I wasnt a fan of Silent Hill f, but Silent Hill: Townfall has made me believe in the horror series again

Date:
Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Description:
Silent Hill crosses the Atlantic with a fresh first-person perspective but are the changes enough to rejuvenate this aging horror stalwart?

FULL STORY ======================================================================Traditio nally set in North America, the Silent Hill series has been known to stray beyond the continent on occasion, most notably with the recent Silent Hill f
, which takes place in sixties Japan. Review info Platform reviewed: PS5 Available on: PS5, PC Release date: September 24, 2026 With Townfall , were headed to nineties Scotland, but thats not the only change: we also get a new perspective in more ways than one. Konami Silent Hill: Townfall (PS5) at Amazon for 49.99 Not only is the game in first-person, rather than third-person, but it's developed by a series newcomer, Screen Burn Interactive, formerly known as No Code. This small Scottish outfit doesnt exactly have a long resume, but it's already proved itself with its two previous outings. 2017s Stories Untold was an interesting, modern take on the text adventure, while 2019s Observation , another first-person horror, won
the Bafta for Best British Game in 2020. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

Now the team brings its Caledonian spirit to bear on Konamis flagship horror franchise, but does the new locale and camera angle represent another step in the right direction for a series keen on extending its recent purple patch? Everybodys aff to the rapture (Image credit: Konami) We open in typical
horror story fashion: a man crawls out of the water onto a dock, not knowing where he is or where he came from. Best bit (Image credit: Konami) Sneaking around the streets of St. Amelia. Its layout is ripe for creating your own paths to avoid enemies, and escaping their clutches by running down back alleys and hiding in cupboards is always a thrill. Plus, you get to explore a town thats been lovingly and realistically rendered, with homes, shops, and features that offer a glimpse back to a simpler time. This man is Simon Ordell, wearing an outfit almost identical to Travis Gradys from 2007s Silent Hill: Origins , and denoting his everyman-ness. As you make your way up from the harbour, a cutscene plays, and a tarp blows away from a sign, revealing the towns name: St. Amelia

And so the game proper begins, as you make your way through the seemingly abandoned town to find out whats going on. Along the way, youll take control of two additional characters besides Simon Zoe and Richard and the plot unfolds gradually to reveal the trios connection to one another. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: Konami) The first thing that struck me as I paced through the streets was the fantastic art direction. As expected from a Scottish team, Screen Burn has nailed the feel of a small Scottish town.

St. Amelia is lovingly crafted and perfectly captures its mid-nineties
period, containing plenty of features recognizable to those this side of the pond, from period-correct storefronts and pebble-dashed houses to public telephone booths and post boxes.

Virtually every frame looks cinematic (theres even a letterbox mode enabled
by default). The perennial fog is, of course, present and correct here, and looks better and moodier than ever. Hues of white, red, and blue are
prominent throughout as well, and look eerily beautiful as they shine through the mist and are backlit by streetlamps. This is a game made for screenshotting, although unfortunately it doesnt have a native photo mode.

I played through the game in Performance mode, as is often my preference, and I couldnt discern any visual downgrade from Quality mode. Naturally, though, Performance mode offered a much better frame rate, and I only encountered one section where things got a little choppy, but this was brief and far from ruinous. (Image credit: Konami) Complementing the visuals is the score, another feature thats always stood out in Silent Hill titles. Here, though, regular series composer and sound designer Akira Yamaoka is, for once, not involved. Instead, the honors go to Pilotpriest, whos done a fantastic job of replicating the off-kilter sounds and melancholic melodies fans have come to know and love, while adding a modern twist.

Pieces are more sparse and muted than before, often with heavy doses of reverb. They match the tone of the gameplay brilliantly, and compositions
open up during cutscenes when some emotional weight needs carrying.

Unfortunately, the characters facial animations are less capable at this. Theyre often stilted, which can work when they seem detached and dejected,
but they fail to sell terror or emotional breakdowns when required.

This is doubly a shame since it lets down the largely great performances of the voice actors, of which Kezia Burrows Zoe is worthy of highlighting. She has a greater range of traits and emotions to convey than the other two, and she does so with aplomb.

Another disappointing aspect of the games design is the monsters this for a series renowned for its strikingly original creations. Virtually every one is some kind of faceless alabaster humanoid with no details of note, and some
are mere rehashes of past favorites, such as the fleshy straight-jacketed figure, although this time it has a plank driven through its head.

