Silent Hill: Townfall

Standalone entry is developed by Screen Burn (formerly No Code).

Warning. Major spoilers.

Summary

In 1996, Simon Ordell emerges from the harbour of fictional Scottish island St. Amelia, with a hospital ID bracelet on one wrist, and IV drip still stuck in his other hand. 

The town is seemingly deserted, basked in ominous fog, but not at rest.

Seeking to 'put things right', Simon confronts fragments of the past and uncovers a horrifying truth that refuses to stay submerged.

Miscellany

The first mainline entry entirely in first-person probably pays tribute to P.T.

Easy to forget, but psychotherapy sessions in Shattered Memories were also FPS.

Room 204 was a location on the second floor of the Lakeview Hotel in SH 2 (OG and 2024 remake).  We get another here, at the Haldane Hotel.

As writer-director Jon McKellan was heavily involved in the critically acclaimed Alien: Isolation, it's no surprise that run-and-hide mechanics are lifted straight from deep space.

Simon's CRTV acts like a motion tracker, but unlike Amanda's device, portable television also provides clues to solve puzzles.

Occasionally, we interact with VHF transmissions and fine tuning signals by tilting the controller aligns RGB channels until calibrated.

Using public payphones and landlines allow us to manually dial numbers, with new contacts added as story progresses.

However, the number you'll ring most is 100, to "Save Yourself".

Other technology utilised include computers with dial-up modems, green screen monitors and portable disc drives.

Melee weapons such as planks and metal pipes degrade and break through attacking and blocking, so intentionally designed to be a last resort.

Because of shallow combat system, I found myself hauling ass to the next area to bypass monsters altogether.

Firearms (revolver, shotgun and flare gun) become essential later, but noise attracts unwanted attention.

Straight out of The Last of Us, bricks and bottles are thrown to draw enemies away from their position.

Cut it out and give it back

Story spans six Parts, shared between Simon, Zoe and Richard.

1. Arrival

2. Zoe

3. The Patient

4. Clara Woods

5. Richard

6. Simon

This is a great looking game, fully capturing the bleak atmosphere of universe.

From St. Amelia, to Medical Centre and C.E.G building - environments rock and ominously roll.

When danger is nearby, a crimson haze envelops area, and alternative versions are dubbed a 'different place'.

Besiary is unfortunately limited: Lungers, Sorrowful, Fallen and Widows.

A set of Tentacles moving in the sky is purely for spectacle, but The Weight plays a far more significant role.

More soon.

My favourite section was Clara Woods, as there's plenty of interesting things to see and do.

Your ultimate goal here is to find three mechanical parts hidden inside lockers to construct a device that opens the Strange Gate.

Principle is the same as Leon finding bomb parts to blow Raccoon City's gate in Resident Evil: Requiem.

Okay, here's the big reveal.

S.W.D.P. stands for the Southwell Drilling Platform, an offshore oil rig operated by the Chapman Energy Group (CEG).

Corrupt CEO Richard Shaw chose to ignore a faulty remote control unit, as fixing it would take the facility offline for weeks, costing him millions.  Greedy bastard's neglect led to a catastrophic explosion that killed 96 people.  Third-party safety inspector Simon was present during the tragedy and ended up being the sole survivor.

When townsfolk turned against the CEG, Richard promised Simon life-saving heart surgery, in return for him providing a false testimony to absolve the CEG.

Our grief is their failure

Before going any further, I did have a good time, but...

Controls are responsive, but you can't quick turn, slowing things down.

Also, there's virtually zero recovery time when grabbed by an enemy, and scarpering doesn't always work.

Avoiding The Weight (a representation of Simon's guilt) at fixed intervals became tedious, as did invincible bastard instantly killing me.

Script is nearly as hollow as the expressions worn by boring characters.

Franchise is known for iconic bosses, but we only fight The Weight at the end, who is defeated by removing three drip stands embedded inside body.

Most puzzles make sense, but Blood Transfusion Door, X-ray procedure and operating the SWDP Control Panel are painfully frustrating.

Worst of all though is opening valves in the AUX room - which I absolutely hated.

Verdict: 7/10