Silent Hill: Townfall changes everything about the series

The fog is back, the monsters are still having a terrible day, and somebody is once again making questionable decisions in a place they absolutely should not be. But this time, there is a twist: Silent Hill: Townfall doesn't actually take place in Silent Hill. Konami's latest psychological horror adventure is taking the series somewhere considerably colder, stranger, and more Scottish.

Developed by Screen Burn Interactive, Silent Hill: Townfall moves the action to St. Amelia, an isolated coastal town in Scotland during the 1990s. It is a radical change of scenery for a franchise that has spent decades making abandoned American streets synonymous with psychological torment. Rather than simply rebuilding the familiar town yet again, the developers are using the idea of Silent Hill as something broader: a phenomenon that can manifest far beyond its namesake location. And yes, there is plenty of fog. Konami apparently wasn't prepared to give that particular tradition up.

Silent Hill without Silent Hill

Silent Hill: Townfall brings significant changes to the franchise and the biggest one becomes obvious as soon as you start moving: the game is played entirely from a first-person perspective. That puts it in very different territory from most previous titles in the series, including the recent Silent Hill 2 remake. First-person horror changes how players perceive danger. There is no protagonist visible on screen to create a little psychological distance, and the restricted field of view means that whatever is lurking just outside your vision can remain a problem until it decides to introduce itself.

The developers are leaning heavily into this vulnerability. Sound becomes particularly important, with enemies capable of existing beyond what players can immediately see. Instead of calmly checking the room from a third-person camera, you may have to listen, peek around a corner, and decide whether that suspicious noise is worth investigating.

For fans who enjoy Silent Hill primarily for its oppressive atmosphere and psychological horror, first-person gameplay could make the experience even more intimate. However, players who consider the traditional third-person perspective part of the series' identity may find the transition considerably more jarring.

Moving to Scotland is another enormous gamble. St. Amelia isn't simply a renamed Silent Hill. It is a fictional Scottish fishing town inspired by real coastal communities, with the developers using extensive photography and research to make its architecture and surroundings feel authentic. The result is a setting that swaps the familiar American decay of previous games for something much more windswept and isolated. This also allows Silent Hill: Townfall to develop its own visual identity. Instead of relying on abandoned hospitals, schools and apartment blocks that fans have explored countless times, the game introduces fishing infrastructure, coastal buildings, narrow streets and locations shaped by the town's history. It may sound like a small distinction, but it changes the atmosphere considerably. Silent Hill traditionally feels like a town that has been abandoned by the world. St. Amelia feels more like a place that the world forgot existed in the first place.

Forget the Radio. Bring the CRTV.

One of the strangest additions is also one of the most promising: the CRTV. Classic Silent Hill fans will immediately think of the radio whenever the subject of creepy electronic devices comes up. The static from the original games became one of the franchise's most recognisable warning signals. Silent Hill: Townfall takes that concept and puts it through a very 1990s television-shaped blender.

The portable CRT television isn't just decoration. Players can use it to tune into different signals, discover information, solve puzzles, and identify threats hidden within the environment. It is effectively a combination of investigation tool, supernatural technology and extremely inconvenient portable television. Even better, the CRTV is connected directly to the story and the history of St. Amelia. Its signals can reveal fragments about the characters and events surrounding the town, meaning that players aren't simply watching creepy images for atmosphere. They are actively using the television to piece together what is happening.

Running away is back on the menu

If you were hoping to solve every problem by hitting it with a rusty pipe, Silent Hill: Townfall has some bad news for you. Combat exists, but it isn't necessarily the star of the show. Simon Ordell initially has access to improvised weapons, while firearms are limited by ammunition and other practical restrictions. Weapons can also degrade, making the traditional survival-horror dilemma of "fight or flee?" considerably more important. Stealth therefore plays a much bigger role than it has in many previous Silent Hill adventures. Simon can hide, peek around corners, use environmental objects to distract enemies, and carefully choose when to engage. The CRTV can even help with this process by revealing threats that might otherwise remain hidden.

This is a meaningful shift in philosophy. Instead of entering a room and immediately asking, "How do I kill that thing?", Silent Hill: Townfall wants players to consider whether they should be anywhere near that thing at all. A refreshing concept, particularly when the thing in question looks like it was assembled from several nightmares and an industrial accident.

You to do the detective work

Despite all these changes, Silent Hill: Townfall retains one of the serie's most important featuress: the environment doesn't tell you everything outright. Simon arrives in St. Amelia and becomes entangled in a disturbing mystery involving the town, its inhabitants and the disappearance of Zoe. Information is scattered through objects, recordings, environmental details and the strange broadcasts received through the CRTV. That approach should feel immediately familiar to veteran players. The setting isn't simply a backdrop for monster encounters. It is effectively one enormous puzzle box.

The 1990s setting also helps here. Without smartphones, GPS and instant internet access, players can't simply pull out a phone and Google their way through a mystery. Communication is more limited, information is harder to obtain, and technology itself can become a source of uncertainty. In other words, the developers have found a perfectly legitimate reason to make players suffer through old television technology again.

What will fans makeof it?

This is where things get interesting. Silent Hill: Townfall is changing several elements that fans traditionally associate with the series at the same time. It has a new location, a new perspective, a stronger stealth component, a different approach to combat, and an unusual new gameplay device replacing the familiar radio. That is a lot of change for one game.

The first-person perspective is likely to be one of the biggest discussion points. It could make the horror more immediate and claustrophobic, but it also removes some of the visual language that has defined Silent Hill for years. The same applies to stealth: players who enjoy the series for its deliberate exploration and unsettling combat may appreciate the added vulnerability, while others may prefer the more familiar survival-horror rhythm. But perhaps that uncertainty is exactly what Silent Hill: Townfall needs. Honestly, a Silent Hill game making everyone slightly uncomfortable with what it is doing sounds about right.

Silent Hill: Townfall is scheduled to launch on September 24, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and PC. The fog may have crossed the Atlantic, but judging by what St. Amelia is hiding, it certainly didn't leave the nightmares behind. Make sure to use our comparator to buy Silent Hill: Townfall at the best price, and check out the system requirements if you are playing on PC.