Silent Hill: Townfall gameplay is a one-way trip to horror

Silent Hill: Townfall has decided that waiting politely in the shadows is overrated. Konami has unleashed almost 20 minutes of fresh gameplay in a new video, giving us a much better look at the upcoming psychological horror game. Unsurprisingly, things go from “hmm, this place feels weird” to “WHY IS THAT THING LOOKING AT ME?” remarkably quickly.

Welcome to St. Amelia

The new footage follows Simon Ordell as he explores St. Amelia, a remote Scottish fishing village that looks like it desperately needs a tourism campaign. Simon arrives after receiving a mysterious message from Zoe Ellis, a nurse he apparently has no memory of knowing. Naturally, instead of ignoring the message like any sensible human being, he decides to investigate. This is Silent Hill, after all. Sensible decisions are apparently not part of the package.

Silent Hill: Townfall immediately establishes that exploration will be just as important as surviving monsters. Simon searches abandoned buildings, examines objects and solves environmental puzzles while gradually uncovering the mystery surrounding the village. One particularly creepy discovery involves a photograph of Simon inside Zoe's home. He doesn't remember her, yet somehow she has a picture of him. Because apparently existential dread wasn't enough, we also need a side order of “Who took this photo?”

A major new gameplay feature introduced in the game is the CRTV, a strange portable device that plays a role similar to Silent Hill's iconic radio. Simon can tune it to different frequencies to reveal information, detect threats and interact with the world around him. It isn't simply a fancy horror-themed television, either. Players are expected to experiment with frequencies and pay attention to what the device is telling them, making it an important part of both exploration and survival.

The footage also shows several puzzles, including one involving the electricity supply and another connected to an organ donation box. These sequences reinforce the idea that Silent Hill: Townfall wants players to actually investigate their surroundings rather than simply follow a glowing waypoint from A to B. There are clues hidden in rooms, objects and documents, and figuring out how they fit together appears to be a big part of the experience.

Then comes the inevitable moment when Silent Hill: Townfall remembers that it is, in fact, a horror game.

Simon encounters one of the game's grotesque creatures, and the encounter demonstrates a combat system that looks deliberately uncomfortable. Weapons are available, but Silent Hill: Townfall doesn't appear interested in turning Simon into a one-man monster extermination service. Your options are limited, enemies are dangerous; and avoiding a fight can often be the smarter option. Stealth, therefore, could play a significant role in the game. Simon can hide, sneak around enemies and use the CRTV to help understand where threats are lurking. That's a promising approach for a series built around helplessness and psychological tension.

Regarding the scenario, the game's Otherworld is perhaps the biggest visual surprise in the footage. Instead of simply recycling the familiar rusty corridors and industrial nightmare aesthetic, Silent Hill: Townfall introduces a bizarre red-tinted alternate reality filled with disturbing organic structures and horrifying creatures. It looks less like a place and more like reality itself has suffered a catastrophic software update.

The first-person perspective also changes the flavour of Silent Hill considerably. Instead of watching Simon navigate the nightmare from behind his shoulder, players are effectively trapped inside his head. Every dark hallway, suspicious noise and unfortunate monster encounter becomes considerably more personal. When something horrible emerges from the darkness, there is nowhere to hide.

The gameplay looks promising, but the game's reliance on exploration, puzzles and stealth means variety will be crucial. If the developers can keep players guessing and constantly introduce new ways to interact with St. Amelia, Silent Hill: Townfall could become a fascinating new branch of the Silent Hill family tree. Thankfully, the wait is almost over. Silent Hill: Townfall is scheduled to launch on September 24, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and you can get Silent Hill: Townfall at the cheapest price with our comparator already. Even better, Konami isn't finished showing it off yet, with another trailer expected during Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25.

After the Silent Hill 2 remake and Silent Hill f showed that the franchise can successfully explore different directions, Silent Hill: Townfall looks ready to bring more novelties to the series. First-person gameplay, a Scottish setting, mysterious technology, bizarre puzzles and monsters that look like they escaped from someone's worst nightmare?  Yep. We're going back to Silent Hill. Just make sure to check out the system requirements for the game if you intend to play on PC.