SILENT HILL: Townfall Beginner Guide — Your First Run

Before you press New Game

Recommended first-run plan: play for the story, learn the town’s systems, and open a specific puzzle answer only when stuck. This is an editorial recommendation; it does not require a particular ending or trophy route.

Your priority	Prepare first	Save habit
Experience the story with less friction	Story Mode combat; Hinted puzzles if you want help finding clues	Use phones and keep earlier saves
Find collectibles as you go	Open the checklist for your current Part	Rotate saves before leaving areas
Attempt Reject The Help	Read the dedicated challenge before the opening tutorial	Back out of the initial save prompt; avoid manual phone saves

The first two routes can overlap. The no-manual-save challenge removes the checkpoints that make a collection run recoverable, so we recommend a separate attempt once you know the route. Missables explains the tradeoff without listing the ending scenes.

1. Choose the two difficulty settings separately

Combat offers Story Mode, Normal and Nightmare. Puzzle difficulty offers Normal or Hinted. According to ShowGamer, both can be changed in Game Options, and the puzzle answers stay the same. Hinted helps you notice clues; it does not complete the puzzle for you.

PowerPyx’s trophy roadmap reports that Story Mode + Hinted can earn the full trophy list. Choose for the experience you want; there is no need to pick Nightmare just because a trophy has that word in its name. The difficulty guide separates reported differences from unverified damage numbers.

Before a longer session, review controls and accessibility. For PC startup trouble, crashes or stutter, use the PC issue checklist. Publisher system requirements are performance targets, not a guarantee for every machine.

2. Learn what a phone save does

The early phone tutorial introduces 100, the manual-save number. On a normal story or collection run, keep a save before committing to the next area and retain an older slot when possible. There is no chapter-select cleanup for missed pickups: an earlier save is your route back.

Exception: if you chose Reject The Help, follow that challenge’s opening-prompt instructions and avoid manual phone saves. Autosaves and phone saves are different systems. The saving guide explains both; do not follow a general “save often” tip blindly during this challenge.

3. Use the CRTV before rushing into a room

The handheld CRTV helps locate nearby threats and clues, as well as tune story signals. Raise it during exploration, check the source of interference, and use that information to choose a route. Some puzzle signals also need tilt and color alignment; knowing a code may not replace its clue interaction.

If you get stuck tuning, work through CRTV controls before assuming the puzzle is broken. On PS5, the official feature description says CRTV motion controls can be adjusted or disabled. We have not inferred a PC menu path from the controller description.

4. Make an escape plan before fighting

Check whether you can pass unseen or distract an enemy. If spotted, break line of sight around a corner or cover before entering a hiding place: an enemy that watches you climb in can pull you out. Blocking with a melee weapon can create an opening when a fight is unavoidable, but a block is not a promise of a safe counterattack in every encounter.

The combat and stealth guide expands these officially described mechanics. Preview button mappings and retail-facing information are labeled separately there.

5. Distinguish healing from Simon’s revive supplies

PowerPyx’s roadmap reports these basic recipes; a release review separately confirms that the IV Bag must be equipped for the revive:

In-game supplies	Result	Use
Gauze + Alcohol	Sterilized Gauze	Stronger healing than plain Gauze
Empty IV Bag + IV Fluid	Filled IV Bag	Equip it for Simon’s self-revive
Filled IV Bag + Antibiotics	Enhanced IV Bag	Equip it for Simon’s revive with a full health refill

The last recipe uses a later material; do not expect every upgrade at the start. These are fictional game items. The healing and crafting guide explains the equipment step, character restrictions and material timing. A bag left in the inventory unequipped will not revive Simon. A dedicated no-healing trophy run also needs its own rules before you spend supplies.

6. Start Arrival, then keep answers local to your problem

Continue with Part 1: Arrival. Its route connects the early hotel, houses and family clinic. When you want an answer, match both the area and story Part: the Shorefront clinic is not the later Medical Centre, and a hotel date dial is not a later symbol door.

Use Locations when you know the place but not the puzzle name. If collecting, open Part 1’s checklist and review it before the transition. You can keep ending requirements and late-game boss guides closed until you choose to read their spoilers.

Evidence and scope

This starting order is our editorial synthesis of the linked guides. The official PlayStation article supports the exploration and combat mechanics; the two walkthrough publishers support difficulty and challenge details. We have not completed a hardware benchmark or a new playthrough for this page.

Plan your playing time

Compare a first story run with a guided completion route in the story and platinum time guide. If you are combining goals, use the trophy route and save-conflict table before committing to a no-manual-save attempt.