REVIEW: FIRE AND ASHES (2026 Video Game) - on PS5

Review by Jon Donnis

FIRE AND ASHES is a first-person psychological survival horror game that mixes disturbing imagery, a sinister psychiatric hospital and a mystery surrounding its protagonist, Henry Gray. Set in 1977, the game opens with Henry waking up in a bathtub filled with blood inside a psychiatric ward. It is an unsettling introduction to a nightmare involving deranged patients, secret experiments and horrors that may have as much to do with Henry's past as the world around him.

There is a decent game here, but FIRE AND ASHES never quite fulfils its potential. It gets plenty right when it comes to atmosphere and storytelling, yet some questionable design choices and a lack of polish hold it back.

The atmosphere is easily one of its strongest features. The hospital feels threatening, with dark corridors, unsettling surroundings and effective lighting that helps build tension. I particularly liked the way the game uses its environments to create a sense of unease, making exploration feel dangerous even when there is no immediate threat in sight.

The sound design also contributes to the experience, reinforcing the disturbing atmosphere without relying entirely on jump scares. There is a persistent feeling that something is not quite right, which suits the psychological horror setting nicely.

Henry's story provides another reason to keep playing. As you explore locations connected to his past, clues gradually reveal more about the tragedy that led to his confinement. The mystery is intriguing, and the suggestion that Henry's own mind may be as dangerous as the creatures pursuing him adds another layer to the narrative. Although some developments are difficult to follow, I found the central mystery interesting enough to maintain my curiosity.

There is also a reasonable variety of enemies, ranging from crazed patients and cannibals to experimental subjects and stranger creations. This gives the game a suitably disturbing collection of threats, although encounters can become repetitive, particularly when combat starts to feel more like an inconvenience than a genuine test of survival.

Unfortunately, combat is one of the areas where FIRE AND ASHES feels rough around the edges. Fighting lacks the polish and responsiveness I would expect from a more accomplished survival horror game, and some encounters become unnecessarily clumsy. The game is generally straightforward to play, which makes it accessible, but simplicity is not always a substitute for satisfying mechanics.

The puzzles are another mixed bag. They provide a welcome break from exploring and fighting, but most are fairly straightforward and rarely offer much of a challenge. The pacing can also be uneven, with quieter stretches occasionally taking the momentum out of an otherwise tense experience.

My biggest disappointment, however, is the voice-based mechanic. This is presented as one of the game's defining features, with players supposedly able to use their breathing, whispers and other vocal sounds to influence encounters. You can attract enemies, distract them or create opportunities to escape, while a microphone is recommended for the intended experience.

The idea sounds promising, but the execution left me disappointed. There is no genuine voice recognition in the experience I played. When presented with dialogue choices, I instinctively spoke my answer aloud, expecting the game to recognise what I was saying. Nothing happened.

Instead, the mechanic is essentially about producing sounds at the appropriate level, rather than actually understanding your voice. While it is an interesting gimmick initially, the novelty wears off quickly. Before long, pressing a button to achieve the same result feels like the more sensible option.

It is a shame because proper voice recognition could have made encounters far more immersive, particularly when trying to remain quiet while enemies are nearby. As implemented, the mechanic feels underused and ultimately adds much less to the experience than I had hoped.

Visually, FIRE AND ASHES has its moments. The lighting works well, and some environments are genuinely unsettling, but the presentation is inconsistent. Certain areas lack detail, while character animations and enemy behaviour can occasionally undermine the atmosphere. These issues are not disastrous on their own, but they become harder to overlook when the game depends so heavily on immersion.

The story also relies on familiar horror conventions. There is nothing inherently wrong with secret laboratories, disturbing experiments and sinister medical facilities, but FIRE AND ASHES does not always do enough with these ideas to make them feel fresh. Some narrative developments could also have been explained more clearly, leaving parts of the experience feeling underdeveloped.

Despite these shortcomings, I did find things to enjoy. The atmosphere is effective, Henry's story gives you a reason to keep exploring, and the combination of investigation, puzzles and survival provides a decent foundation. It is also relatively easy to pick up, without demanding extensive experience with the genre.

My main frustration is that FIRE AND ASHES feels like a game with better ideas than execution. The developers have established an interesting setting and introduced a potentially distinctive mechanic, but the combat, presentation and underwhelming voice system prevent the experience from reaching the next level.

