Silver Pines debuts at 88 on OpenCritic; combat draws fire
Wych Elm's survival horror metroidvania arrives today on five platforms with scores from 8 to 10; the Steam price is $24.99, with a launch discount.
Silver Pines arrives today, Oct. 8, with Team17 as publisher. It is the debut of the studio Wych Elm: a 2D survival horror game built like a metroidvania, set in a small American town that critics compare to Silent Hill and Twin Peaks. It launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Switch 2 and PC.
Most reviews appeared on Oct. 6. On OpenCritic, which aggregates critic reviews, the average is 88, and the lowest scores on the first page are 8 out of 10.
What each outlet scored
These are the scores on the first page of reviews on OpenCritic, each on the outlet's own scale. Gameliner and KonsoliFIN published text without a score.
| Outlet | Score |
|---|---|
| VDGMS | 8/10 |
| SECTOR.sk | 8/10 |
| The Games Machine | 8.1/10 |
| Gamefa | 8.5/10 |
| PlayStation Universe | 8.5/10 |
| GameBlast | 9/10 |
| Digital Chumps | 9/10 |
| PS3Blog.net | 9/10 |
| GameSpew | 9/10 |
| TheSixthAxis | 9/10 |
| República DG | 9.2/10 |
| JsemGamer | 89 % |
| PSX Brasil | 90/100 |
| Game8 | 90/100 |
| Evilgamerz | 9.5/10 |
| Pure Dead Gaming | 9.5/10 |
| DualShockers | 9.5/10 |
| CGMagazine | 10/10 |
Critics praise the atmosphere, the flat-color look with film noir shadows, the puzzles and the pace of the opening. Richard Seagrave of GameSpew gave it 9 out of 10 and writes that the game "drips with atmosphere." He also praises the soundtrack and the voice acting.
The most repeated complaint is combat. GameSpew finds it clumsy, mostly in boss fights, and says dodging is hard to time in 2D. Thea Severance of PlayStation Universe gave it 8.5 out of 10 and mentions simple enemy AI and basic bosses. She adds that players must retrace their steps through empty stretches and that the story loses steam midway. She also says the mix leans toward exploration more than horror and survival.
Price
On Steam the game costs $24.99, or $22.49 with the 10 % launch discount. The Deluxe edition, with an art book and soundtrack, costs $31.99, or $28.79 with the discount. It carries a Mature rating.
Prices on PlayStation Store, Nintendo eShop and Xbox are not confirmed, and neither is the unlock time on each platform.
