Developer: Screen Burn
Publisher: Konami, Annapurna Interactive
Reviewed On: PS5
Available On: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: September 24, 2026
Review Copy Provided By: Konami
When you’re introducing some big changes into a beloved franchise, you always run the risk of alienating the fans. From third person to first person, from action to stealth, from America to Scotland, Silent Hill: Townfall literally gives you a different perspective of the game you already love.
Silent Hill is a franchise that has had its ups and downs. This franchise has always been published by Konami, but has been in the hands of many developers. This time, a game development team called Screen Burn Interactive (formerly known as No Code) is the creative mind behind Townfall. I haven’t played any of their titles before, so I was a bit skeptical about how the game would turn out.
As part of Konami’s plan to release at least one Silent Hill per year, they’re giving a chance to different developers to experiment with the franchise. If you’re questioning why recent Silent Hill entries are so different from each other, this is why.
While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Silent Hill from a first-person perspective, Townfall is the first full-length entry that entirely puts you into this perspective. Will Screen Burn Interactive be able to pull off a legendary entry to the Silent Hill franchise?
Screen Burn Interactive has some intriguing ideas. That’s my first thought when I started a new game. For one, the default settings give you a letterbox, making the experience feel more cinematic. Though you can disable this in the options, which I opted to do in order to get better screenshots for this review piece.
It seems that some of the leading minds behind Screen Burn Interactive also worked on Alien: Isolation. To those who played that game, you can definitely see some influence here. Namely in the CRT mechanic, which allows some pretty creative ways for the developers to implement puzzles, tell you where you need to go, and help you detect the location of threats.
As previously mentioned, this is no longer in Silent Hill despite being called Silent Hill. It has everything Silent Hill but it essentially takes place in Scotland. This time taking place in a fictional port town called St. Amelia.
You play as Simon. A man who wakes up on shore with no idea how he got there. He has an IV drip and suffers from headaches. Unlike James or Hinako, Simon is a bit more expressive. He’ll occasionally comment on his surroundings and express fear about what’s going on.
While in gameplay, you’re forced into a first-person perspective cut scenes takes place mostly in third-person cinematic. It’s a bit of a contrast, but nothing that really takes me out of being immersed. It allows you to insert yourself into the characters while still giving them a personality rather than being just a shell.
For those who have gotten a bit used to a more action-focused Silent Hill, Townfall takes a few steps back from combat for a more stealth-based focus.
Thankfully, my worst fears didn’t come to pass. Silent Hill: Townfall isn’t just a run-and-hide game, which I absolutely loathe. You can take out enemies for good, but combat should be saved as an absolute last resort.
Compared to Silent Hill f, Townfall is more stealth-focused. Mechanics center around hiding rather than fighting. Weapons can break, and they break easily after one or two enemies. Bullets are exceptionally rare, and guns are loud enough to attract even more threats. Enemies are also tough and hit hard. Even on normal difficulty, they can take you out in four hits or less and run slightly faster than you, so don’t think you can just jog past them.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t hit back when you really have to, but you need to be strategic with your resources. Simon can find 2x4s around St. Amelia, but they’re also rare. You also cannot pick up more than one, so don’t even think about stockpiling on it for later. You are able to exchange your current weapon for another that’s in better condition.
If enemies aren’t getting out of the way, you can pick up a glass or brick and throw it to attract attention. Alternatively, you can also hit them with it to momentarily stun them, giving you a window to get past, escape, or put them down. Direct confrontation should always be saved as a last resort.
Boy, does Silent Hill: Townfall look gorgeous. St. Amelia is hypnotically interesting to explore. I wondered why there were so many alleyways and oddly placed objects in the way. It turns out that you’re going to need those in case you have to run away to break line of sight from whatever is chasing you.
Breaking line of sight isn’t as easy as you might think. Enemies in the game are persistent, following you from one part of the town into another with seemingly few limits. You’re encouraged to not run in a straight line as enemies have a charging attack they can hit you while your back is turned.
When you do break line of sight, you have the option to hide in closets or storage rooms until the threats go away. It becomes more about learning their patrol patterns and plotting around them. Townfall even gives you additional mechanics for looking around corners. By pressing and holding R1, if you’re playing on the PlayStation 5, you can use the movement button to lean into any direction you want. This will allow you to check corners where enemies could possibly be. You can even use this to make yourself smaller to hide in corners more effectively.