For a PS5 game released in 2026, I would have liked to see more polish. That said, this is not a complete failure. There is an engaging story beneath the familiar horror tropes, and the unsettling atmosphere makes the journey worthwhile if you can overlook its rougher edges.

FIRE AND ASHES is a decent survival horror game that shows flashes of promise without delivering anything particularly special. I enjoyed parts of it, but I came away feeling that a little more refinement and a more ambitious approach to its central mechanic could have made a considerable difference.

I score FIRE AND ASHES a fair 6 out of 10

Out Now on PlayStation

https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10019396

REVIEW: Silent Hill: Townfall (2026 Video Game) - on PC

Review by Jon Donnis

Silent Hill: Townfall is an ambitious new chapter for the series, and for much of its running time it feels like a very confident one. Set on the fictional Scottish island of St. Amelia in 1996, it takes Silent Hill away from its traditional American surroundings and gives the series a distinctly British setting. It is a change that works remarkably well. Unfortunately, Townfall also makes some questionable decisions with its stealth and combat, and those weaknesses become increasingly difficult to ignore as the game progresses.

The first thing that stands out is just how well St. Amelia has been created. The fog, deserted streets, abandoned communities and forgotten corners give the island an oppressive sense of isolation, while the recreation of 1990s Britain is one of the game's strongest achievements. Estates and shopping centres in particular have a convincing period feel, making the setting feel tangible rather than simply designed as a generic horror backdrop.

Screen Burn has done an excellent job with the world itself. There is a constant feeling that something is not quite right, even when nothing particularly frightening is happening. Townfall understands the value of atmosphere and small details, allowing the environment to tell parts of its story without constantly pushing information in front of the player.

The decision to present the entire game from a first-person perspective also suits this approach. It makes exploration feel more immediate and places the player directly inside Simon Ordell's experience. The restricted visibility provided by the fog adds to that sense of vulnerability, while the close perspective makes strange noises and unexpected discoveries considerably more effective. 

Townfall's story takes a similarly measured approach. Rather than immediately explaining Simon's connection to St. Amelia, the game gradually exposes fragments of the past and allows the player to speculate about what they mean. That patience works in its favour. There is enough information to encourage theories, but enough uncertainty to keep the mystery alive.

The use of three character perspectives gives the narrative another dimension. Seeing events through different viewpoints makes the story more psychologically complicated than it might initially appear. Themes of loss, consequence and introspection sit naturally within the setting, and the multiple endings give the player's actions additional significance.

The CRTV is perhaps the game's most distinctive idea. The portable television acts as a modern reinterpretation of the series' familiar radio, allowing Simon to pick up unstable signals containing clues, fragments of conversations and glimpses of events. It is more than an alternative way of delivering exposition. It becomes part of exploration, puzzle solving and dealing with threats, giving Townfall a mechanic that feels genuinely connected to its story, even if it feels a bit like the nonsense they use on Most Haunted, or Ghost Hunters.

The puzzles are generally effective for the same reason. Many are rooted in the narrative and the environment rather than feeling like arbitrary challenges placed between sections of the game. Discovering the answer can therefore feel like piecing together another part of St. Amelia's history. A few later puzzles are less successful, however, with unclear solutions occasionally pushing the player towards trial and error instead of deduction.

Audio is another area where Townfall deserves considerable credit. Environmental sounds constantly keep the player alert, while the soundtrack by Pilotpriest dynamically responds to events and helps shape the mood. The combination of music, distant noises and the unsettling sounds of the environment creates some genuinely uncomfortable moments without relying exclusively on conventional jump scares.

Unfortunately, the game's biggest weakness is also one of its most prominent features. Stealth is central to a large portion of Townfall, but the mechanics are not reliable enough to support it. Enemies can sometimes detect or grab Simon despite what appears to be a successful attempt to remain hidden, leaving the player unsure whether they made a mistake or whether the detection system simply behaved unpredictably.

That problem becomes more noticeable because there is relatively little enemy variety. Once the initial novelty has worn off, several encounters begin to follow familiar patterns, and the emphasis on avoiding rather than confronting threats can make certain sections feel considerably longer than they need to be.

The situation is worse in some of the later areas, where enemies that cannot be killed force the player to concentrate almost entirely on finding a route past them. This can produce moments of genuine tension, but the effect does not last indefinitely. Eventually, hiding and waiting for an opening becomes an exercise in patience rather than fear.

