The two most recognizable horror franchises in gaming, in Resident Evil and Silent Hill, have both seen a massive resurgence this decade. This year marks the first year that both franchises have had major new releases since their reinvigoration with Resident Evil Requiem and Silent Hill: Townfall. While earlier this year Resident Evil Requiem mixed survival and action horror, Silent Hill: Townfall is straight survival horror and feels like you’re teleported back to the early days of the genre where everything is a threat. That makes the game feel immensely different, and allows the game to stand out against its contemporaries.
Since Silent Hill came back a few years ago, Konami has experimented with the franchise with each title being very different from the others. Silent Hill: Townfall is no different as it sets itself apart from the other recent entries. Unlike most games in the series, the game is played from a first person perspective which immerses you far more that the third person games, and gives vibes of the cancelled Silent Hills’ demo P.T.. Then, there’s the aforementioned return to the early days of survival horror making stealth and avoiding enemies key to surviving your playthrough. The game took me near 17 hours to complete as I tried to sneak around or avoid most enemies I came across.
The game puts you in the shoes of protagonist James Ordell as he washes ashore in the small Scottish village of St. Amelia which he had been called to for some reason by a mysterious man named Richard as well as having a strange IV line in his arm. As with any Silent Hill game, the village has been engulfed by an eerie fog with no one around. Then, when things kick off, there’s a scene that reminded me of something straight out of the film The Mist. From there, James along with Richard and his former nurse Zoe, who are both playable at points, try to unravel as to why exactly he has returned to St. Amelia and what absolute horror has manifested there. The story plays out pretty straightforward from there though there are three different endings you can get in your first playthrough with additional ones which can be unlocked in New Game+.
Silent Hill: Townfall shines the most in the gameplay department. As mentioned, the game relies heavily on stealth rather than combat. Honestly, you should probably avoid combat as much as possible as enemies can overwhelm you pretty easily. Also, weapons and ammo are fairly scarce in the game, so if you do get into a combat situation, then you must be prepared or run away. To avoid enemies James is equipped with a portable CRTV which gives clues on where to go, hear from the other characters, and then can also be tuned to see enemies with their in range. Thus, it allows you to see enemies in the distance, behind walls, and movement. The game also has a peeking mechanic where you can poke your head around corners to get a visual on an enemy. Though with the CRTV, the peeking does feel a bit redundant as the CRTV, and even Zoe’s pager, gives a bit more info than peeking does and doesn’t risk getting you caught by an enemy that sees you.
Aside from peeking and the CRTV to avoid enemies, there are also a plethora of hiding spots to use and distractions to make in the world. To make distractions, there are radios around the world that will draw enemies to the noise. You can also find bottles and bricks to throw to distract or stun an enemy long enough to get away. However, if you make too much noise, like running after you throw a bottle, an enemy may hear you and run back towards you. Then, when you’re hiding, you must make sure the enemy didn’t see you or else they will break into the hiding spot and attack you. For the situations where combat is unavoidable, the characters can find series’s staples like the plank or pipe for melee and later on find a pistol, flare gun, and shotgun to take enemies head on. Though again, combat should still be avoided as enemies take multiple hits or shots and fighting will draw more enemies towards you. There are only a few different types in the game, but they must be taken with caution no matter how many times you encounter them.
Overall, Silent Hill: Townfall is another great entry in Konami’s horror franchise, and marks three years in a row they’ve brought something special to the franchise again. With a major focus on the actual survival aspect of the survival horror genre and featuring an intriguing story despite it may not having the most twists and revelations, Silent Hill: Townfall highlights what makes survival horror genre great and shows Konami is really showing care for the franchise.
Score: 8 out of 10
Reviewed on PlayStation 5
