Silver Pines Review – This Year's Best Survival Horror Isn't a Blockbuster

If someone had told me just a week ago that a small indie game would show up, stand toe to toe with this year's biggest survival horror titles and maybe even come out on top, I wouldn't have believed a word of that nonsense. That was a week ago, before I knew a game called Silver Pines existed. Now, I know better.

Silver Pines is a prime example of what happens when you love what you do. Wych Elm, the five-person team behind it, poured their heart and soul into their debut title and, in the face of rich companies with millions to spend on their games, made something beautiful, something that screams labour of love from every corner. For me, this is this year's best survival horror game, even though the competition includes genre behemoths like Silent Hill: Townfall and Resident Evil Requiem.

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Although it isn't a AAA title, Silver Pines is definitely on top in its genre for 2026.

Story – Find Eddie Velvet

I don't mean to disrespect Silver Pines as a game here, but I truly believe a story of this quality deserves a bigger stage, if you catch my drift. The story of Silver Pines is so fantastic, so engaging, so mysterious and interesting that it deserves to stand side by side with the best games ever made, and trust me, there isn't a pinch of exaggeration here.

At its core, Silver Pines is a crime story following private investigator Red Walker, who wakes up inside a diner in an American town called Silver Pines with no idea how he ended up there. After a mysterious phone call, some of his memories come back, and he is reminded that he is actually pursuing a missing musician, Eddie Velvet, whose last known location was Silver Pines.

In the manner of a true detective, Walker starts digging around the town, which, by the way, is about to be hit by a huge storm the locals call the storm of the century. The entire town has been evacuated, and apart from a few stubborn residents here and there, it feels like a ghost town: the perfect place for a PI to do his dirty digging.

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The storm of the century is far from the worst thing heading for Silver Pines.

However, things are not as they should be, and when Walker starts encountering strange, nightmarish creatures out for his blood, the thin line between nightmare and reality quickly begins to fade. That's the premise that sets you on the journey, and everything that follows, from the revelations and mysteries to the different interpretations of reality, makes for one of the best stories I've encountered in any game of late.

On top of the fantastic writing and premise, the characters are another huge highlight of Silver Pines. The game is a 2D side-scroller, and with that kind of presentation, it would have been easy to settle for silent characters or ones that speak gibberish in speech bubbles, but Wych Elm went the extra mile and delivered voice acting so well executed that it would put many high-budget titles to shame.

Red himself is a very well-written protagonist, calm and collected at first, but as the game goes deeper, his composure starts to crumble, revealing his true colours and the inner demons he is clearly struggling to control. The supporting cast keeps that strong note of mystery alive throughout, and every character you meet is a code that needs to be cracked. A story and characters written this well are something I'd expect from a AAA title with a huge emphasis on storytelling, like God Of War or The Last Of Us, but from a small indie game, and a debut title on top of everything? No way. I'm not just impressed; I'm simply blown away.

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This is one of the best stories told in a video game in 2026, if not of all time.

Gameplay – Brilliant Exploration, Stubborn Combat

If the story is the beating heart of Silver Pines, the gameplay is where that heart occasionally skips a beat. Don't get me wrong, Silver Pines is a fantastic game in its class, a 2D side-scroller with plenty of mechanics and outstanding ambition; the only problem is that it could have been so much more had that ambition been fully realised.

Some mechanics tied to the side-scrolling format simply limit what Silver Pines could have been if it were, say, a third-person action-adventure, but that's just my wishful thinking, and of course, it won't affect the final score at all.

Silver Pines is designed as a 2D or, in some instances, 2.5D side-scroller where you move the character left and right and jump over obstacles, and if you want to explore beyond that straight line, you'll need to find spots where you can 'switch map layers'. The map plays a crucial role in this game. Each area you visit has its own map, and places within that map can have submaps of their own. The map is your main tool for exploring everything, and exploration is probably one of the greatest highlights of Silver Pines.

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The Silver Pines map is really impressive with so much to discover.

The entire game is divided into three huge areas you can explore entirely at your own pace. The game never forces you along or locks you out of any area. The three areas unlock progressively, but once each one is open, you can return and explore it at any moment, and explore you will, because the exploration is very satisfying; trust me on this one.

There are so many things to find: documents that expand the plot, crafting materials, new weapons, ammo and mementos that work as passive buffs, along with the key items you'll need to progress through the game. Speaking of weapons and ammo, Silver Pines is a shooter of sorts at its core, but the game lets you choose your own playstyle. You can fight enemies, although resources are very scarce, or you can run and avoid them.

