Survival Horror and Metroidvanias seem so opposed in their traits that I never really thought my two favourite genres could have any contexture. How does a game keep the daunting pressure of making every enemy encounter count while encouraging you to explore every nook and cranny with your newfound abilities? Well, the Scandi-based studio Wych Elm has seemingly cracked the code with their debut game, Silver Pines. I previewed the game way back in June, which became the Steam Next Fest Demo. It showcased the first area of the game, highlighting all of its elements in a succinct 90-minute demo.

I came away from that preview excited by its unique presentation of a mixed media art style of rotoscoping and oil-painted environments, its mysterious narrative, and the mix of gameplay elements from the aforementioned genres. Although I couldn’t help but wonder if that excitement would carry through to the end of the full game, and that maybe some of the gimmicks were just that. And I’m sorry to report… you’re going to have to find time in this busy season of games coming out to play Silver Pines.

It’s by no means perfect; there are some flaws I’ll get into, but this game doesn’t really need the thousand-or-so words to justify at least trying it if you’re in any way a survival horror fan. Silver Pines shows love for its influences like the Silent Hill series, the works of David Lynch and Remedy Games’ back catalogue in the best way. Homage with very little pastiche. But what does a visit to Silver Pines feel like? I’ll tell you what the brochure won’t.

You play as Red Walker, a private investigator who’s come to Silver Pines to find Eddie Velvet. The town is in lockdown due to a storm brewing, making it the perfect time to find the elusive musician. Red wakes up in a diner, already emptied out, making for a disorienting beginning for both you and Red – like you’re in the Otherworld from Silent Hill or the written words of Alan Wake. Storm and desolation aside, you’re not the only one roaming Silver Pines as humanoid creatures lurk in the shadows of the sketchy parts of town.

The narrative was my biggest concern and arguably the aspect that had the most sway in how much I enjoyed the game. Whilst unevenly paced in terms of plot reveals, worldbuilding and character development, by the time I rolled credits three times, I really enjoyed what Wych Elm were setting out to achieve. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’re familiar with the more psychological aspects of survival horror, you’ll appreciate what it’s going for here. The dialogue doesn’t always come off as well as it thinks; some of it’s as blunt as the sledgehammer you swing at the monsters. Other parts are an attempt at being profound yet falling flat.

However, the parts that felt earnest or the emotional beats in the narrative were satisfying – even if they were crushing. Silver Pines is tonally dour with its storytelling and sometimes Lynchian. There’s a pervasive character called The Small Man that’s almost like the boogeyman of Silver Pines, and not since Mulholland Drive have I thought a banal name like The Small Man could prompt such anxiety. The story is the game’s weakest part for me, but if my criticisms are generally minor, then it must bode well for everything else, right?

Exactly that. Much like the coffee you roast for a permanent stamina boost in the game, there’s a lot of flavours in the pot. Silver Pines is a forward-facing survival horror in the framework of a 2D metroidvania. Red moves with purpose and human-like stiltedness. It’s the antithesis of the dance-like motion of Hollow Knight; you need to be careful with your steps, play deliberately, space yourself accordingly in the company of enemies and dodge their oncoming attacks. It’s far from tank controls, but it carries the same ethos of every action being a processed decision.

One example is the reloading of weapons. When reloading, a pop-up appears on screen of your weapon’s chamber, and a bar circles it. You have to hit the highlighted part to enter one bullet at a time and press reload for every bullet. This also occurs when healing or mending your melee weapon’s durability. Once you have reloaded, you aim up and down, but you just have to judge it by the position of Red’s arm if you’re aiming true. I feel like this can be overlooked because it plays so naturally in Silver Pines, but the intentionality of just these two systems in a game with a handful more just speaks to Wych Elm’s attention to detail.

It goes without mentioning that you’re also not just firing like a Call of Duty vet. Ammo is sparse, your melee weapon can break, healing items often need combining if you want the most out of them, and of course, inventory management. Being prep savvy is a must, but facing the monsters head-on isn’t always the case. This is pertinent when you’re doing the Metroidvania-style backtracking as enemies respawn, or new ones may appear in well-trodden areas. It keeps your exploration full of dread, which is great but also terrifying when you’re revisiting parts of the map constantly.

I mentioned abilities at the top of the review, and whilst Silver Pines don’t have those per se, you do find new items which act in place of abilities to unlock new rooms, find new weapon upgrades and Mementos. It’s a neat way of contextualising the genres Silver Pines is going for. Mementos are like equippable perks to aid you through your hellish journey. It’s percentile buffs like reloading faster or doing more damage with headshots, that sort of stuff. Although I never felt those buffs when equipping them necessarily. They have narrative significance, so I did find them all, but if they didn’t, I probably would have spent less time searching for them.

They also probably feel more handy on the hardest difficulty, as there are four to choose from. Survival Horror is the developer’s intended difficulty, with there being one harder than it and two easier. I admittedly toned it down from Survival Horror because it perfectly describes the difficulty, but it did mean I got to experience the nuance of its difficulty scaling. Enemies damage you a little less, resources become more frequent, and I think some enemies might not return in lower difficulties too. Either way, there’s a decent suite of difficulty options to cater to how punishing (or not) you want to make it, and done pretty well.

Another aspect Silver Pines pulls off pretty well is its puzzles. A lot of finding items in random places, realising they’re needed for X room and backtracking sort of stuff. Numbers for codes on doors scattered in areas for you to piece together, combining items to make something new and utilising it to progress, all taking place in an incredibly designed world. The way the map weaves in and out of itself, creating new avenues and shortcuts, connecting rest points so you can save on a pay phone or use an item box to store surplus. It’s all been playtested and fine-tuned to an incredible degree.

There may be an argument made that puzzles are on the easier side, and I only mention that because I pretty much solved them all with no external help (this never happens). However, I felt like I was solving the numerous puzzle boxes, making those instinctive leaps in knowledge to solve the game’s many mysteries. It had me wanting to figure out and find everything, and I pretty much did just that. There’s one box with a padlock I’ve yet to open, so I’ve not truly 100%ed the game, but I have got the Platinum, so I’m leaving it at me missing out on some ammo, maybe.

If the screenshots don’t show it enough or my words convey it enough, Silver Pines is dense with atmosphere. The art style is beyond cool, perfectly befitting the tone. It also adds to this dreamlike horror quality of games like Silent Hill or Signalis. Long story short, I think Silver Pines is great. There are a couple of elements that don’t stick as well as they could have, like the Mementos system and the narrative pacing was a little slow on giving you the why of it all. But with that said, I love the melding of genres, the myriad of systems work like a well-oiled reverse bear trap helmet, and the visuals and atmosphere are stellar. Don’t let Silver Pines get lost in the woods, this is a survival horror must-play.

Silver Pines is out 8th October 2026 for PlayStation 5 (review platform), Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam.

Developers: Wych Elm

Publisher: Team17

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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