Less attention has been paid to their symbolism, too: there are suggestions that they reflect aspects of the inner turmoil of the main characters, la most Silent Hill monsters, but there's little about their design that shows this in an interesting way. Monster hunting (Image credit: Konami) Looks aside, though, the monsters are more dangerous than ever. There are a handful of basic pawns, such as those that wander around slowly, and the aforementioned straight-jacketed plank heads that move much faster and more erratically and are equally troublesome.

If either catches you, youll have a basic button-mashing QTE to avoid them if you have enough health, but if not, itll be instant death. In certain sections, a larger monster appears with blobs on its back, which is
unkillable as far as I could tell. There's no chance to QTE your way out of its grip if it catches you, either.

Sneaking around enemies, therefore, can be a tense and terrifying experience, accompanied by a huge sense of relief when you succeed. Often, the environmental design expertly facilitates this stealth gameplay. The outside sections in particular are laden with cut-throughs and hiding places, and
more impressive is the fact that this design is so firmly planted in the real world.

Youll be sneaking around abandoned cars and peeking out over low walls, scooting down narrow back alleys and distracting enemies with bottles or radios. Theres a surprising degree of player freedom that makes these
sections more satisfying to play through than your typical survival horror fare. (Image credit: Konami) What also helps is the excellent player
movement. All three move in the same way, which is to say theyre responsive and agile, as well as being reasonably fast when sprinting, although this is no arena shooter but then again, I wouldnt want it any other way in a horror game. Theres also an option to use motion controls for aiming, with fast and precise movements, and it is my preferred method.

Theres a peek mechanic, too, which again is very useful. It may be lifted straight from classic first-person horror games, most notably Alien:
Isolation , but it gives you a great deal of freedom to not just strafe laterally, but also to peer up over barriers or down over ledges, whether standing or crouched.

To detect threats more easily, Simon picks up a handheld TV (or CRTV) early
on that can tune into enemy locations. Theyre rendered in silhouette against
a red background, serving as the games detective mode. This gives you a real advantage, but its screen is just obscure enough to avoid you using it the whole time.

You also lose focus on your surroundings while equipped, again preventing you from relying on it wholesale. Keeping track of multiple enemies can be hard
as well, since you have to toggle between them one at a time, and those long passed or on a different level remain in the CRTVs memory. (Image credit: Konami) Zoe, on the other hand, is saddled with a pager, a far less effective item since it doesnt directly reveal enemy movements. Instead, bars around
the sides fill up to show their approximate direction and proximity. Both gadgets, though, are effective at grounding Townfall in the real world. At certain points, the CRTV can be tuned to show recorded messages that help develop the story or provide hints. The pager, meanwhile, receives mission- and story-related communication.

This grounding is something the game as a whole does well. From the environments and puzzles, right down to the save system, which has always
been a quirky thing in Silent Hill games. Usually, its something obscure and surreal, such as interacting with a well or a red square on a wall, but here you use landlines (no mobile phones in St. Amelia 1996) and dial 100 the in-game number for the coastguard.

The map screen is as helpful and skeuomorphic as ever. Scrawls in red marker pen appear to show rooms youve entered, locked doors, and story clues. You
can also zoom and pan around it with ease.

When the sneaking goes wrong, you arent completely defenceless. You dont exactly have a military arsenal at your disposal, but some humble series staples are here, including wooden planks and metal pipes. They degrade this time, though, so they wont last long. Firepower comes later, but ammo is scarce, making the games intentions for a stealthy play style clear. (Image credit: Konami) All this isnt to say the weapons are useless. On the
contrary, theyre very effective, and just the right amount of difficult to use. Melee combat is a basic affair, with one button for attack and one for block, but a lot of enemies can be disposed of quite quickly. The revolver
and shotgun are even more effective, as you would imagine, but reload times are slow. All weapons feel impactful and satisfying to use, too, and the controls arent awkward.

Healing items are more generously distributed. Theres gauze for minor wounds and first aid kits for major ones. You can also combine alcohol with the former for a larger heal, while empty IV bags can be combined with IV fluids to automatically revive you if you die.

Aside from combat and sneaking, youll of course be solving puzzles. These are more ingenious than past efforts, and expertly combine that aforementioned verisimilitude with the series penchant for the weird.

One of my favorites had me reading out patient charts as Zoe to an aggressively condescending doctor, chastising her and me if I gave the wrong information. I then needed to find medicines dotted around the medical
center, beginning yet another monster-avoidance section, which was as tense and as exciting as those in the streets of St. Amelia.

There are plenty of documents and computer emails to read and collect, providing clues to puzzles. Theres also a handy mechanic where you can hold a button to bring up the relevant clue while interacting with a puzzle, although, bizarrely, this is limited to only a few occasions. Nothing
personal (Image credit: Konami) While I certainly had a good time with Townfall , certain sections drag on a little too long. But on the whole, the game does well to vary the environments and puzzles (the enemies less so) throughout to keep you hooked.

