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In the latest chapter, Silent Hill once again expands from its small resort down setting to something more international. With gameplay that caters to stealth-based mechanics, a story that comes together slowly and focuses less on the supernatural origins of the franchise, and puzzles that feel more like following It instruction manuals then creepy, the game doesn’t do a lot to make itself standout against the other games in the franchise.
The plot and pacing in the game have some issues. While it’s normal for Silent Hill games to have some mystery to them that unfolds as you play, this game just drops you into it and leaves you kind of wondering around. You’re not looking for a lost loved one or being forced a spooky dilemma, you are loosely guided from point A to point be without much more than the vaguest narrative. And when the twists are finally revealed, it’s all kind of mundane, and all the paranormal aspects are glossed over. (Even shifting focus to other characters gives much insight to the events in the game, so you’re really only invested in the characters because you’re forced to see things through their eyes.)
Going in almost the completely opposite of the last Silent Hill game, the combat-focused “Silent Hill f,” “Townfall” prefers that you sneak your way through the game and rarely forces you into fighting. To make this happen, ammo is very scarce and so are melee weapons. And the ones you do get break pretty quickly. Instead, you are given lots of fences to duck behind and closets to hide in. Also helping you out is the radar-like portable TV you’re given and the ability to cause diversions by throwing objects. However, this feels limited fairly quickly. Many other games with stealth elements give you much more variety in how to remain undetected, but here you’re stuck with mostly throwing bricks and bottles and waiting to the monsters run to investigate. The game also ramps up the tension by making you play in a first-person perspective, which means you can only see what’s right in front of you and you’re never sure exactly where danger might be.
As far as puzzles go, they mostly feel original and fresh to the franchise. However, while I originally liked the more realistic puzzles that felt kind of like escape room challenges, repairing floppy disks and organizing slides for a presentation feel more like tedious day-to-day tasks instead of the creepy puzzles that are the norm for this franchise. (Although there are still a few that do feel like the classic Silent Hill disturbing brain teasers.)
“Silent Hill: Townfall” is a decent enough addition, especially for those who love a good stealth-based adventure. While the setting and monsters are sufficiently creepy enough, the slow narrative reveals of a more mundane chain of events that set this game in motion, leaving you feeling like the journey was only interesting to the characters and not the one audience. This is a New Game+ with a couple additions that may make things easier, especially for people who rather take down their enemies instead of sneaking past them. (The bad news is that this makes it harder to get the “good” endings.)
** out of *****