Silver Pines is an admirable scare with rough edges

Part a love letter to David Lynch, part a revival of Another World, Silver Pines is an ambitious, often gorgeous and moody, but also thoroughly frustrating bit of survival horror that I want to love more than I probably do.

Set in the town of Silver Pines, the horror adventure borrows liberally from Twin Peaks in atmosphere, style, and humor, occasionally dipping into a Clive Barker-level sense of macabre. The player takes the mantle of Red Walker, a private eye who has come to the sleepy town to find Eddie Velvet, a two-bit musician who has vanished. As the story begins, a devastating storm approaches the town, and unspeakable creatures of the night along with it.

Developed by Scandinavian group Wych Elm Games, Silver Pines doesn't try to hide its influences. If anything, it's as much a celebration of everything that inspired it as it is its own thing. For those of us who grew up with the SNES and old-school side-scrolling adventures, the controls and gameplay mechanics will feel right at home. The aforementioned Another World, Heart of Darkness, and even early iterations of Alone in the Dark are clear influences, and you'll find plenty of cheeky nods to both films and games of the 80s and 90s scattered throughout the episodic narrative.

In a way, it's a tremendous feat of reverse-engineering that understands perfectly what makes its influences tick. Silver Pines embraces every trick in the book, yet somehow manages to feel like its own thing, which is not an easy feat in this day and age. In fact, leaning on familiarity is usually the death knell for projects borne from adoration. The fact that Silver Pines doesn't just work as a tribute act, but as its own thing is a testament to the talents of the developers, who've fine-tuned every scare, every obstacle, and even contrivance to their benefit.

The world map of Silver Pines is that of a Metroidvania, meaning much of the gameplay is spent going back and forth between closed doors, hidden switches, and obtuse puzzles. It's best not to question the logic on display, as otherwise Silver Pines falls apart the same way as any Lynchian property. These things exist in a dreamlike state where you go along with the terror or walk away entirely.

Combat, similarly, is to be avoided, at least until the end, when you're better prepared for what's to come. Like its inspirations, Silver Pines casts you as the underdog, who will have their face eaten if not careful, and there's a perpetual sense that everyone in this world, right down to the ravens, knows more than you. When you're just exploring, putting together clues, and peering beyond the veil to the other side, Silver Pines is an immaculate horror experience that everyone should try at least once.

Unfortunately, Silver Pines rigidly follows the guidelines of old-school control mechanics as well, and they're the one thing that hasn't aged well at all. Platforming, running, and even attempting to pick up objects are all a pain, and the clumsy movements lead to more than one death during a playthrough. It's not even a case of difficulty, just poor controls, and those were never fun back when Another World did it, and they're certainly not fun now.

Combine that with tedious boss encounters, of which there are just a few too many, and Silver Pines threatens to overstay its welcome. The plot, if you can call it that, is loose to put it kindly, and leans heavily on not explaining anything as a means of getting away with nonsensical twists. It's moody, gorgeously told, and it understands the source material wonderfully. It's just very, very empty. Such contradictions can be true at once.

But did I consider any of this while playing through Silver Pines? Rarely. Most of the time I was too busy marveling at the impeccable atmosphere, superlative art design, and moody locations to care about how little sense the plot made. It was only towards the end, as I tried to figure out how far I had to backtrack with each new key, that I felt annoyed by the back and forth. In the moment, I was too spellbound by the big picture, and that's usually a good sign.

Wych Elm Games is only a five-person team, and as such their work is hugely impressive. Silver Pines isn't perfect, but it is a remarkable feat of genre-engineering that understands where it comes from, and what it wants to achieve. I wish it took more liberties with modern accessibility and control mechanics, but even that feels like sour grapes when everything else is this good.

If you're a fan of horror games, Metroidvanias, and David Lynch, you owe it to yourself to play Silver Pines. It's that simple.