Silent Hill: Townfall Hands-On Preview: Lost in the Static

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Much like the Silent Hill 2 remake, Silent Hill: Townfall is being developed by a non-Konami studio: Screen Burn, formerly known as No Code. Screen Burn is best known for its narrative-led games, namely Observation, so a massive IP like Silent Hill is a big step forward for the company. Luckily, it would seem that Screen Burn’s psycho-thriller roots have positioned it quite nicely for the Silent Hill job.

Silent Hill: Townfall takes place in 1990s Scotland, in a fictional town called St. Amelia. Silent Hill, Maine is seemingly out of the picture. This puts the game in conversation with Silent Hill f, which pivoted the historically US-based franchise to Japan, but it’s not the only obvious way Townfall differentiates itself. Still, I’m pleased to report that Silent Hill: Townfall looks like a proper Silent Hill game, through and through.

Silent Hill: Townfall Has the Ominous Atmosphere and Narrative of Classic Silent Hill

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Image via Konami, Annapurna Interactive

My preview session kicked off at or near the very start of Silent Hill: Townfall’s campaign, as protagonist Simon Ordell climbs onto the abandoned docks of St. Amelia. After noting an inexplicable IV bag tethered to his hand, Simon begins to make his way to the town proper. And thus, Silent Hill: Townfall begins, thrusting players into its cold world with barely enough context to understand what’s happening.

Townfall begins more ambiguously than many other Silent Hill titles. The start of Silent Hill 2 at least makes it clear that James Sunderland is looking for his deceased wife; Simon is looking for a woman as well, but her fate and the nature of their relationship are opaque. There’s a suggestion of some past trauma, but it’s all appropriately vague. St. Amelia has suffered tragedies of its own, tragedies suggested to have been brought about by corporate interests and poor leadership.

I steeped myself in this narrative for hours, and while I found all manner of intriguing clues — a voicemail left by a concerned friend, letters referencing a relationship gone wrong, a rushed resignation notice — my overall understanding is still very cursory. To be clear, this is a good thing: Silent Hill: Townfall is disorienting in the best way, reminiscent of the original Silent Hill 2 in its ambiguity. It’s a tough line to walk, and Townfall does it splendidly, letting the player wallow in discomfort and unclarity without losing the thread entirely.

Silent Hill: Townfall’s Gameplay Isn’t Quite What I Expected

Given Screen Burn’s history and Silent Hill: Townfall’s new first-person perspective, you could be forgiven for thinking that the game is a walking simulator a la SOMA or P.T., but this isn’t quite the case. While my time with Townfall did begin with some low-key exploration of St. Amelia, this quickly segued into a setpiece in Townfall’s version of the Otherworld, which cranked up the pace of the gameplay.

It was during this section that Townfall introduced some of its stealth mechanics, primarily via the CRTV, a handheld radio with a display that can locate enemies through obstructions like walls and fog. It’s essentially a combination of X-ray vision and night-vision goggles, and serves as a helpful tool for avoiding the game’s cadaver-like foes. But stealth isn’t the only option Simon has at his disposal: he can also adapt hefty wooden planks that break after a certain number of hits, and throw items like glass bottles and bricks to stun enemies. In the second half of the preview session, I was even able to wield a revolver.

The result of these various tools is a more robust mechanical sandbox than I expected from Screen Burn. Sneaking around monsters, causing distractions, making last-second getaways, and turning to violence as a last resort all combine to make Silent Hill: Townfall far more “gamey” than I first anticipated. Thankfully, I never felt like the game broke its sense of tension, as Simon is certainly no Chris Redfield: he’s quite fragile, and his arsenal is limited to say the least.

I experienced puzzles during my time with Silent Hill: Townfall as well, although these were fairly unremarkable as far as survival horror conventions are concerned. That is, I didn’t see any puzzle concepts that felt especially revolutionary or clever. Perhaps this is to be expected, though, given that I only played the game’s opening hours.

I’m Anxious To See Where Silent Hill: Townfall Goes Next

I feel that I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg that is Silent Hill: Townfall, and I hope that sentiment still rings true when I play the final product. A lot of what I appreciate about Townfall at this stage is its sense of intrigue, how it suggests and intimates rather than boldly declares. But delivering on a mysterious premise in a satisfying way is a different kettle of fish.

Similarly, I hope that Silent Hill: Townfall’s combat, exploration, and puzzle mechanics continue to evolve in unexpected ways, giving players more tools and continuing to present novel scenarios. It’s not so much that I don’t think Townfall will manage to accomplish these goals, but more so that I can’t predict how it will go about it. Depending on how you look at it, I suppose that could be a good thing.

Silent Hill: Townfall launches on PlayStation 5 and PC on September 24, 2026. GameRant was provided with travel and lodging arrangements for this preview event.