The CRTV introduces another problem when Townfall occasionally places enemies into encounters where they cannot be detected through the device. While this can initially seem like a clever way of keeping the player uncertain, it can also feel as though the game's established rules have suddenly changed. The result is an encounter that feels unfair rather than frightening.

Combat does not provide a particularly satisfying alternative. The melee system can feel clumsy, while firearms do little to make confronting enemies especially enjoyable. There are situations where abandoning stealth and simply fighting becomes the less frustrating option, which is not ideal in a game so heavily built around avoiding danger.

These issues are particularly disappointing because Townfall's other systems are considerably more successful. The CRTV gives the game its own identity, the narrative has enough mystery to keep the player interested, and the setting is among the most convincing new environments the series has produced. The multiple perspectives also add something meaningful to the story rather than simply providing another gimmick.

There are also moments when the different elements come together beautifully. Exploring St. Amelia while listening to an unsettling soundtrack, discovering another fragment through the CRTV and gradually understanding what happened there captures the essence of psychological horror far better than some of the more action-focused encounters.

That contrast ultimately defines Townfall. The game is at its best when it slows down and allows its setting, story and atmosphere to do the work. It is at its weakest when it demands prolonged stealth sequences or awkward confrontations with enemies. The former can be genuinely memorable, while the latter can feel like obstacles standing between the player and the parts of the game that are considerably more interesting.

Despite those shortcomings, Townfall does succeed in reimagining Silent Hill without losing the qualities that have made the franchise distinctive. Scotland in 1996 proves to be a surprisingly effective setting, and the game's commitment to atmosphere, psychological storytelling and environmental detail gives it a strong identity of its own.

The problem is that the encounter design is not on the same level as the rest of the game. By the later stages, the stealth-heavy structure has become a slog, and some of the tension created so effectively earlier has been replaced by frustration. There is too much time spent waiting for enemies to move, searching for safe routes and dealing with systems that do not always behave consistently.

Silent Hill: Townfall is therefore a game of considerable strengths and some equally obvious weaknesses. The atmosphere is exceptional, the setting is superbly realised, the story is compelling, the CRTV is an inspired addition and the three perspectives give the narrative genuine depth. Unfortunately, the stealth and combat prevent those strengths from carrying the experience all the way through.

Townfall hits more often than it misses, but when it misses, it can miss badly. There is an excellent psychological horror experience here, buried beneath some frustrating encounter design and an increasingly tedious final stretch.

I score Silent Hill: Townfall a disappointing 6.5 out of 10.

Out Now

UK https://link.amazon/B0j8FF3ps

US https://amzn.to/4z69ca9

REVIEW: UFOPHILIA (2026 Video Game) - on PC Steam

Review by Jon Donnis

UFOPHILIA leans into the unnerving investigation type feeling from the very first mission. This first person psychological horror game casts you as an investigator whose obsession with UFO sightings has pushed them into the wild, chasing reports of close encounters and trying to prove, with cold hard evidence, that we are not alone. It is a simple hook, but an effective one.

Each mission begins quietly inside your cramped RV, which serves as both headquarters and safe haven. Screens flicker, equipment hums, and your tools are laid out like a ghost hunter's kit bag. Cameras, motion detectors, EMF readers, magnetic wave sensors and more sit ready to be deployed. From there you select a location tied to sightings, then step out into the dark with only your gear and your nerves for company. It is a strong setup that immediately sells the fantasy of being a lone field researcher rather than a typical horror game protagonist.

The structure is clear and methodical. First you pick the job, then you gather clues and identify what sort of alien might be present. After that you narrow down the spawn zone where it first appeared, before finally facing the thing itself and attempting to photograph it. That final step is where the tension spikes. The game constantly reminds you that this is not just a checklist. Each alien behaves differently and you must understand its quirks before getting close enough for proof. It turns the act of taking a photo into something that feels risky and oddly personal.

Where UFOPHILIA shines most is atmosphere. Missions are unpredictable, with randomised spawn zones and alien types, so you never feel entirely comfortable. One run might involve something curious and almost playful, another might feature something openly aggressive or even prone to abduction. The uncertainty keeps you alert. There are some genuinely sharp jump scares and a steady, lingering unease that follows you from start to finish. It is not constant screaming horror. It is the quieter kind, the sort that makes you hesitate before stepping into the next patch of darkness.

