– Advertisement –
I love a great strategy game. There is nothing better than testing your grey matter and outwitting your opponents. However, Songs of Silence occasionally gets this element wrong. The slight imbalance causes frustration and undermines many of the creative and interesting moments. Yet, if you can look past this issue and work through the pain, you’ll enjoy a genuinely fun but tough game.
This semi-auto-battler was developed and published by Chimera Entertainment. Moreover, there is a combination of single-player and online multiplayer action. This isn’t new for this genre, but I appreciated the ability to thwart my friends or prove my tactical prowess to strangers online. Either way, I had a great time as I ransacked settlements and watched battles unfold before my eyes.
Songs of Silence is a lore-riddled joy.
Songs of Silence focuses on a classic approach. As such, you enjoy some wonderful narration and interesting battles. Alongside this, the side quests and interesting overworld keep you going from start to end. Though these elements were great, I loved the interaction between each leader and the oodles of lore you uncover.
No matter which mode you try, you will enjoy familiar core mechanics. The campaign spans 8 chapters that become increasingly difficult. If you love an almost unfair challenge, you will cherish this tactical monster. My abilities were put to the test in chapter 5 and it pushed my patience and resolve. Furthermore, hours were invested in the unfair nature of chapter 6 and I begged for mercy as I lost wave after wave of destructive brutes. Sadly, this is something that will break the hardiest of gamers and it needs to be addressed.
A tale of 2 halves.
The action is split into 2 ideas. First, you must explore a vast overworld with your commanders. Each battalion must move across the world to find new settlements to capture and resources to steal. En route, they will encounter aggressive foes or NPCs offering to help your cause. During each campaign, you are set key goals that must be achieved. As you falter, your leaders must rest and a new approach must be considered. It is this tactical layer that keeps you coming back for more.
The auto-battler element is much deeper than expected. A combination of formation, troops, and special abilities guide you to victory. Though it can be tough to keep on top of things, I loved the automatic slowdown and the ability to pause things for a breath. Your army comprises an array of different units and you must eliminate tricky opponents whilst the AI does the rest. This slightly hands-off idea takes some getting used to. Yet, once you are familiar with the finer points, you can manipulate each battle and turn the tide in your favour.
The ugly.
I’ve covered the lack of balance. Songs of Silence needs to address its campaign mode as the computer AI seems somewhat tougher, faster, and better organised than anything I could muster. This is particularly infuriating in the latter stages as the already tough levels just seem that little bit harder still. Thankfully, this wasn’t so much of an issue when playing online.
I rarely focus on frame rates unless it is awful. Unfortunately, I had real problems with low frame rate during the hectic battles. The game ground to a stop and this was extremely disconcerting. Though things soon caught up, it was slightly nauseating and not what I expected when playing on a “next-gen” machine. I’m not sure if this issue is present for PS5 or high-end PC gamers, but the Xbox Series X struggled at times.
Songs of Silence looks nice.
Despite the frame rate issues, I loved the massive overworld and the incredible battlefields. The vast spaces were captivating and the hellish movement of every squadron was great to look at. Arrows fly and cavalry charge with devastating consequences. Alongside this, I loved to watch the ability of my commanders play out as I watched the battle unfold. Alongside this, the intuitive UI was a pleasure to work with. No matter what was happening, I was able to remain in control and work through each battle.
The audio combines quiet sombre moments with ear-splitting noises. Additionally, the music blends soft and melancholy tracks with heartstopping and dramatic tunes. This attention-seeking audio should have been overwhelming but it wasn’t. Instead, it helps to enhance the lore and suck you into the action.
Incredible controls.
I expected this to be horrible to play. However, a thorough tutorial and excellent UI help you to overcome every early hurdle. This user-friendly approach will appeal to genre newbies and gamers who wish for a straightforward experience. Though there was the occasional input issue because of the frame rate, this didn’t put me off too much.
I struggled with the latter game and this made completing Songs of Silence a bit of a chore. This was disappointing as I enjoyed it up to the final 3 chapters. Moreover, the ability to play this with friends online makes it moreish and pretty darn addictive. Consequently, if you love this genre and you can forgive the brutal progression curve, you will want to come back for more.
Songs of Silence doesn’t get it quite right.
I cannot overlook the few issues that I faced. Normally, I’d shrug them off and move on. Yet, Songs of Silence has made the end game so tough that I cannot ignore it. The frame rate makes an already tough game just a little too hard, which was a shame. This would be an amazing tactical auto-battler if this can be resolved and ironed out. Despite the issues, I recommend buying it here! Can you prove your worth and capture every settlement in sight? Master each commander, build your army and prove your tactical prowess.
