My first 90 minutes wandering through Silent Hill: Townfall's 90s Scottish town were atmospheric… and aimless

Silent Hill: Townfall, a new spin-off developed by Glasgow-based Screen Burn Interactive, offers a first-person survival horror experience set in the fictional Scottish town of St. Amelia. The game captures the series' iconic atmosphere through a foggy, coastal setting, emphasizing tactile exploration and environmental storytelling. Players control Simon Ordell, an outsider tasked with uncovering the town's mysteries. During a 90-minute demo at Gamescom, the gameplay proved to be highly atmospheric, utilizing the first-person perspective to allow for deep scrutiny of environmental details. However, the experience also felt somewhat aimless at times, with slow pacing and navigation challenges that require players to pay close attention to subtle clues. By focusing on manual interaction with maps and objects, the developers aim to create a grounded, immersive horror experience, though the deliberate, slow-burn nature of the game may test the patience of some players.