I’d find it a hard task if I got through this preview without mentioning Silver Pines’ most notable inspirations. This proliferates through its style of narrative, aesthetic choices and even some of its gameplay. But despite being a love letter to Silent Hill, all things Lynch and, by proxy, the games of Remedy Entertainment, developers Wych Elm have found a twisted pocket of noir nightmare currently unoccupied. That is, until Silver Pines moved in. I played a pre-release build for around two hours before reaching the point where I could cover up to, which is right around when the title card emerges. This is an early but fully playable build, so some of my insights could very well change by the time of release. Although I imagine this is fairly soon, with how finished the part I played felt.
Silver Pines is a 2D metroidvania survival horror. You play as Red Walker, a private investigator who wakes up in an abandoned Diner, with only one priority: finding Eddie Velvet. I explore the Diner before leaving; a couple of notes to pick up, some locked doors to remember, and a coffee pot that increased my stamina. The note I found pointed me to a frequency to tune into when I got the chance, which is subsequently in another room of the Diner. Finding the radio, I clicked on it, which prompted a point-and-click style screen where I manually adjusted the dial to find the right frequency. It’s a brilliantly subtle way to introduce you to how this game approaches gameplay. You’ve got the metroidvania elements blossoming, the UI tutorialised in a low-stakes fashion, and a narrative reward as a result.
Upon exiting the Diner, a pay phone rings. I answer to be greeted by an ominous voice down the other end of the line, who seemingly already knows Red, but it’s not mutual. They reiterate that despite this blistering storm and distinct lack of people, finding Eddie Velvet is the only important thing. So, despite Red’s bad feeling, we of course slowly make our way to where Velvet’s last whereabouts may be, The Crimson Bear Motel. The phone call ends, and a save is made. If I wanted to save again, I’d need to find some change to use the pay phone. I didn’t feel it in that moment, but the further I got into Silver Pines, the more dangerous exploring back and forth felt. I started planning when I should save to mitigate any progress lost or to avoid replaying certain tasking moments.
I mentioned that there are very few people left in town, but what is left may have been a person once. Shadow-y Lying Figure-type monsters wander the parts you explore, alongside some creepy crawlies that leap at you. There’s no narrative context thus far for what these things are, but I have an awful feeling these were once Silver Pines residents. This filled me with reluctance to stand and fight. That and because managing your resources is tough. Resources are extremely scarce, and there’s a handful you need to be mindful of. Your money, your healing items, your ammo, and melee weapon degradation, which can only be fixed through finding duct tape. Avoiding the use of any of them is tough, but doable. You can run and dodge at the cost of your stamina, but neither of the actions is easy, as you have to time it right.
This goes for engaging in combat too. I had found a boxcutter, which had stats tied to it like damage and range. Fighting the monsters with it forced me to be deliberate with my actions, take time to assess how they move and strike at the right time. Using the .36 Revolver I found later in the game made some encounters less stressful; however, bullets were the hardest to find, and reloading is done in a similar way to how Dead by Daylight makes you repair gens. You have to press the button prompt as it circles around on screen to the right area of the ring. I’m not sure if it works exactly as intended, but I’m sure it’ll be fixed upon release.
That said, it forced me to only use it when necessary, as well as shoot the padlocks off doors I found earlier in the game. There’s an amazing sense of risk and reward for imbibing in the metroidvania elements. Wych Elm have done a neat job of enticing you with some easy-to-spot but tricky-to-obtain areas that’ll give you more ammo, healing items or even trinkets to equip. Think of trinkets as perks. I found one that made reloading a gun faster, and with a whole menu of space to theoretically choose from, there’s going to be a whole manner of different trinkets to equip.
Everything in Silver Pines appears to be shaping up as a great entry in the survival horror/metroidvania genre. There’s a familiarity with each part of this game, all coming from different places. Its systems are immediate, satisfying and well-tutorialised in the opening couple of hours, and I want to remain entirely vague about the narrative, as I think the nuggets I found so far are what elevate what is already a solid gameplay loop. If you think about its inspirations, though, where those lead and twist, you get an idea that Silver Pines is already more than what it’s letting on.
Silver Pines aims to release in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC (preview platform) via Steam and EGS. A public demo is playable now.
Developers: Wych Elm
Publisher: Team17
Disclaimer: In order to complete this preview, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.
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