Review: Silver Pines (PS5)

Silver Pines might be among the most fashionable indie games you’ll experience this year.

Influenced by the works of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and the Silent Hill franchise, this metroidvania is saturated with ambiance, packed with captivating enigmas, and presents a formidable challenge for survival horror enthusiasts.

You step into the shoes of a private detective on the trail of a mysterious musician named Eddie Velvet. This pursuit has led you to the fog-laden streets of Silver Pines, a locality filled with its unique quirks. To add to the peculiarity, an approaching tempest has emptied its thoroughfares. Well, nearly emptied them.

In the shadowy recesses of crumbling motels and damp drainage systems, horrific beings lurk: sludgy, shadowy creatures that have overrun the town. Battling these entities will demand every ounce of stamina, every scarce bullet, and the wisdom of when it’s ideal to flee.

Silver Pines embodies the essence of a Metroidvania. This signifies that during your journey, you’ll encounter numerous secured doors and obstructed pathways. The game expertly navigates you towards a presently unreachable destination, such as a bar in the backdrop illuminated by its neon glow, or an ancient theatre engulfed in shadows.

This implies that as soon as you acquire a key to unlock the gate obstructing your path, or a lantern necessary to illuminate that theatre, you will know precisely where to head and how to utilize those instruments. It showcases the exceptional design of its 2.5D layout.

Individuals who appreciate a mental challenge will also be pleased to discover that the puzzles presented are relatively straightforward. Typically, you’re tasked with deciphering some form of combination, whether it’s for a keypad or a safe, but the game provides you with just the right amount of insight for you to start working.

Being observant while navigating Silver Pines is advantageous, and a useful camera function permits you to document striking objects throughout the map – which proves especially beneficial when you can’t access them at that point.

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