Questionably, Townfall doesn’t have a quick turn option. I can’t just quickly turn around if I’m spotted and make a run for it. While turning 180 degrees isn’t slow, it does leave me a small split second of vulnerability.
I really like the trade-off in combat in Townfall. It isn’t too action oriented that enemies need not be something to fear, but combat isn’t entirely out of the question should you find yourself cornered. However, avoiding combat is always the best solution if you can do it.
Screen Burn Interactive really wanted to play around with how much they can innovate the Silent Hill formula. Introducing an entirely new mechanic to replace the radio, Simon possesses a pocket-sized CRT TV, which is a crucial item to the game.
This pocket-sized CRT TV can be taken out of your inventory at any time by pressing the L1 button. You’ll be able to check for available frequencies. Some of these frequencies tell you where you need to go by providing contextual clues and even provide hints on how to solve puzzles.
However, this CRT TV is also the radio equivalent of previous Silent Hill games. When you have it on, you’re able to see if there are any nearby enemies. You’ll be able to tell which direction they’re from, and if near enough, you’ll be able to clearly see them through walls, helping you survive.
This may seem like an overpowered mechanic on concept, but it’s far from that. The catch is that you’re only able to check the location of one enemy at a time. If there are multiple, you’ll have to switch frequencies to get a better read on them.
Enemies in this game are also very susceptible to sound. So sprinting past them is a risk even if you know they’re not looking in your direction. However, even without the CRT TV, you’ll be able to tell if there are threats nearby because the change in music is your audio clue that you’re not alone. The music will also become more intense if you’re spotted.
If I have to describe Townfall, I’d say the experience is intense. Granted, this isn’t the scariest Silent Hill I’ve ever played, but it’s certainly up there at least in terms of how intense it can be. Being placed into the first-person perspective forces you to be up close and personal with the horrors.
Like in the previous games, Townfall has its own version of the Otherworld. However, it isn’t the decaying, rusted metal that veterans are familiar with. Instead, the fog turns a blood red, almost like a flare was shot up from the sky. The town of St. Amelia, as you know it, starts blocking off familiar pathways, forcing you to take routes you haven’t gone to yet.
Enemy designs reflect the game’s themes. They aren’t the most creative, in my opinion. But they do look like corpses straight out of the morgue. They aren’t the most unique design, but they do. There’s no benefit to taking them out, as they don’t drop anything and only consume precious resources.
St. Amelia isn’t an open world, but you are able to explore to a certain extent. Exploration is rewarded for those seeking at every nook and cranny because resources in this game is scarce. You’re able to find consumables and even combine them from your inventory to make them more useful.
It wouldn’t be a Silent Hill game without puzzles. A few Silent Hill games provide the option for different levels of puzzle difficulty. Though in Townfall, it isn’t really a difficulty adjustment so much as choosing whether the game will give you a hint on how to solve them. On my playthrough, I had hints turned on, though it didn’t really help much because all it seemingly does is turn some of the key words red.
Puzzles are challenging, but they’re creative, making more use of looking at the environment to understand the solution. Your pocket-sized CRT TV can even give you context as to where the clues you’re looking for are.
I did have some issues personally while playing Silent Hill: Townfall. Looking at the CRT TV for too long made my eyes hurt. The flashes of different images cannot be slowed down or played under your control. So you’ll have to wait until it loops back to the beginning or switch to a different frequency and switch back to watch it from the start if you missed something.
For veterans of older Silent Hill games, Townfall offers a new experience that perhaps isn’t completely in line with what you may come to expect. Even in the previous full-length releases, stealth wasn’t really a focus as neither James nor Hinako had any mechanics that allowed them to sneak past threats.
I’m giving Silent Hill: Townfall a strong recommendation. It’s something refreshing and innovative, but without changing the core themes of what makes a Silent Hill game.
Silent Hill: Townfall (PS5)
Townfall offers a new experience that perhaps isn't completely in line with what you may come to expect. Even in the previous full-length releases, stealth wasn't really a focus as neither James nor Hinako had any mechanics that allowed them to sneak past threats. I'm giving Silent Hill: Townfall a strong recommendation. It's something refreshing and innovative, but without changing the core themes of what makes a Silent Hill game.
The Good
- Challenging Puzzles
- Interesting and Intruiging story
- Incredibly Immersive Experience
- Town Feels Great to Explore
