The world of survival horror has become increasingly stacked over the past few years, what with the raging success of the Resident Evil franchise and, more recently, the return of Silent Hill. The latter is in a much more interesting position, as after the release of the Silent Hill 2 remake, it seems as though the Konami gas pedal is at the maximum, with two brand-new games in Silent Hill f and now Townfall launching in such a short period of time. However, though the development speed is great for horror fans like myself, I do think that rushing out titles can actually be detrimental to the long-term success of a series, particularly one as popular and well-loved as Silent Hill.
As great as our psychotic Japanese adventure was, myself and many other players had significant problems with the gameplay side of things, more specifically the combat and focus on action. A lot of the scarier elements were downplayed by the almost soulslike combat of Silent Hill f, and as a result, an otherwise incredible game that could have potentially set a new height for the IP felt significantly more frustrating than it needed to be. Turning our attention to Silent Hill: Townfall, I think the developers of this new game must learn from the criticisms that kept f from being considered a masterpiece. Both games represent experiments into uncharted waters, with Silent Hill f attempting to see how a melee-centric experience could play out within the Silent Hill universe, and Townfall looking to bring the franchise to a first-person perspective that it had previously overlooked. But, if the experimentation is to work, and if the devs want to keep the series’ near-perfect record going, then I would argue that now is the perfect time to show that they are willing to learn from their mistakes and stick to the roots of what made the fog-ridden horror icon so frightening in the first place.
Silent Hill: Townfall Should Focus On Horror, Not Action
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Survival horror is a two-sided coin that has to adhere to a few very basic principles. I would define the genre as focusing on tension and problem-solving, whilst also having a healthy dose of resource management and combat to supplement the narrative focus. In Silent Hill f, we saw many great elements, from the story to the world-building, but when I played through it for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel that things felt too game-like. If the goal is to scare, unsettle, and unnerve, then it is pretty hard to achieve those sensations when half your time is spent staring at four different meters and managing a backpack’s worth of consumables, and the other half is focused on timing deflects and smashing enemies into the ground over and over.
If Silent Hill f had followed the formula seen in the Silent Hill 2 remake, with a minimal HUD and a much greater emphasis on puzzles and exploration, then I think you could consider the two games to be on par in terms of quality and enjoyment. But as it stands, the action-heavy, melee combat in Silent Hill f actively works against the themes and concepts of the franchise and the wider genre, adding far more moments of irritation than suspense and fear. In the case of Silent Hill: Townfall, it is vital that the action be kept to a healthy amount that never takes center stage in the experience. From the trailers, we have seen plenty of puzzles and some pretty spooky-looking enemies, so we will be needing to fight our way through the island to make it out alive. However, even if we get to have our guns back, I still can’t help but feel a little bit concerned that fighting enemies is going to be more important than fighting your own willpower.
Part of what makes me believe the game will be more f than 2 is the wording used to describe the gameplay. The devs note that the combat is strategic and there is room for a good amount of choice, meaning you can either decide to sneak past enemies or take them on up-close. Also, adjectives like frenetic make me think that the fights are going to be a bit more chaotic and thus less controlled, yet you are still able to block and use multiple different weapons, both ranged and melee, to dictate the pace of each encounter. In a lot of ways, it sounds to me like a middle ground between the two most recent Silent Hill games, giving you a bit more agency in fights but not leaning all the way into the parries and perfectly timed deflects. Still, it is unclear just how much influence the previous games will have on it, or whether it will be able to stand on its own two feet and focus more on the horror fundamentals that many have come to love.
Silent Hill: Townfall’s First-Person Perspective Bodes Well for Horror
Ignoring the different setting and fresh-faced protagonist, the biggest change with Silent Hill: Townfall has to be the first-person perspective. No other game in the Silent Hill catalog has used a behind-the-eyes camera angle, with older entries either having fixed cameras or a third-person view that has since become a staple for the genre. This is perhaps the most important factor in deciding how Townfall will play and how it will be received, as all of a sudden, every environment and every encounter is going to feel a lot more intimate and immersive, two things that are already pretty great in the series thanks to the oppressive atmosphere and the eerie nature of the world around you. First-person also means that you can’t use any traditional third-person tricks, like peeping around corners or seeing things from behind, and so, assuming the combat is satisfying yet simple, I think there is a world where Townfall could become one of the best games in the franchise.
Another justification for that point comes from looking at the other top dog in the survival horror landscape. RE7 took a bold step in a new direction, replacing third-person and fixed cameras for an up-close perspective, whilst also cranking up the horror elements to eleven. As badly as that step could have been, in the end, it revived an otherwise dying franchise and ushered us into a new golden age that is still booming nearly a decade later. Now I’m not saying that Silent Hill is dying or in need of a big boost in sales, but I do think it is worth noting how important major changes like this are for the future of an IP. If the experiment pays off, then we could see a whole line of first-person Silent Hill games, each more terrifying than the last, but if it flops and somehow feels worse than Silent Hill f, then the devs may need to go back to the drawing board. Whatever the case, I am excited about Silent Hill: Townfall and super interested to see where the franchise goes next with this newfound trail of success.
Silent Hill: Townfall
- Released
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September 24, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Screen Burn
