Continuing a strong resurgence of the Silent Hill series, Konami and Screen Burn Interactive bring another different take on the dark horror series. The latter is best known for his narrative titles Untold stories And Observation and they decided to set their horror scenario in the early 90s, on a remote island off the coast of northern Scotland. Anyone who has visited the wild beauty of Scotland can attest: it is a region that can create its own thick, mysterious fog. Ideal for a chapter of Silent Hill.
Fall of the town of Silent Hill is set in St. Amelia, a fictional town made from photos, sketches and maps of real Scottish villages. The level of detail is meticulous, with telephone booths from the 90s (not the cliché red ones you might think of), cars I haven’t seen since I was a child, and even kitchen interiors that scream nostalgia to me.
During a hands-on demo at Summer Game Fest 2026, we were told that being careful and cautious “is paramount to survival.” The demo begins with protagonist Simon Ordell sitting amidst the fog with an IV cannula and hospital ID bracelet still attached. In a new take on the radios from the first Silent Hill games, it’s equipped with a portable TV and not much else.
Screen Burn Interactive has gone to great lengths to replicate a real CRT screen. While the entire game runs on Unreal Engine 5, the team ran the visuals for the stream and integrated the actual static signal for TV playback. According to director Jon Mckellan, what you see on CRTV is analog. The team played images and stills on an old broadcast monitor and older broadcast technology, and are even able to amplify static at particularly dramatic moments.
As the game continues, a mysterious woman calls Simon on the television, asking him to “come back”. You can remove the portable CRTV at any time; listening to the signals will “lock” them into the device, making them easier to navigate. The cues will deliver narrative beats or teasers, while at other times they may offer clues to puzzles scattered across the island. We saw the same video clips on repeat that helped Simon discover what he thinks the woman on TV is hiding.
CRTV is also useful against the contorted monstrosities that roam the island. You can set the TV to give an X-ray glimpse of threats, through walls and objects. The developers are also obsessed with the monitoring mechanism. While this is a major change for the Silent Hill game series, it’s taken me until now to mention it. Fall of the city is apparently played entirely in first person. Unsurprisingly, yes, it adds to the tension and unease. To avoid detection, the player can carefully control how he looks out of cover, combining the right bumper with the analog sticks to mix up where Simon looks and how far he leans.
The Screen Burn team detailed how they tried to remove notifications and video game conventions that could break the atmosphere, especially in this new first-person perspective.
Simon rarely expresses his inner thoughts, but they are depicted on screen. This is a clear departure from the awkward monologues of video games – take note, Lara, Leon and the rest of you. To avoid these “Goal Updated” pop-ups, the team says they tried to find “immersive solutions” like the foldable paper map, on which Simon occasionally adds notes in red pen.
During the demo, Simon discovers that the electrical system in the mysterious woman’s house is broken. After collecting a flashlight (and managing to find batteries in just a few minutes – pscch call it immersion breaking), Simon discovers he’ll need to get a preloaded card from the local store. Map updated, he heads to the map. McKellan says Fall of the city will feature a combination of the bizarre, high-level puzzles that Silent Hill is known for and these more grounded obstacles.
The demo ends with Simon being caught by a monster. Although the portable TV helps you stay away from the monstrosities surrounding the island, there are times when you’ll have to fight them. Simon later finds a board, in classic Silent Hill style. Like the recent Silent Hill However, don’t always expect to come out on top. Luckily, the cannula attached to Simon will revive him if he’s down, giving you one last chance for one last attack. The emphasis is on avoidance and survival; if you can keep your cool.
Fall of the town of Silent Hill will be released on September 24, 2026, on PS5 and PC.
