Silent Hill: Townfall earns praise for Scottish setting and tense stealth
Reviews are in for Silent Hill: Townfall, the latest spin-off in Konami's horror franchise, and critics largely agree the Scottish setting and tense gameplay are a hit. The game is out now.
According to IGN, the story follows an American man named Simon Ordell who washes ashore in the abandoned Scottish village of St. Amelia in 1996. He must sneak past sound-sensitive monsters using a motion-sensing gadget called a CRTV, which replaces the series' classic radio. VGC notes the Scottish setting is "stunningly authentic," packed with period-specific details like floppy disk boxes and local posters.
Eurogamer reports the game is played entirely from a first-person perspective, a shift from the series' usual third-person view, which amplifies the sense of dread. Combat is de-emphasized in favor of slow-paced stealth. Players can use thrown objects to distract enemies, but melee weapons are sluggish and guns are a loud, last-resort option.
The outlets highlight the game's thematic shift. Per Eurogamer, Townfall explores themes of corporate greed and environmental mismanagement, using the horror to frame a story about worker exploitation and community decay in a fading industrial town.
However, VGC points out a significant drawback, calling some of the stealth sections "infuriating" and frustrating enough to spoil the experience. The review states that sections where the CRTV is swapped for a less effective pager device are particularly problematic.
IGN praised the game's 13-hour story, calling its puzzles "tremendously satisfying" and its visual metaphors disturbing. Screen Burn Games, the Scottish developer behind Townfall, previously created Observation and Stories Untold.
