8 Things You Should Know Before Playing Silent Hill: Townfall

Silent Hill: Townfall may look at first glance like just another entry in the series with a first-person perspective. When exploring the island of St. Amelia, unique elements become noticeable that set it apart from previous installments, while still keeping the spirit of the franchise. Below are eight aspects that are useful to know before starting to play.

How Puzzle Difficulty Works

Silent Hill: Townfall allows separate difficulty settings for gameplay and puzzles. Unlike other titles in the series, the difference in puzzles does not change the solutions, but instead enables or disables hints. If the hint option is enabled, some important documents highlight relevant information for nearby puzzles in red text. In a game where documents contain a lot of information, this proves useful. Those who prefer an unguided experience can disable this option at any time from the settings menu. Even with hints enabled, some puzzles still require time and attention. It is recommended to take quick notes during the playthrough. This helps solve the more complex puzzles more easily.

Maximize Your Leaning

Townfall’s leaning system offers a good amount of flexibility. Unlike other first-person games that limit the angles, here it is possible to precisely adjust how much and in which direction to lean. This allows several useful actions:

• Crouching and leaning even further toward the ground to stay out of enemies’ sight.
• Leaning upward to look over fences or tall gates. Caution is needed: if the lean is excessive, an enemy can detect the character. When an enemy barely sees the character, it stares for a moment before going into full alert. If the character manages to hide in time, total detection is avoided. If not, the music changes and the chase begins.

Fight…

Every melee weapon has a quite limited durability meter. A standard wooden plank allows taking out at most two enemies before it breaks, and only one melee weapon can be carried at a time. Some enemies, such as the first type encountered, attack quickly. They can be faced by alternating blocks and counterattacks. Blocking consumes a small amount of durability, but it is necessary because the character dies from only a few hits. It is difficult to dodge attacks in direct fights, and enemies can still deal damage even during the player’s attack animation. Firearms appear later than expected and ammunition is limited. The character is not equipped to face every enemy in direct combat.

… Or Flight

Due to the limited combat options, it is often better to hide. There are several hiding spots throughout the town. It is advisable to remember the location of the nearest ones while exploring. It is especially important to locate a safe place before picking up a key item, since the game tends to spawn enemies at that moment. A dedicated hiding spot is not required: entering a room with a door that can be closed also works. Enemies are fast, but they do not take corners well and take time to open unlocked doors. If they see the character enter a hiding spot, they will attack, although their vision range toward those points seems wider than in other stealth games. Inside a designated hiding spot the map cannot be opened, although the portable TV can still be used. To check the map in areas with nearby enemies, it is better to do so behind a closed door. In addition, a door cannot be opened while holding the portable TV. When running away, it is advisable to put it away first.

Distractions

To create an alternative route around enemies, bricks or glass bottles can be thrown to make noise. Cars around town can also be hit to set off their alarms. Both methods can be combined: throwing an object at a car to trigger the alarm from a distance. In more enclosed spaces, radios also generate noise. They can be used to attract enemies, but it is necessary to move away from them before the enemies investigate.

Keeping Silent

At some point it will be necessary to fire a gun. When doing so, a message indicates that the sound of gunfire can alert nearby enemies. On normal difficulty, the range of this alert is smaller than what might be expected. Not every enemy in the area automatically detects the position after a shot. Before firing, if there is time and it is known that more enemies are nearby, it is advisable to check the portable TV. This device shows a fairly clear signal of the enemies’ distance. The distinctive sound it emits indicates that there is a new signal, which usually corresponds to an enemy. Enemies are also alerted by the noise of doors when opened. It is best not to open them very close to enemies. If it is necessary to briefly follow an enemy in order to get around them, it is better to crouch-walk to reduce the noise of footsteps.

Healing

At the start of the game, healing resources appear scarce, just like weapons and ammunition. It is easy to feel that they should not be used, especially the IV bags that function as a free revive. By the end of the playthrough there is an abundance of healing items. On a first playthrough it is not necessary to be overly conservative with them.

Letterbox

All promotional material for Silent Hill: Townfall has shown a letterbox effect (black bars) that modifies the aspect ratio. This effect aims for a more cinematic experience and can reinforce the feeling of claustrophobia. Those who prefer to see the full image can disable it from the options menu.