaps the most useful feature of the CRTV, much like the radio in previous entries, is its ability to detect enemies. Enemy frequencies will show up as a little red line on the CRTV. The screen will indicate which direction the enemy is in and even show you an outline of them, which really helps determine their proximity.
Use Your Head
Silent Hill: Townfall features a number of puzzles throughout, and these vary in complexity. Some are as simple as finding the code for a locked door or box, while others are much more complicated and revolve around medical procedures and engineering. The game gives you everything you need to solve these puzzles, but some of them are quite challenging.
I liked the variety and how well they fit into the plot, but some of them required a ridiculous amount of back-and-forth. This is tedious at the best of times and downright frustrating when you’re trying to avoid an unkillable enemy called the Weight.
Final Thoughts
With a gripping narrative and tense atmosphere throughout, Silent Hill: Townfall is a solid standalone entry that will appeal to both fans of the franchise and newcomers alike.
There’s a lot that it does well. The map design is hauntingly beautiful, with its empty, fog-shrouded streets and abandoned buildings. The puzzles, while occasionally tedious, generally work well, offering a nice variety of simple and more complex challenges to solve.
With five different endings – two of which are exclusive to New Game+ – there’s plenty of incentive for multiple playthroughs too, meaning you’re getting pretty good value for money. At the time of writing this review, I’ve seen just one of these endings: the Abandoned ending, which I believe is the most common. However, I’m looking forward to jumping back in to try and unlock the others.
Developer: Screen Burn Interactive
Publisher: Konami, Annapurna Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC
Release Date: 24th September 2026
Gaming Respawn’s copy of Silent Hill: Townfall was provided by the publisher.
