PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews

The best parts of Alien Isolation and Resident Evil's first-person entries have merged with Silent Hill's rusty and foggy DNA to create an original nightmarish take on the series. Silent Hill: Townfall is a breath of fresh air for the genre and a must-play for horror fans.

Silent Hill: Townfall pushes the series’ modern revival to new heights with a gripping, unpredictable narrative, terrifying first-person atmosphere, inventive puzzles, and tense survival horror combat. Despite a few uneven moments in its resource balancing, Townfall confidently reimagines what a Silent Hill game can be while remaining faithful to the franchise’s psychological horror roots.

The best instalment since the opening trilogy, Silent Hill: Townfall’s shift to first-person and evocative Scottish setting make for the creepiest and most involving experience of the franchise’s reboot era. By merging the unsettling aesthetic of Silent Hill with the stealth-and-hide tension of Alien: Isolation, and placing it in the realm of retro folk horror, Screen Burn have crafted one of gaming’s most edge-of-your-seat experiences.

Silent Hill: Townfall is a stunning spin-off for the series, taking to a new setting and telling its own unique story, expanding your ideas of what exactly a Silent Hill experience can be. With a semi-open world littered with tense corners to explore, creative puzzles to unravel and heaps of analogue nostalgia – Townfall never outstays its welcome, and we are so ready to dive in again.

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.

Silent Hill: Townfall is the most atmospheric and frightening survival horror game the series has delivered in years. It feels different from any other game that I’ve ever played, in fact.

Silent Hill: Townfall is not only an amazing horror game, but it’s also a fantastic Silent Hill game. While the new focus on stealth over combat may not satisfy all fans of the franchise, those looking for a highly engrossing horror experience will find plenty to love here.

Konami's bold choices regarding Silent Hill: Townfall turn out to be anything but regrettable. With developer Screen Burn taking at the helm, Townfall enters the Silent Hill universe as a profound first-person experience, tapping into the psychological aftermath of regret, in all its shapes and sizes. Only the obscurity of some puzzles and occasional performance issues withhold Townfall from perfection, and that's a claim I won't regret making.

Silent Hill: Townfall is yet another unique and brilliant entry in the Silent Hill series, placing more emphasis on stealth and puzzle solving. It's the story at the heart of the game that's its biggest asset, though, keeping you wondering what exactly happened in the picturesque town of St. Amelia.

Silent Hill: Townfall offers up one of the most tense and compelling survival horror experiences in recent years, as long as you're willing to meet it on its own terms.