I didnt find normal difficulty too troubling: the puzzles are pitched just right, and those I spent a long time figuring out werent frustrating or unfair; in fact, theyre proved more satisfying to solve than the series typical offerings.

Sneaking and combat, on the other hand, are more challenging. Enemies can
come upon you quickly, and since there can be long stretches before you reach a save point, you can find yourself trudging back through the same section if you perish. But mostly, their presence adds real stakes and rewards you with
a sense of achievement once you make it past them. (Image credit: Future) It took me just over 20 hours to complete a single playthrough, and that was at
a gentle pace. Theres little beyond the main objectives at hand to seek out, aside from some mysterious coded postcards thatll have fans scrabbling to decipher, as well as hidden phone numbers to find. There are also unlockable outfits and weapons, and five different endings to get.

Townfall isnt particularly scary. Theres the occasional jump scare, but it doesnt rely on them for cheap thrills. The game is a slow burn, with plenty
of quiet, contemplative moments as you explore your surroundings. As with
many Silent Hill games, the horror is more psychological.

But herein lies a problem. While the story is commendable for sustaining the mystery for as long as possible, theres a lack of character exploration, contrary to many other stories in the franchise.

The characters dialogue is mostly cryptic, so you never get much of a grasp
on their thoughts and feelings until the end and even then, there are still plenty of questions left unanswered, as they should be. But the three of them are by turns confused and forlorn throughout.

This mixture works to conjure that strange, uncanny tone the series is known for, but it also means the trio fails to elicit the same level of emotional investment garnered by past protagonists, such as Harry and Heather Mason, James Sunderland, and Mary. (Image credit: Konami) Social commentary seems to be Townfalls primary concern: the main theme is one of corporate negligence and its devastating impact on a community, which is certainly relevant in todays world. And its true that once the three collide and everything comes
to a head, it starts to resonate emotionally. But this is a long time coming, and Zoe ultimately feels underserved by the storys conclusion, a shame given the aforementioned excellence of her actors performance.

Its entirely possible, though, that other endings will give her a larger role than the one I reached, although I have no idea how these are achieved yet.

Ultimately, I found Townfall less impactful than Silent Hill 2 or Shattered Memories . It won't haunt me for as long as those entries, but its an intriguing journey nonetheless, with mysteries that remain after completion
to keep fans busy with their theories.

No doubt some will also see Townfall as departing too far from the Silent
Hill formula, a debate thats already begun. But to my mind, the new setting and perspective fit the mold perfectly, so despite a few reservations, it still marks another triumphant reimagining of the series. Should you play Silent Hill: Townfall? Play it if

You love sneaking and puzzling Sneaking around enemies is often thrilling, and the memorable puzzles mix realism with the series unhinged tropes masterfully.

You want great art direction Screen Burn has managed to haul a small
Scottish fishing village into the world of Silent Hill beautifully. It looks and sounds fantastic. Don't play it if

You want the best monsters The monsters are certainly less memorable this time round, a shame given the series pedigree in this area.

You want more emotion from your characters Mostly, the three protagonists
are quite stilted in their tone. The botoxed facial animations dont help, either. Accessibility features Compared to other modern releases, Townfalls accessibility features are a little lacking. There are no content filters for blood and gore, and visual assists for color and contrast, and the like, are also missing. You can toggle subtitles and closed captions separately,
though, and you can adjust the opacity of their backgrounds.

There are three difficulty modes to choose from: Story, which reduces the threat posed by enemies; Normal, which is how the developers intend the game to be played; and Nightmare, which increases enemy power and makes your flashlight detectable by them.

Puzzle difficulty is handled separately, although there are only two modes
for this, with the only difference being red highlights of salient text
clues. How I reviewed Silent Hill: Townfall (Image credit: Konami) I played Townfall for just over 20 hours, completing the game once through on normal difficulty. I also toggled the puzzle difficulty between Normal and Hinted modes at various points.

I played the game on a standard PS5, largely in Performance mode, although I also tested Quality mode for a time, too. I used a Lenovo Legion R27qe
monitor and the Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 headset for audio.

Im a long-time fan of the Silent Hill series and have played many games in
the series, including the recent Silent Hill f and the 2024 remake of Silent Hill 2 . The original S ilent Hill 2 and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories rank among the best horror games of all time, in my mind.

First reviewed September 2026 Konami Silent Hill: Townfall (PS5): Price Comparison voucher gift 41.99 View 49.99 Preorder We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/silent-hill-townfall-review


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)