Image credit: Wych Elm/Team17
2026 has been a spectacular year to be a horror fan already, and we’re only just approaching the halfway mark. It’s going to get even better as we approach Halloween, too, largely thanks to the eagerly-anticipated release of Silver Pines.
Silver Pines is a survival horror Metroidvania with a decidedly Lynchian aesthetic, and I had the opportunity to attend a hands-off developer preview for the game on behalf of Kyusai, learning more about the upcoming October release and what it has to offer.
Elegant and eerie
Silver Pines is an upcoming survival horror game, developed by the team at Wych Elm and published by Team17. It’s a survival horror Metroidvania that’s due to release on October 8, 2026, and based on what I’ve seen so far, it’s looking like a must-play for horror geeks.
Along with an initial hands-on preview earlier in the year, I got the chance to take part in a hands-off, developer preview this past month, seeing more of the game and its aesthetic, with the preview session being cut off tantalizingly close to a boss reveal.
In Silver Pines, you play as private investigator Red Walker, tasked with finding a missing musician called Eddie Velvet. The game takes place in a small, desolate town, and after a few moments there, things quickly start going south for Red Walker.
In the preview, the Wych Elm team showed off a slew of in-game systems and features, including equippable items called mementos, explaining how they could impact Red and his abilities.
One example was a piece of polished sea glass that enhanced Red’s swimming ability, making it consume less stamina and therefore opening up a wider slice of the town for the player to explore. Without this, some areas appear to be unreachable.
The team explained that players will be able to tailor their own builds, with some mementos being combat-focused and others being exploration-focused. It’ll be interesting to see how this affects the challenge run community and whether people find game-breaking combinations quickly.
Movement played a big part of the preview session, with Wych Elm showing how Red moves in combat and around the world. The game is slowly paced, deliberately, with acts like brewing a cup of coffee taking time and consideration. This is something that stood out in the first preview; the game feels like it was made with care.
Interestingly, rotoscoping played a big part in creating the movement of Silver Pines, with a few hilarious snippets of the team dressed up to create in-game silhouettes being shown off alongside the gameplay clips. Just picture backwards wigs, toilet paper, and crash mats.
The animation style is something that made Silver Pines initially look appealing, so it was wicked to see the work behind the scenes that made this possible. In a world that’s being constantly beset by the ever-encroaching beast of generative AI, it’s awesome to see a team so dedicated to creating something genuinely beautiful and intentional.
A myriad of puzzles
As with any good survival horror game, there’ll be plenty of puzzles to tangle with when Silver Pines releases in full, and I’m confident that they’re going to test even seasoned survival horror players who can speed through Resident Evil with their eyes closed.
One of the puzzles displayed in this preview involved a code that tied back to the prices of flowers in the local flower shop, meaning the player had to snap a picture of the flowers to reference the code at a later point.
The camera is a key tool that players will need to use in sync with their map and other key items, offering a useful method of tracking information, codes, and symbols without needing to take screenshots or physical notes during your play session.
It seems as if players will need to be on their toes and watching for key details during every snippet of the game, which I love. Based on the time I’ve spent in its world so far, Silver Pines seems to reward folks for paying attention to the small things, and I’m predicting that it’ll be a rewarding experience for completionists.
Speedrunners and challenge runners will be in for a treat with Silver Pines, as well, as the puzzles and codes are randomized between every run. Even if you end up trying to go for a record time with the game, you’ll need to contend with the puzzles each time and engage with the world around you.
Combat was a highlight of the initial Silver Pines preview for me, so I was excited to see more of it in this session, with one of the enemies being shown having a nasty poison-based attack.
Other status-inflicting enemies weren’t shown, but I’d be surprised if this was the only one. Having enemies that can poison, burn, or stun the player is a wicked way to enhance the resource stress of survival horror and make people consider every item they use.
Bosses seem like they’ll steal the show when Silver Pines launches in full, but the main enemies have been well thought out, too, with intricately nasty designs and interesting combat patterns.
Silver Pines is looking like it’ll be a hit when it launches on October 8, 2026. Between this title and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, among other titles, this upcoming Halloween is going to be one to remember for fans of all things dark, Lynchian, and macabre. I’d highly recommend keeping an eye out for Silver Pines if you’re a survival horror fanatic.
FAQs
Silver Pines was developed by Wych Elm and published by Team17.
Silver Pines is a survival horror Metroidvania.
Silver Pines is due to be released on October 8, 2026.
Based on what I’ve seen so far, Silver Pines does look like it’ll be scary; it might not be quite as intense as games like ROUTINE or Visage, but it’ll still pack a punch and feel deeply unsettling to play through.
About The Author
