Silent Hill: Townfall Review – A New Perspective on Fear

Silent Hill: Townfall Review

After resurrecting the dormant franchise with its incredible retelling of the second game in the series, Konami passed the baton to another developer for Silent Hill f. Rather than retreading familiar ground, NeoBards Entertainment took the series to rural Japan to tell a tale of societal expectations and family conflict, resulting in a fierce and haunting experience. Townfall, the third release in three years, takes the franchise in a completely new direction. Not only does it shift the setting to the harsh landscapes of Scotland, but it also places you directly in the shoes of the protagonist. Will these daring changes lead to a bold new chapter for Silent Hill, or will its first-person perspective and windswept setting leave fans longing for more familiar horrors?

Stories in the Silent Hill franchise have never been straightforward. They force you to question each character and action, creating a tangled web that you can interpret in countless ways. Townfall carries the same ethos, expertly blending relatable subject matter with psychological horror to create an unnerving tale that burrows deep within, festering even when you put the controller down.

A Creepy Coast

Set on the Scottish coast in the fictional town of St. Amelia, you play as Simon Ordell, who pulls himself up onto the docks with an IV in his hand and with the echoing words “make things right” lingering in the air. Piecing together memories, you slowly build a picture of the location and your story as you venture deeper into the world. Opposing this is the overworked nurse, Zoe Ellis, whose own struggles and responsibilities offer a compelling counterpoint to Simon’s tale, creating a gripping dual perspective that drives the narrative forward.

St. Amelia is a haunting, almost suffocating place enhanced by the shift from third to first-person. Thick fog smothers you, making each tentative step a chilling descent into the unknown. Scars from events that plagued the town build a narrative about its dark history, giving you insight into the world and its inhabitants. With each highly detailed environment communicating clear signs of stagflation and stress on national services, relatable themes make St. Amelia feel unsettlingly familiar, grounding its supernatural horrors. From BT-style phone boxes that litter the streets to even electrical top-up cards at the local corner shop, each small detail adds authenticity to the experience, perfectly capturing the essence of mid-90s Scotland.

Disturbing creatures lurch down paths as streetlights flicker and dense red mist strangles your view. Vulnerable, you must rely on your handheld CRTV to avoid being seen. This heightens the intensity as you must tune your device to track the location of demonic beasts. With each one emitting its own signal, you must dial between these to avoid detection while scurrying to safety. It’s a thrilling concept which forces caution and builds tension.

Dread In Every Direction

The CRTV is also used to develop the narrative, providing ambiguous video loops that give snippets of information. These clips often include shots of the town, which also act as a guide, implicitly indicating where to go without the use of an immersion-breaking objective marker. Pairing this with your map, it truly feels like you’re organically uncovering secrets within the world rather than being pushed to your next objective.

At times, puzzles make use of the device, offering subtle hints that point you in the right direction. The environment itself is also filled with information, encouraging you to pay attention and piece together what you find. The puzzles as a whole are wonderfully designed; challenging you to connect the dots while not completely halting your progress.

At times, puzzles make use of the device, offering subtle hints that point you in the right direction. The environment itself is also filled with information, encouraging you to pay attention and piece together what you find. The puzzles as a whole are wonderfully designed, challenging you to connect the dots without completely halting your progress.

Zoe doesn’t have a CRTV; instead, she carries a pager. Key information appears on the device, but it also acts as a radar, indicating the general direction of enemies. Whereas the CRTV shows an image of them, this simply points to an area. Without clear knowledge of their location and distance, you must use this in unison with the peek mechanic. While holding the shoulder button, you can peer around and above cover, or duck further out of sight to remain hidden. Since you must sneak past creatures, this becomes an essential tool for survival.

If All Else Fails

Combat is only advisable in times of desperation. You can gather bottles and rocks to distract creatures, or throw them directly at the enemy, stunning them and creating opportunities to run, hide, or attack. With your melee weapon, you can block incoming strikes before retaliating with one of your own. Although you have the means to attack, you still feel vulnerable and often resort to fleeing rather than confrontation. Even when you get a gun, this can alert others, forcing you to consider your surroundings before pulling the trigger.

Enemies are unsettling, stalking the streets and corridors in mad panic and darting for anything that moves. In enclosed areas, this is truly terrifying as they chase you down, barging through doors to devour you. This leads to panic-inducing moments, where you search for locks on doors to halt their pursuit. As this can be deadly, you must use everything at your disposal in order to avoid them. Whether that’s turning on a radio to cause a distraction or hiding in cupboards as you wait for them to lurch past, the environment provides the tools to evade.

The visuals are remarkable. Screen Burn Interactive has thoughtfully crafted each area to enhance the claustrophobic atmosphere and create a beautiful nightmare. Items look worn and used while buildings possess weathered exteriors, making the world feel lived in. The lighting in particular is stunning. Flashes silhouette threats, making every stride more treacherous. This swells as a dense red fog tortures your psyche, creating a growing feeling of isolation and vulnerability.

A Magnificent Nightmare

Silent Hill: Townfall is another brave step forward for the franchise. Moving away from the traditional third-person perspective heightens the dread and anxiety, as you tentatively avoid the many threats that linger within. Puzzles are wonderfully integrated into the world, making each task feel like a natural part of the experience. Although you’re given the tools to fight back, the peek mechanic alongside the CRTV encourages stealth, which fits with the game’s oppressive atmosphere. Each aspect coalesces into a relentless experience that stands as another confident evolution of the legendary horror series.

*** A PS5 code was provided by the publisher ***