During Thursday’s Sony PlayStation State of Play, Konami revealed a fresh trailer for the upcoming survival horror title Silent Hill: Townfall, coming later this year for PlayStation 5, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

Shortly thereafter, Konami hosted a Silent Hill Transmission showcase, which went into much further detail about the game, exploring new game play mechanics, setting, and characters.

Silent Hill: Townfall is a joint project between publishers Konami and Annapurna Interactive, who are best known for games that push boundaries in both gameplay and storytelling, such as What Remains of Edith Finch, Outer Wilds, Kentucky Route Zero, and Gone Home.

Developing the game is Screen Burn Interactive, who have previously released 2017’s Stories Untold and the award winning 2019 game Observation.

Silent Hill: Townfall takes place is the sleepy township of St. Amelia. Much like last year’s Silent Hill f, the game whisks us away from the United States and the titular New England town of Silent Hill, and places us in a foreign locale, this time to a remote island in Northern Great Britain. This location was chosen because it is where head writer and director Jon McKellan was raised, and that the British Isles share many similarities with SIlent Hill, including the heavy fog that is synonymous with the games.

Furthermore, the game does appear to take place in the past, possibly the late 1970s or 1980s; likewise, Silent Hill f was set in 1960s Japan.

Players are cast as Simon O’Dell, a man who receives a message from a currently unknown woman asking him to return to St. Amelia and “make things right.” Simon seemingly escapes from a hospital (judging from his medical bracelet and an IV still stuck in his hand), and then washes up on the shores of the fog engulfed seaside town. Simon will have to brave the lonely, monster infested streets of St. Amelia to uncover the mystery of what led to the town’s demise, and resolve the guilt eating away inside of him.

Silent Hill: Townfall is presented in a first-person perspective. While this isn’t the first Silent Hill game to do so–Hideo Kojima’s infamous P.T. demo and 2024’s Silent Hill: The Short Message also were in first-person–this is the first full length mainline game to be presented as such. Director Jon McKellan stated that this was decided upon early in development, as the first-person view allows for new gameplay mechanics that haven’t been previously explored in past games. In addition, this narrows the field of view, allowing for more things to happen off screen, which is incredibly important to horror as, McKellan states, what occurs off screen is often more terrifying than what you can actually see.

The upcoming game has a particular focus on stealth, which should come as welcomed news to those who disliked the more action focused Silent Hill f. A new tool to aid in your survival is a handheld CRTV. While this device operates similarly to the radios that are familiar to players of previous games, this gadget can have its frequencies adjusted to reveal different information. For instance, tuning in to some frequencies may reveal the locations of enemies that are hiding in the distance, or uncover a ghostly message that can provide clues to solving puzzles or deepen the narrative.

Konami has promised to bring new information about the game closer to its release later this year. Last year, series producer Motoi Okamoto stated that Konami’s goal was to release a new Silent Hill title every year, and that the publisher will be looking at different developer partners in order to make this a reality. In recent years, fans of the franchise has been blessed with a multitude of experiences in the franchise, including the previously mentioned Silent Hill f and Silent Hill: The Short Message, a Silent Hill 2 remake, Silent Hill: Ascension, and the film Return to Silent Hill.

What are your biggest takeaways from this closer look at Silent Hill: Townfall? Are you excited for the new Great Britain location and first-person perspective? Let us know in the comments below, and check us out on our social media channels!

Source: Konami

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