Silent Hill Townfall: The First-Person Horror Revolution Coming in 2026

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What Is Silent Hill Townfall?

Silent Hill Townfall is part of Konami's ambitious Silent Hill revival, announced alongside the Silent Hill 2 Remake and Silent Hill f. However, Townfall stands apart for its radical approach: it's the first Silent Hill game played entirely in first-person, bringing the player closer to the horror than ever before.

Directed and written by Jon McKellan, founder of Screen Burn Interactive (formerly No Code), Townfall follows Simon Ordell — a man who repeatedly wakes up in freezing water near docks, with no memory of how he got there. The game is set in 1996 in the fictional town of St. Amelia, Scotland, inspired by the real village of St Monans in Fife.

The Protagonist: Simon Ordell

Simon Ordell is unlike any previous Silent Hill protagonist. He isn't searching for a loved one, and he doesn't have a clear mission. He wakes up in freezing water near docks, again and again, trapped in a nightmarish loop. Each time he wakes, the town around him is slightly different — slightly darker, slightly more hostile.

His goal is to discover fragments of his past — who he is, how he ended up in St. Amelia, and why he can't escape. The narrative builds gradually through environmental clues, scattered notes, and terrifying revelations that call reality itself into question.

First-Person: A New Era for Silent Hill

The shift to first-person was the most controversial decision for Townfall. Classic Silent Hill games have always been third-person, with fixed or over-the-shoulder cameras being part of the franchise's identity. Screen Burn Interactive, however, had a clear reason for this change.

In first-person, horror becomes more immediate. You don't watch your character react — you react. Every dark corridor, every suspicious sound, every shadow at the edge of your vision becomes a deeply personal experience. Unreal Engine 5 is fully leveraged with technologies like Nanite and Lumen, creating lighting and shadows that shift dynamically to amplify the terror.

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St. Amelia isn't a typical American small town like the classic Silent Hill. It's a Scottish coastal town with stone buildings, sea fog that creeps through the streets, and an atmosphere more reminiscent of European gothic horror. The 1996 setting means analogue technology, cassette tapes, CRT televisions — elements that No Code exploited masterfully in Stories Untold.

Gameplay: CRTV, Stealth, and Melee Combat

Townfall's gameplay combines exploration, puzzle-solving, stealth, and melee combat. Simon is neither a soldier nor a combat specialist — he's an ordinary person trapped in a nightmarish situation, and the game mechanics reflect this vulnerability.

The most intriguing tool is the CRTV device — a handheld unit that detects nearby opponents. It functions like an old portable radio, with screen distortion and static noise that intensifies as danger approaches — an evolution of the iconic radio from the original Silent Hill.

Weapons are improvised: planks, pipes, tools found in the environment. There are no firearms, at least based on what's been revealed so far. The emphasis is on stealth — avoiding enemies is often the best strategy.

Screen Burn Interactive: The Developers

Screen Burn Interactive, formerly known as No Code, is a Scottish studio that gained recognition with Stories Untold (2017) — a text-adventure horror game that transformed a simple text interface into genuine terror. They followed it with Observation (2019), where the player controls an AI aboard a space station. Both games won BAFTA awards.

Jon McKellan, the studio's founder, is known for using analogue technology as a horror mechanism. CRT screens, cassette tapes, old radios — everyday objects become sources of dread. This philosophy fits perfectly with Silent Hill's DNA, where the mundane warps into nightmare.

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The partnership with Annapurna Interactive — known for titles like What Remains of Edith Finch, Outer Wilds, and Stray — raises expectations further. Annapurna specializes in narrative-driven experiences, and their co-publisher role signals that Townfall will place immense weight on storytelling.

The Silent Hill Revival

Townfall was first teased in October 2022 during a Silent Hill Transmission event, alongside several other projects. A new trailer was shown at State of Play on February 12, 2026, revealing gameplay footage for the first time.

The Silent Hill revival spans multiple projects: the Silent Hill 2 Remake by Bloober Team (released 2024), Silent Hill f by NeoBards (set in 1960s Japan), and Townfall. Each title approaches horror differently, showing that Konami wants to broaden the definition of what “Silent Hill” can be.

The success of the Silent Hill 2 Remake — which earned excellent reviews and strong sales — paves the way for the remaining projects. If Konami continues to trust talented studios with clear creative visions, the Silent Hill revival could become one of gaming's greatest comebacks in history.

Why You Should Pay Attention

Silent Hill Townfall isn't just another remake or sequel. It's a new story, in a new setting, from a studio that has proven it can turn everyday objects into sources of genuine terror. The shift to first-person may bother purists, but it's exactly the kind of bold change a 25-year-old franchise needs.

With Unreal Engine 5, a Scottish setting inspired by a real location, loop-based storytelling, and the Konami-Annapurna partnership, Townfall has all the ingredients to deliver the most terrifying gaming experience of 2026. Simon Ordell is waiting for you in the dark waters of St. Amelia — the question is whether you dare to dive in.

• Silent Hill Townfall
• Konami
• Annapurna Interactive
• Screen Burn Interactive
• PS5
• PC
• Horror
• Psychological Horror
• Unreal Engine 5
• First Person