Screen Burn announces composer and sound team for Silent Hill: Townfall

Any fan of the Silent Hill series knows that an integral part of those games is their music and sound design. These have often been handled by Akira Yamaoka, who’s been with the series since the first game. His iconic work has become highly-regarded by both fans and critics; particularly his music, which manages to hit a dynamic range between sounding beautiful or deeply emotional at times, and sounding like the stuff of nightmares at others. 

It came as a surprise, then, when it was revealed on April 7 that he would not be working on Screen Burn’s Silent Hill: Townfall. Instead, it was revealed that Anthony Scott Burns, also known as Pilotpriest, would be composing the latest upcoming entry. 

However, Silent Hill fans don’t need to worry. Burns is no stranger to the horror genre, having written, directed, and composed a handful of films, on top of releasing several albums since 2012. Not only that, but Townfall’s writer and director Jon McKellan made a blog post about the announcement featuring an interview with Burns. In it, Burns describes his deep veneration for both the Silent Hill series and the compositions of Akira Yamaoka. 

“When I first came across SILENT HILL, I was not only struck by the artistry, mood, and careful construction of emotional tone, I was immediately hit by the fact that this ‘game’ was actually frightening me,” described Burns. “As I continued playing, I rapidly realized how much of the primal terror came from Yamaoka-san’s haunting score… The music didn't just support the experience: it defined it. I found myself both admiring the work, and wondering if I’d ever get close to something that resonant or affecting.”

“When I met Jon and the team at Screen Burn,” Burns continues, “I didn’t hesitate: I told them I needed to score Townfall. Fortunately, they entertained the thought, and there was immediate alignment, a shared understanding, and a mutual love of all the aspects of the franchise that felt ‘right’ for their chapter.”

“Crafting this score has been one of the highlights of my life, and the most natural creative collaboration of my career,” says Burns in regards to his work on Townfall. “I have been given the rare opportunity to explore and experiment because our goal has always been unified: to create something emotionally honest, rooted in fear, and entirely true to the spirit of the series.”

Burns ends the interview by detailing his hope that, “our love of the material, years of distillation, and sincere efforts will carry that weight for the players, and for those who originally created this beautiful nightmare for us to play within.”

Before concluding the blog post, McKellan also announced that Screen Burn has been working with Byron Bullock and his team at Arrival on the audio of Townfall. This isn’t the first collaboration between McKellan and Bullock. Previously, the two worked closely together on the sound design for Alien: Isolation (2014). McKellan describes Bullock’s team as becoming a “co-dev partner” on Townfall, “handling all aspects of the game’s audio from cutscene, foley and sound effects, through to implementing a fully dynamic score system that evolves as you play; reacting to you and your enemies’ actions to enhance the experience, working closely with Pilotpriest to craft every dynamic stem, loop and stinger.”

Coinciding with the announcement was the release of a music track from Silent Hill: Townfall, titled “Home.” Set to in-game visuals, the song contains a resonant and somber piano that feels reminiscent of Akira Yamaoka’s scores, yet carves out an identity unique to Pilotpriest and Townfall.

Developed by Screen Burn and published by both Konami and Annapurna Interactive, Silent Hill: Townfall takes place in 1996 Scotland and follows Simon Ordell as he is called back to the island of St. Amelia to “put things right.” He encounters a quiet town buried under heavy fog, seemingly abandoned but not at rest. Played entirely in first-person, Simon must explore, evade, and survive against otherworldly monsters using a limited set of weapons and tools, including a pocket CRTV radio found on arrival. As he dives deeper into St. Amelia, Simon will discover a truth that refuses to stay submerged. Silent Hill: Townfall is slated to release later this year for PS5, Steam, and Epic Games Stores.