Townfall might just pull off a survival horror hat trick for Konami

Simon’s sole direction as he explores the town comes from a handheld CRT TV that can be tuned to different stations. One of them flashes a series of cryptic images through static. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that those images were pointing him to a specific building in town. After following some context clues on screen, he wound up in a house that seemed to be abandoned, and some classic Silent Hill puzzling ensued. Find a flashlight, combine it with some batteries to get it working, look for a lock combination to unlock an organ container, and so on. Screen Burn plays with the tech of the era in its puzzles, too; one forced Simon to go hunting for a pre-paid card to get the electricity working in the house.

Of course, going outside is dangerous — as is so often the case in Silent Hill. Soon enough, Simon crossed paths with a fleshy, axe-headed monster wrapped in a straight jacket. That’s where Townfall becomes about more than just slowly walking around detailed environments. By tuning to a second TV station, Simon could track the monster’s position through walls. He could also cling to corners and carefully peek around them to make sure the coast is clear. Both made for some strong stealth moments during the demo as Simon tried to keep away from the creature and find the card he needed in a building.

Offense is an option, though it’s more of a last resort. At the end of the demo, Simon found a wooden plank and confronted the monster in the streets. After letting out some lumbering swings, and using the wood to block a few hits, the creature took him down. Simon can get a second chance at life thanks to some tubes in his hand that revive him once after death (and he can heal with gauze), but it certainly looks like even one monster is a lot for him to take on. He’s very much the mouse to a town full of cats.

Silent Hill: Townfall certainly seems slower and more minimalistic than Silent Hill f. Its gameplay twists are subtle, and the emphasis seems to be on creating a strong sense of atmosphere. The ideas that are there, though, feel like they could go a long way to keep it unique. I imagine that handheld TV has a lot more tricks, and that the tech-focused puzzles will get more complex. I welcome the idea of a cerebral, moody Silent Hill game with minimal action — especially considering that combat was the weakest part of Silent Hill f. If Screen Burn can find enough ways to keep everything tense rather than plodding, Townfall should keep the unexpected Silent Hill renaissance alive for another year.

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