I haven't had this much fun waking up in a strange diner and fighting for my life since Fahrenheit. Silver Pines wears its influences on its traditional detective coat sleeve, and that's by no means a bad thing. It fuses together the elements it's taking from each masterfully, resulting in a survival horror Metroidvania that is powerfully gripping from start to finish as Detective Walker investigates a strange, forgotten, and abandoned town on the trail of a missing musician.

Beautiful painterly visuals contrast the grimness of the setting very nicely. As does the relaxing ambient music from jukeboxes or radios that breaks up some of the quietness of exploration. The dreamlike quality combined with nightmarish content invoke a very strong and moody atmosphere that perfectly accompanies its investigative storyline where reality itself comes into question.

Not only does Silver Pines look and sound good, it also feels good thanks to excellent pacing across both its narrative and with how you progress through its haunting, dense world.

Release date: October 8, 2026
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Wych Elm Games
Publisher: Team17

Unlocking new items allows Walker to traverse new areas of the detailed map, making it exciting to revisit past areas to push further into the secret corners of Silver Pines. While inventory juggling and unlocking is vital in the likes of Resident Evil as well with its many, many keys, Silver Pines bridges that gap to feel more Metroidvania shaped in how the map unfurls and you keep feeling like you're pushing at the space's boundaries.

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