The investigative side is also handled well. There is a satisfying learning curve as the game gradually teaches you how to use each tool and how different bits of evidence fit together. You begin to think like an investigator, cross referencing phenomena back at the RV, trying to narrow down possibilities. Certain devices work better together, and discovering those little synergies feels rewarding. It gives the experience more depth than simply wandering about waiting for a monster to appear.

That said, the whole thing feels rough around the edges. The core ideas are solid, but the execution sometimes struggles to keep up. Movement and general gameplay can feel clunky, which chips away at the tension the game works so hard to build. Instead of feeling scared, you occasionally feel frustrated, and that is never ideal in a horror title.

Lighting is another sticking point. Dark scenes are not just moody, they are often so dark that basic navigation becomes a chore. You end up staring at the night vision screen on your camera just to see where you are going. That might be the intended design, but it is not especially enjoyable. What should be tense becomes fiddly, and the constant reliance on a tiny green display takes you out of the world. 

Then there are the aliens themselves. Despite nine unique types with different behaviours and weaknesses, they can come across as a bit bland. For a game built around discovering and documenting unknown lifeforms, they do not always feel as striking or memorable as they should. The concept promises the unknown, but the reality can feel oddly familiar.

Even so, there is potential here. The mission structure, the randomisation, the use of specialised tech and the uneasy tone all point towards something that could be genuinely special. Right now it feels like a project that needed more time in the oven. Another year of polish and refinement could easily turn it from a decent curiosity into a standout horror experience.

As it stands, UFOPHILIA is intriguing, tense in places and occasionally very effective, but also clearly unfinished. Worth a look for fans of slow burn investigative horror, just with tempered expectations. I score it 6 out of 10.

Out Now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3851320/UFOPHILIA/

REVIEW: Static Dread: The Lighthouse (2025 Video Game) - on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

Solarsuit Games has put together a curious mix of tension and sorrow with Static Dread: The Lighthouse. It is a psychological horror adventure wrapped inside a resource management loop, and at its best it feels like a slow descent into a brine soaked nightmare. You play the lone keeper of a forgotten lighthouse on a broken coastline, armed with little more than a temperamental radio and a beacon that seems to fight the darkness as much as illuminate it. Each night you wait for transmissions from ships in trouble, and every reply feels like it could drag you closer to the truth or tip you over the edge.

The atmosphere is the first thing that lands. The visual style is wonderfully unsettling. It gives the island and its waters a sense of rot and despair that never quite lets you breathe. The world feels steeped in folklore and unspoken rituals. You piece it together through static drenched calls, strange logs, and small glimpses of villagers who seem too calm about the things that move beneath the waves. The game takes cues from the clipped tension of Papers, Please and the creeping cosmic dread of old Lovecraft tales, yet it still manages to hold its own identity.

There is real strength in the branching story. Your decisions shape who survives the nights and what truths rise to the surface. Some of the endings veer wildly away from one another, which makes each run feel like a distinct journey. The writing leans heavily on dread rather than shock. It is slow, claustrophobic, and often quietly emotional, especially when reminders of the protagonist's family cut through the storm sounds and scratched out radio signals. It is a clever touch that gives weight to even the smallest choices.

That said, the game does stumble. The moment to moment play can drag. Once you settle into the rhythm of tuning frequencies and responding to distress calls, the repetition becomes obvious. It never quite pushes you hard enough. The danger feels more suggested than experienced, and players who prefer sharp jumps and sudden frights might be left wanting. The tension rises, but it rarely breaks in a way that truly shocks. As a result the nights start to blend together, and the challenge never reaches the heights the atmosphere promises.

It is a shame, because when the game hits its stride it is genuinely compelling. The unsettling art direction, the layered worldbuilding, and the moral grey areas all point toward something special. There is a good story here. The choices you make can twist it in surprising ways. You can feel the pressure building as one odd transmission follows another, and there are moments when the island feels alive with things you are not meant to understand. It just lacks that final spark to lift it from good to unforgettable.

Static Dread: The Lighthouse remains an intriguing attempt that offers tension, style, and a memorable premise, even if it sometimes circles the same waters for a little too long. It delivers an interesting experience with bright flashes of brilliance. It simply feels like it is missing a final layer of bite. For me it lands at a generous 7 out of 10.

Out Now on Xbox

https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/static-dread-the-lighthouse/9NFNS6H0BN4H