In this GamesHarbour Silent Hill Townfall review, we look at how Silent Hill: Townfall holds up as a first-person psychological horror game, and how critics have received it. The series leaves its familiar streets behind for St. Amelia, a fog-covered Scottish island in 1996. Developed by Screen Burn Interactive and co-published by Konami and Annapurna Interactive, it follows Simon Ordell as he is pulled into a mystery of guilt, memory and the supernatural.
Townfall swaps the series’ usual setting for a remote coastal community, and it leans on exploration, stealth, puzzles, and limited combat. It is a very different Silent Hill on the surface, yet the psychological dread will feel familiar. So the question is simple: does the series need its original town to stay unsettling?
Silent Hill: Townfall at a Glance
Before getting into the story, gameplay and critic reception, here are the essential details of Silent Hill: Townfall, from who made it to when and where you can play it.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Developer | Screen Burn Interactive |
| Publishers | Konami and Annapurna Interactive |
| Genre | Psychological horror / survival horror |
| Perspective | First-person |
| Setting | St. Amelia, Scotland, 1996 |
| Platforms | PS5 and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store) |
| Release date | September 24, 2026 |
| Protagonist | Simon Ordell |
| Notable tool | CRTV pocket television |
Annapurna describes Townfall as a full-length, self-contained psychological horror game, so you don’t need to know earlier entries to follow it.
Silent Hill Townfall Story: Guilt Hangs Over St. Amelia
The Silent Hill Townfall story begins when Simon washes ashore on St. Amelia with no clear memory of how he got there. He has been called back to “put things right”, and he soon finds himself chasing a woman named Zoe who is always just out of reach.
Critics broadly agree that the setup is classic Silent Hill. Wccftech described the search for Zoe, the horrors that echo repressed trauma and the locals who speak in riddles as typical of the series, and Game Informer said that despite the new setting, there is no question this is a Silent Hill game. GamesRadar found the story, once it reveals itself, to be a distressing tale of remorse and penance, while TheSixthAxis liked that Townfall explains more of the mythology behind the fog and the Otherworld than earlier entries.
The emotional payoff is where opinions divide:
- ◆TechRadar: You wait a while for it, though the journey is intriguing.
- ◆Kotaku: An excellent setup is let down by thin character work.
- ◆Gfinity: The narrative fails to land its ending.
- ◆Wccftech: Never felt the personal connection to the protagonist that Silent Hill 2 creates.
- ◆GameOver.gr: Praised the characters as well written.
Townfall has five endings. Fan guides list three that are reachable on a standard playthrough and two joke endings tied to New Game Plus, and Wccftech notes the main endings depend on in-game stats such as kills and documents found rather than moral choices.
How Long Is Silent Hill: Townfall?
Reviewers report a fairly meaty campaign. Wccftech put it at a dozen hours or more, and GameSpot’s reviewer spent 14 hours on PC. Completion times vary between outlets, so expect roughly 12 hours or more, longer if a puzzle stalls you or you chase every ending.
Silent Hill Townfall Gameplay: Hide, Explore, Fight
The Silent Hill Townfall gameplay asks you to explore, evade and survive using a limited set of weapons and tools. Here is how the main pieces fit together:
| Gameplay element | How it works |
|---|---|
| Exploration | First-person investigation of a semi-open St. Amelia |
| Stealth | Sneaking past enemies, tracking them from cover or luring them away with distractions |
| Combat | Melee weapons and firearms, used sparingly |
| Puzzles | Story-driven puzzles that gate progress |
| CRTV | A pocket television tuned to unstable signals |
| Saving | Telephones, in keeping with the 1990s setting |
The CRTV is the standout tool. Konami describes it as a pocket television used to tune into unstable signals, and PC Gamer called it possibly the most creative, fun and useful puzzle-solving tool it has played with, despite its finicky controls. TechRadar noted that Zoe gets a pager instead, which is less effective because it doesn’t directly reveal enemy movements. Both gadgets, TechRadar added, ground Townfall in the real world.
Wccftech admitted Townfall doesn’t make a great first impression, but said it finds its rhythm after the first hour to 90 minutes.
Puzzles Keep the Weirdness Grounded
Push Square praised the authenticity of the puzzles, noting that Screen Burn hasn’t gated progress behind bizarre brain teasers. PC Gamer said lateral thinking helps, while Checkpoint called them challenging but well built and singled out a puzzle involving bags of blood as a favourite. Gfinity went further, calling the game a masterclass in environmental puzzle design.
Not everyone found them smooth. PC Gamer noted a few exceptions towards the very end of the game, though it suspected a fresh brain would have had far fewer issues.
If a puzzle stops you cold, puzzle difficulty includes a “Hinted” option that adds explanatory text to clues without changing any solutions.
Stealth and Combat: Townfall Wants You to Hide
Combat exists, but Townfall clearly prefers that you avoid it. Push Square noted that Simon is far less suited to fighting than James in the Silent Hill 2 remake or Hinako in Silent Hill f, so a large part of the combat is staying out of a monster’s way.
