Silver Pines is a 2D side-scrolling metroidvania survival horror game featuring rotoscoped animation that creates an eerie, uncanny valley effect blending realistic and unsettling visuals [1, 2]. Players take on the role of private investigator Red Walker, who pursues a missing musician named Eddie Velvet in the nearly evacuated, monster-infested town of Silver Pines [1, 2].
The game draws heavy inspiration from classic horror settings such as Twin Peaks, Alan Wake's Bright Falls, Resident Evil, and Silent Hill [1, 2]. Developer Wych Elm described Silver Pines as a "love letter to classic survival horror" [1].
Gameplay focuses on survival horror mechanics, including limited resources, a small inventory, healing herbs, and light puzzles [1]. Combat begins with slow weapons like a boxcutter and involves tactics such as striking monsters' shins to avoid critical damage [1]. Firearms become available later, but close-range fighting remains central [1].
Silver Pines features a layered world traversal system where players explore areas in east-west directions and delve deeper into locations—moving for example from a diner to a distant lighthouse [2]. The art style’s rotoscoped animation adds a unique visual signature, amplifying the game's unsettling atmosphere [2]. Developers also appear as character models within the game, blurring the line between reality and horror [2].
Rock Paper Shotgun previewed the opening hour of Silver Pines earlier this year at a Team17 event in January 2026 [2]. The game’s official worldwide release date is October 8, 2026 [2].