Bosses, on the other hand, cannot be avoided, and the game throws quite a few of them your way. Which brings me to the combat system, which, sadly, isn't something Silver Pines can brag about. But let's start with the positives, and the biggest positive here is the sheer number of weapons at your disposal.

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The combat system isn't the most sophisticated one, and the game suffers for it.

There are melee weapons, including a makeshift knife, baseball bat, sledgehammer, shovel, machete and many more, and firearms such as all sorts of pistols and revolvers, several kinds of shotguns, rifles, nail guns and more. Even the likes of Call of Duty wouldn't be ashamed of an arsenal like this, but when it comes to shooting, theory and practice are miles apart.

First, you cannot move while aiming, because once you draw your gun, Walker stops in his tracks. I thought this limitation died with the early Resident Evil titles, but for some reason, Silver Pines decided to revive it. Why, for the sake of everything holy, why? You can dodge enemy attacks, but the dodging is very unreliable, not to mention that enemies can still hit you from the area you just left, whether you switched areas on purpose or by mistake. If there's one thing I'd point to as this game's biggest flaw, it's definitely the combat system.

Weapons cannot be upgraded, but you can find custom parts that make them more effective, such as a scope for a rifle or a laser sight for a handgun. In true Resident Evil fashion, every weapon you want to use must first be equipped from your inventory, and that brings me to another flaw the game cannot escape: inventory management. There are simply too many essential items, each one takes up too much space, and the inventory itself is far too small. You can expand it by finding new hip pouches, but the balance just isn't right. I can't count the number of times I had to run from wherever I'd found something to the nearest storage just to rearrange everything, and all that running back and forth quickly became tedious.

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The inventory becomes overcrowded very easily in Silver Pines.

While the game stumbles with everything tied to combat, it definitely thrives at exploration, and here, the biggest praise goes to the level design. I've already mentioned the three areas, but how those areas interconnect is a feat in itself. All over the place, you'll find different keys, hidden passages, well-concealed vents and walls you can scale, all leading to secret areas, which eventually lead you to doors that can only be opened from the other side. The exploration is so well executed that in my time with the game (around 19 hours), I unlocked the Platinum trophy without using a single guide, because finding everything feels natural yet challenging at the same time.

Puzzles are another important part of the genre, and here they are designed just right: not too hard and not too easy. You solve them on the fly; nothing too crazy, but some will pose a fair challenge. Each area features a puzzle or two, but you'll never have to go elsewhere for clues, as everything you need is right around you, complete with clear hints.

Visuals and Sounds – A Painted Nightmare

I love the art style of Silver Pines. First, the town looks amazing, with that Twin Peaks vibe of empty streets, abandoned buildings and creatures from the deepest circles of hell. The character design, however, takes an entirely different approach. The characters, Red Walker included, are depicted in an oil painting style, and while their blurry, murky look contrasts with the clean, precise depiction of the environment, the two work perfectly together.

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Silver Pines can look beautiful and gruesome at the same time, and that's why its art style is so good.

Special praise goes to the later sections of the game when the storm starts to rage, with some really nice raindrop effects on the screen. The red sections, where the nightmare intensifies, also deliver a proper horror effect and change the feel of the game entirely. Many of the graphical effects transform the environment considerably, so the game always looks a little different and fresh.

The soundtrack is fantastic as well, and together with the aforementioned voice acting and sound effects, it forms an almost perfectly designed soundscape.

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Every character in Silver Pines is a code that needs to be cracked.

Conclusion

Silver Pines is the kind of game that reminds me why I love this genre. Wych Elm took a modest 2D side-scroller and wrapped it around a story so gripping, characters so well written and voiced, and a town so cleverly stitched together that I kept forgetting I was playing a debut title from a tiny indie studio.

It's not flawless. The combat feels stuck in the past, with Walker freezing in place every time he raises his gun, dodging you can't rely on, and an inventory so cramped that trips back to storage become part of the routine. These frustrations are what keep Silver Pines from the perfect score its story deserves.

Still, when the worst thing I can say about a survival horror game is that its shooting could be better, while its story, exploration, puzzles, art and sound sit near the top of the genre, the verdict is easy. If you love survival horror, and especially if Twin Peaks and classic Resident Evil hold a special place in your heart, Silver Pines is unmissable, and for me, it is this year's best survival horror.