Silver Pines

Did You Know?

• Team17 announced Silver Pines on October 23, 2025.
• A gameplay trailer was released in March 2026.
• A Windows demo was made available in June 2026.

Premise

A musician named Eddie Velvet has vanished, drawing investigator Red Walker to the nearly deserted town of Silver Pines. As Walker probes the mystery, he uncovers a grim local history and spirals into a nightmare he cannot control. Critics have likened the game's unsettling atmosphere to the work of David Lynch and Twin Peaks, while its survival horror gameplay echoes Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

Gameplay

Silver Pines is a 2D survival horror game that blends side-scrolling action with Metroidvania-style exploration. Players take on the role of Red Walker, navigating a town by solving puzzles, fighting or evading monsters, and carefully managing scarce resources. The world is filled with locked doors, hidden routes, and areas that only open up once the player acquires new tools or weapons. Survival mechanics include a tight inventory, healing items, ammunition limits, and door puzzles. Combat offers both melee weapons and firearms, some of which double as tools for exploration. Movement occurs through streets, rooms, and hallways using map-based turns. A map system lets players attach photographs as reminders for puzzle spots or items, while environmental signs offer clues. Real-time actions like manually reloading or entering codes happen even with enemies nearby.

Development

Silver Pines marks the first release from Wych Elm Games, a small team spread across Sweden and Norway. Co-founder Linus Larsson noted that studio members previously held key positions on titles like Helldivers 2, The Darkness, and Yoku's Island Express. The concept for the game first took shape in 2021, when Larsson and Mattias Snygg were deciding what to work on next. After their earlier projects, the team aimed for a darker, more grounded tone, pulling inspiration from 1990s film and television such as 8mm, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, and Jacob's Ladder. For gameplay, they looked to early PlayStation survival horror, especially the first three Resident Evil games and Silent Hill. The character animation relies on rotoscoping: live footage is filmed, then each frame is traced over by hand. Larsson explained this method was chosen to achieve a realistic look, particularly in how clothing and hair move. The world art combines photo textures that are altered and painted over, with 2D sprites placed inside a 3D simulation to give a sense of depth. The team also designed movement so players can always head toward visible spots in the environment, helping the 2D town feel like a believable, navigable space.

Pre-release reception

In a hands-on preview for Bloody Disgusting, Aaron Boehm praised the demo's navigation, puzzle design, and art direction, writing that the game appeared ready to deliver a surrealist narrative while developing its own identity. He was less certain about early enemy designs, which he considered less distinctive. Fraser Brown of PC Gamer described Silver Pines as visually strong and noted its use of limited resources, locked doors, puzzles, healing items, and inventory management, but found the opening hour derivative and criticized early melee combat as slow. Mark Delaney of GameSpot included Silver Pines among games highlighted from the Horror Game Awards' Midsummer Scream showcase, comparing its visual style to Deadlight and its atmosphere to a 2D Alan Wake.