New Silent Hill: Townfall delves into psychological horror and explores PS5 Pro innovations
The distinction between supernatural horrors and internal conflicts of the mind has always been a crucial point in the Silent Hill games. However, that boundary seems fuzzier than ever in Silent Hill: Townfall, a new first-person survival horror title that I had the opportunity to try out. During approximately four hours of play, protagonist Simon found himself in a Scottish town covered in dense fog and full of terrifying creatures, unable to discern what was real and what was the result of his own distorted perception.
The Silent Hill: Townfall test began with Simon at what appeared to be the beginning of his journey, seemingly answering a call to return to the enigmatic Saint Amelia. The initial sequence is marked by uncertainty: in an instant, he sails towards the pier; in the other, he emerges from the water on the beach, as if he had just awakened. Simon’s arrival in the Scottish city is presented in a purposefully ambiguous way.
An adventurer in Santa Amélia, the character searches for answers, but finds the place deserted. As he explores the roads, he notices noises of screams and glimpses of flashes, which initially conjure up the image of a demonstration or confusion, but upon reaching the central square, it reveals itself to be completely empty.
The question remains whether Simon is experiencing hallucinations or being manipulated by dark forces within St. Amelia. This uncertainty increases when he answers a ringing pay phone and receives instructions from a mysterious voice to find a woman named Zoe. Then he is suddenly taken to an underground facility lit in red, a clear indication of the “Other World”, the distorted reality characteristic of the Silent Hill franchise.
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While investigating this area, Simon is guided, in an unusual manner, to an apartment, where he finds the portable television that turns out to be the central object in Townfall. Adjusting the TV channels is essential, as it offers vital clues to decipher the puzzles, and is essential to access an elevator that, mysteriously, takes you back to the streets of St. Amelia.
Revelations of a mysterious past in Santa Amélia
According to Jon McKellen, screenwriter and director of the project, the challenges encountered in Townfall serve as direct revelations of the narrative. The signals captured on CRTV (cathode ray tube television) provide crucial information linked to the history of Santa Amélia and Zoe’s enigma, elucidating her identity and whereabouts.
While exploring Zoe’s unoccupied apartment, the player discovers that she worked as a nurse, directing the investigation to the clinic where she provided services. In her old office, three scales await specific objects that had meaning for her, representing, according to her own perception, her professional failures that led her to leave her position.
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During the search, Zoe’s ID badge is found in her apartment. At a nearby pharmacy, a prescription she requested reveals an error in the dosage. Upon proceeding to a colleague’s apartment, Simon finds Zoe’s medical bag containing a damaged stethoscope, which symbolizes her difficulty in truly understanding her patients.
Zoe’s trajectory is deeply intertwined with that of the city itself, which appears to have faced a health crisis. This connection also encompasses Simon’s story, even if he is not yet aware of Zoe’s identity.
Facing creatures and challenges in St. Amelia
Silent Hill: Townfall marks a first for the franchise by introducing first-person creature combat, a change that, compared to previous games like Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill f, significantly elevates the tension. While the third-person perspective offers more freedom to dodge and maneuver, the first-person view restricts the choices to directly confronting the threat or attempting a desperate escape. This approach intensifies each confrontation, especially considering Simon’s vulnerability to his enemies.
Following Zoe’s trail, Simon soon realizes that St. Amelia is not desolate. Distorted, featureless beings wander through the streets, wrapped in industrial banners and with axes replacing their faces.
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The player can occasionally find pieces of wood to use as improvised weapons for defense, although these resources are scarce. If a monster sees Simon and starts an attack, it is possible to block the violent blows and attacks with the melee weapon, keeping the L2 button pressed. The secret is to fight back with R2 at the exact moment of an opening. However, the confrontations are fast and chaotic, and the opponents resist bravely. Additionally, improvised clubs have limited durability, only withstanding a few hits.
The recommendation in Townfall is that combat is always the last alternative. A more efficient tactic is complete evasion of enemies. CRTV, when tuned correctly, reveals the location of monsters through barriers and fog. The player can take shelter behind structures such as walls, vehicles and fences to avoid detection. By pressing L1, you can peer over or around objects to assess the situation ahead.
If Simon is spotted and pursued, the city offers refuges such as closets, small sheds and slightly open doors, where it is possible to hide and wait for the threat to dissipate.
In a more advanced phase of the test, the Other World manifests itself in the streets, leading the player through backyards and alleys of a residential area. At this point, a new type of adversary was encountered: a creature capable of launching aggressive tentacles from its chest for long-range attacks, or that can trap and subdue the player almost instantly, especially in moments of low vitality.
Fortunately, a new weapon was also available: a revolver. However, its use proved to be more of a challenge than an effective solution. While powerful in eliminating threats quickly, its excessive noise often attracted more enemies. Reloading, triggered by pressing the square button, is a time-consuming process, with Simon inserting each cartridge one by one into the gun’s barrel.
Still, discretion remains the best strategy in this scenario. The player can collect small items, such as bottles and bricks, to throw them and create distractions, or use found equipment, such as radios and televisions, to divert the attention of enemies and be able to move without being noticed.
Powering horror with the capabilities of PlayStation 5 Pro
Silent Hill: Townfall delivers a remarkable level of realism in the setting of St. Amelia, fully exploring the capabilities of the PlayStation 5. The graphics are optimized specifically for the PS5 Pro, and the game integrates DualSense controller features to offer unprecedented immersion in the horror universe.
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The title adopts a screen ratio of 2.35:1, giving it a cinematic aesthetic, and offers game modes with 30 frames per second for visual quality and 60 frames per second for performance. The Screen Burn team, responsible for the development, carried out visits and photographic records in Scottish coastal towns to faithfully replicate their atmosphere and appearance. Silent Hill: Townfall benefits from the PS5 Pro’s enhanced PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) system, resulting in an extraordinarily realistic, high-resolution city. Ray tracing technology contributes to the creation of scenes of dark beauty, whether in the fog of the real world or under the suffocating red lighting of the Other World.
A vibração tátil do controle DualSense intensifica a experiência de combate, transmitindo desde o choque de uma tábua contra um inimigo até o impacto ao bloquear um golpe. Silent Hill: Townfall also employs the DualSense’s gyroscope for specific commands, enriching the haptic sensation. With motion controls enabled, searching for signals on radios and other devices using the CRTV requires the player to physically move and rotate the controller to tune.
Additionally, movement controls can be applied to the use of firearms. The player can move the entire controller to refine his aim, seeking precise head shots at decisive moments.
Despite leaving many questions open and fueling the mystery, the experience with Silent Hill: Townfall managed to capture the essence of the psychological intrigue that I appreciate so much in the series. The combination of intense combat and the depth of stealth mechanics provides a variety of terrifying moments. Players will be able to test their nerves when Silent Hill: Townfall arrives on PlayStation 5 on September 24th.
