Silent Hill: Townfall is a promising psychological-horror spin-off set in a vivid Scottish fishing village, where monsters and supernatural events reflect themes of guilt, abuse and social wrongdoing. Its first-person perspective, atmospheric setting, unsettling sound design and genuinely frightening encounters capture some of the series’ strengths, but the experience eventually becomes dull because its symbolism and story are too plainly presented.

Players control Simon Ordell, who emerges from St Amelia’s harbour with an IV connected to mysterious black fluid and follows messages from a CRT device in search of answers about a man named Richard. The game features semi-open areas, keys, passcodes and puzzles, most of which are satisfyingly challenging, although one late-game pictogram puzzle is particularly obscure; however, lacklustre stealth, limited surreal mystery and less memorable presentation prevent it from matching the series’ best entries.