Silver Pines

Silver Pines is a side-scrolling survival horror game with Metroidvania-style exploration. Players control Red Walker while exploring the town, solving puzzles, fighting or avoiding monsters, and managing limited resources. Exploration includes locked doors, hidden paths, and areas that become accessible after the player obtains new tools or weapons.

The game uses survival horror systems, including limited inventory space, healing items, ammunition management, and locked-door puzzles. Combat includes close-range weapons and firearms, with some weapons also used for exploration, such as opening access to blocked or locked areas.

Silver Pines is set in a small American town that has been largely abandoned. The story begins with Red Walker arriving in Silver Pines to investigate the disappearance of Eddie Velvet, a musician who has vanished. As the investigation continues, Walker uncovers the town's dark past and experiences a nightmarish descent beyond his control.

The game's tone and setting have been described by multiple outlets as drawing from David Lynch and Twin Peaks, while its survival horror elements have been compared with Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

Silver Pines is the debut game from Wych Elm Games, a small studio working remotely from Sweden and Norway. Co-founder Linus Larsson said the team had previously worked in key roles on games including Helldivers 2, The Darkness, and Yoku's Island Express.

Larsson said the original idea for the game began in 2021 during discussions with Mattias Snygg about what project to make next. The team wanted to make a darker and more grounded game after their earlier work, and drew inspiration from 1990s films and television, including 8mm, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, and Jacob's Ladder. The developers also cited early PlayStation survival horror games, especially the first three Resident Evil games and Silent Hill, as gameplay inspirations.

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 the early enemy designs, which he considered less distinctive than the rest of the demo.

Fraser Brown of PC Gamer described Silver Pines as visually strong, writing that it was "a looker", and noted its use of limited resources, locked doors, puzzles, healing items, and inventory management. However, he found the opening hour derivative and criticized the early melee combat as slow.