From PCMAG · Zackery Cuevas · · 2m
Silent Hill: Townfall Stumped Me for Hours
Silent Hill: Townfall's first-person puzzles and foggy Scottish town leave players stumped but bored by slow stealth.
In brief
Silent Hill: Townfall's first-person puzzles and foggy Scottish town leave players stumped but bored by slow stealth. Townfall's atmospheric puzzles and retro tech feel strong, but clunky combat and weak story make it unengaging. Originally reported by PCMAG.
Silent Hill: Townfall
The new Silent Hill game features a first-person perspective, retro tech, and a Scottish town set in 1996.
“Townfall features a new location, new gameplay mechanics, and a shift to first person, something the series has flirted with in both the infamous Silent Hills demo (also known as P.T.) and the much maligned, free-to-play Silent Hill: The Short Message, but hasn't utilized in a full retail release until now.”
St. Amelia Setting
Simon Ordell, the first Black protagonist, explores a foggy Scottish town sealed by concrete walls in 1996.
“Taking a note from Silent Hill f, Townfall moves the titular town to a new setting and time period, this time set in the fictional Scottish town of St. Amelia in 1996.”
First-Person Puzzles
Players solve retro tech puzzles using floppy disks and dial-up connections to navigate the town.
“Puzzles are built around inserting a floppy disk into separate disk drives, and navigating the chunky chassis of '90s-era hardware did coax a sense of nostalgia as well as dread as you wait for email inboxes to refresh over dial-up connections.”
The Pocket TV
A pocket-sized TV shows landmarks and warns of threats, guiding players through the foggy town.
“Early in the game, Simon discovers a pocket-sized TV. This device not only warns you of incoming threats but also gently nudges you in the right direction by showing a garbled feed of landmarks.”
Slow-Moving Stealth
Enemies move slowly, making stealth encounters tedious and often requiring waiting for monsters to turn around.
“The slow-moving enemies typically follow predetermined paths, which means most encounters are a game of patience. Wait for the monster to turn around, or chuck a brick or bottle to make a noise and lure it away.”
Clunky Combat
Combat uses a hit-hit-block mechanic that feels unrefined, with enemies grabbing players and causing instant death.
“Armed with a plank of wood or a lead pipe, you engage in an almost Simon Says routine of 'hit-hit-block' until you kill the enemy or your weapon breaks.”
Weak Story
Simon's story lacks emotional depth, with minimal character development and a focus on the town's disaster rather than personal guilt.
“Townfall feels impersonal. Simon is a total outsider to St. Amelia, and we never get a good idea of who Simon is.”
Retro Tech
The game uses 1990s-era hardware, with dial-up connections and floppy disks for puzzle-solving.
“Puzzles are built around inserting a floppy disk into separate disk drives, and navigating the chunky chassis of '90s-era hardware did coax a sense of nostalgia as well as dread as you wait for email inboxes to refresh over dial-up connections.”
First-Person Dread
The game's cinematic feel and first-person perspective create a sense of dread in the foggy town.
“The abandoned seaside town, sealed off by tall concrete walls that disappear into the sky, the thick rolling fog, and inhuman squelches coming from creatures still unseen, all set an unsettling scene.”
Story Pacing
The story unfolds slowly, with minimal character development and a lack of emotional stakes.
“Townfall's pacing falls flat. The atmosphere is rich, but the story unfolds at a pace that's just as unsatisfyingly slow as its stealth gameplay.”
Experimentation
The game experiments with first-person perspective and retro tech but fails to create a compelling story.
“It's hard for any game or movie to be so clever every time, but what sets Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill f apart from f is that both managed to get me to care about my character's story.”
The Weight
A creature called The Weight grabs players and causes instant death if not avoided.
“The worst encounter was with a creature called The Weight, which results in instant death if it grabs you.”
Multiple Protagonists
The game switches between Simon, Zoey, a nurse, and a mysterious man named Richard, but lacks deep character connections.
“The game switches between Simon, Zoey Ellis, a local nurse, and a mysterious man named Richard, all of whom are connected to a man-made disaster that caused the small town to fall apart.”
Puzzle Solving
Players solve medical puzzles by measuring dosages and searching through records.
“Another one had me performing surgery, but also measuring correct dosages by searching through medical records.”
Atmosphere vs. Story
The game has strong atmosphere but weak emotional stakes, making it hard to care about the story.
“Townfall's atmosphere is rich, but the story unfolds at a pace that's just as unsatisfyingly slow as its stealth gameplay.”
Silent Hill 2 Remake
The Silent Hill 2 remake brought the series back from the dead, but Townfall is a different experiment.
“The terrific Silent Hill 2 remake brought the series back from the dead, but the equally good yet very different Silent Hill f proved it could experiment, evolve, and expand the idea of what a Silent Hill game could be.”
The short version
Townfall's atmospheric puzzles and retro tech feel strong, but clunky combat and weak story make it unengaging.
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