That makes stealth the game’s most divisive feature. Here is what critics said:
- ◆GamesRadar: Very stealth-heavy, with lots of hiding and ruthless punishment for being found. A couple of overly harsh back-to-back sections turn terrifying into a chore.
- ◆GameOver.gr: Pacing issues during stealth-heavy segments.
- ◆Gfinity: The stealth is trial and error.
- ◆Cultura Geek: The combat is frustrating enough to weaken exploration and story.
St. Amelia Is the Real Star
Atmosphere is where Townfall wins most consistently:
- ◆TechRadar: Called the art direction superb.
- ◆GamesRadar: Praised an impeccably crafted atmosphere.
- ◆GameOver.gr: Highlighted an excellent soundtrack and a beautifully realised, haunting fictional Scottish town.
The 1990s Scottish setting is a big part of why. Push Square described walking into the main square past local shops, telephone boxes and period decor, and TheSixthAxis said Townfall feels unmistakably British, noting how excited Scottish fans were to see their part of the world in Silent Hill. PC Gamer even ran features on how Scottish the game is and how unsettling British interior design can be.
The Monsters Are More Uneven
Creature design is a weaker area. TechRadar called the monster designs forgettable, and GameOver.gr flagged limited enemy variety. When the monsters land, though, they are memorable: PC Gamer described faceless creatures that shoot needles from their abdomens, and TechRadar noticed medical themes and imagery playing a larger role in Townfall than in earlier entries.
Does First-Person Work for Silent Hill?
Mostly, yes. Game Informer noted that Townfall is the first time the franchise has fully embraced the first-person perspective, and Wccftech said it works quite well for the series. Limited awareness makes hiding tense and encounters more intimate, and it suits a game built around a handheld device you have to look through. Push Square summed up the result as roughly the Silent Hill 2 remake trimmed by about a third, set in Scotland and played in first person.
What Critics Are Saying About Silent Hill: Townfall
Critics have largely welcomed Townfall, with atmosphere earning the most praise and stealth drawing the most complaints. The table below breaks down where eight major outlets landed, including scores where one was published and the main strength and weakness each reviewer highlighted.
| Source | Score | Main praise | Main criticism |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC Gamer | n/a | CRTV, puzzles, world building | A few late-game puzzle issues |
| GamesRadar+ | n/a | Atmosphere, real fear, distressing story | Stealth-heavy design, harsh sections |
| TechRadar | 80 | Art direction, varied puzzles and environments | Forgettable monsters, stiff facial animation, slow emotional payoff |
| Game Informer | 8.25/10 | First-person presentation, story balance | n/a |
| Kotaku | n/a | Atmosphere, strong setup | Thin character work |
| Push Square | n/a | 1990s Scottish setting, grounded puzzles | Combat mostly about avoidance |
| Gfinity | 70 | Atmosphere, environmental puzzle design | Trial-and-error stealth, weak story landing |
| GameOver.gr | 80 | Characters, story, soundtrack, setting | Enemy variety, pacing |
On Metacritic, Townfall is rated Generally Favorable:
- ◆PS5: Metascore of 81 from 75 critic reviews (59 positive, 16 mixed, none negative)
- ◆PC: Metascore of 81 from 32 critic reviews
- ◆Users: A mixed 7.3 from 391 ratings
These figures were accurate as of September 29, 2026.
The Good and the Bad
Pulling the critic feedback together, Townfall’s strengths are concentrated in its setting, atmosphere and puzzle design, while its weaknesses centre on stealth, enemy variety and how satisfying the story feels in the end. Here is how the two sides compare.
- ✓Atmosphere: St. Amelia’s fog, art direction and soundtrack are widely praised.
- ✓Setting: The 1990s Scottish location feels distinct within the series.
- ✓CRTV: A creative tool that adds information without removing uncertainty.
- ✓Puzzles: Grounded, environmental and mostly well built.
- ✓First-person view: Makes exploration and encounters feel more intimate.
- ✕Stealth: Hiding sections can feel repetitive or punishing.
- ✕Enemy variety: Repeat encounters reduce the tension.
- ✕Monsters: Some designs are forgettable.
- ✕Late puzzles: A few are more obscure than satisfying.
- ✕Characters and payoff: Some critics found the emotional payoff slow or thin.
Verdict: Is Silent Hill: Townfall Really Silent Hill?
Townfall doesn’t need the original town to feel like Silent Hill. Its fog, its trauma-driven mystery, and its uncomfortable puzzles all carry the series’ identity, and critics have mostly agreed, giving it a Generally Favorable Metacritic rating.
It is not flawless. Stealth can drag, monster variety is limited, and the emotional payoff will not land for everyone. But as this Silent Hill Townfall review shows, the new setting and first-person view give the series a fresh identity without abandoning what made it memorable.
