Coming Soon: Silver Pines

Developer: Wych Elm

Publisher: Team 17

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Release Date: 8th October

If you’re as old as us, you’ll remember the classic ZX Spectrum arcade adventures Tir Na Nog and Dun Darach. These sprawling epics, presented in a side-on view, were bewildering in their large maps, and the style is recreated here for Wych Elm’s Silver Pines, an eerie survival horror set within the titular town.

Of course, today we call it a Metroidvania, but in either case, the navigation is considerably smoother as your character, private investigator Red Walker, explores the mysteriously empty town in search of a musician named Eddie Velvet.

Silver Pines draws on other genres and games, such as its zombie-like creatures and inventory management (Resident Evil) and a weird, otherworldly ambience that’s heavily inspired by the Alan Wake games.

We sat down recently with its considerable Steam demo, and Silver Pines looks like it doing everything right so far: intuitive combat, extensive exploration, tense atmosphere and a fascinating mystery plot.

Look out for the Indie Horror Gamer review before its release date of 8th October.