Many modern video games receive patches after launch. The concept of post-launch bug fixes or framerate clean up isn’t new; however, Screen Burns’ recent post on X proves that some studios still care about player feedback. And personally, this is a major green flag despite the many “get good” keyboard warriors out there.

I’ve been playing Silent Hill Townfall since day one. It’s been a delightfully spooky experience, nailing the atmosphere and “feel” of a Silent Hill game; however, I ran into some controller-throwing frustrations near the middle of the game. There was one particular enemy that you must use stealth to avoid detection in order to solve a puzzle. It’s a grotesque entity called The Weight. Not only did it kill you if caught, but the AI was a little…too intelligent? Its movements were erratic (this posed a fun challenge); however, I quickly learned it would also linger right outside my hiding spot, making it near impossible to leave without getting caught and getting an insta-kill. It also was difficult to guage its line-of-sight. As I couched slowly up a flight of stairs, the chase music picked up, and The Weight somehow already saw me, ran down the stairs, and took my life. Funnily enough, when I “woke back up”, it walked a few feet away only to turn around—and I kid you not—kill me again.

When I hopped onto X, I learned that I wasn’t the only one who was struggling with The Weight.

The stealth sections in general have also been a point of frustration for many:

And to further prove that it’s not just a bunch of people who “don’t know how to play video games”, these frustrations were cited in game reviews from establishments such as VGC and Game Rant.

Screen Burn absolutely did not have to address the infuriating stealth sections with The Weight. The game isn’t broken. Silent Hill Townfall has earned decent review scores: 81 for both MetaCritic and OpenCritic and various 9s out of 10s. I bring this topic up because the studio proved that they paid attention to what players were saying and acknowledged it as a possible point for improvement.

How Screen Burn will balance the stealth segment is yet to be determined; however, this is such a major green flag for someone like me. It shows the studio cares about the player experience instead of just shoving their product into the ether and focusing on profit. They didn’t side with the “get good” crowd and wanted to ensure everyone can enjoy the experience to the best of their ability.

All that is to say I hope more studios pay more attention to their player base like Screen Burn. I hope studios put down their pride—or heaven forbid, greed—to be willing to listen and make adjustments so more people can enjoy their games. Even if a studio ultimately decides not to commit to any action on a complaint, a simply acknowledgement can go a long way. There is an art to recieving feedback that is lost, and Screen Burn has earned my respect today.

Have you played through Silent Hill Townfall yet? Have you encountered The Weight?Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.

Boss Rush Gamescast – A Gameplay Deep Dive Discussion Podcast & Part of Boss Rush Podcast Plus

Boss Rush Gamescast is the gameplay deep dive discussion podcast from Boss Rush Network. Every other week, a panel of hosts and friends from across the internet take a deeper dive into the games they’ve been playing, featuring light spoilers, fun segments, and great conversations. New episodes drop every other week as part of Boss Rush Podcast Plus, with Patreon members getting early access one week in advance.

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Featured Image Source: Screen Burn