Children of Silentown

Pre-review

Since the release of Day Of The Tentacle or Escape from Monkey Island, there has always been a curiosity surrounding point and click adventures and occasionally, a decent one finds it’s way into the mainstream gaming sphere. As modern visuals and gameplay go from strength to strength, it’s sometimes refreshing to go back to basics and let puzzles, narrative and discovery lead the way. From the looks of things, that seems like The Children Of Silentown is aiming to do.

This game plays rather like old point and click adventures such as Grim Fandango or other Tim Schafer creations. However, there is an inherent sense of creepiness about this one. It has a real Tim Burton style and feel to the presentation and does more than enough to intrigue players that aren’t the least bit interested in point and click games.

Silent but deadly

First, let’s talk about the overall presentation of this game. The art direction is sublime, to say the least. The title mixes cartoon style, Tim Burton inspired character models and structures with hand drawn realistic environments and backgrounds. All of which culminate to give diverse and beautifully imagined surroundings for the player to explore.

Couple this with an outstanding soundtrack that captures all the themes of the narrative in real time. When the story requires tension, you’ll have it in spades. When the story wants the player to feel melancholy, it achieves it with ease. Then if the intensity cranks up to eleven, then so does the fantastic musical score.

Not to mention how they incorporate the protagonist, Lucy’s singing voice into the gameplay. Its a mechanic that was seen in popular indie title Transistor, with great results. Presentation is clearly something that was very important to the developers for this game and it shows.

A marvellous mystery

The game has a narrative that really draws the player in from the moment you begin this adventure. The concept is rather simple yet it hits a series of notes that will have you feeling a range of emotions throughout the story. The characters are also very well written and you can really empathise with the struggles that the inhabitants of this town have to go through.

Keep your eyes peeled!

There isn’t much else we can truly say about this one without getting our hands on the full release of this title. This one was set for release in May of this year but due to the global pandemic, we are still yet to see this one in its full form. It seems like one that will truly be one of the most intriguing, creepy and unsettling games of 2020. So at this one to your steam watch list and prepare for one of the most interesting point and click adventures to date.

Doesn't the Children of Silentown sound like a B-grade horror movie? The title intrigues me as a game here. We will probably get a slasher-flick or a narrative-heavy adventure game. The latter is a point-and-click story with players unraveling the mystery behind disappearances in a deep dark forest village.

It's the art style that could reel people in immediately, where the visuals present themselves like a dark children's fairytale. Naturally, you'll want to see how the narrative unfolds in such a peculiar dark world. Is there plenty to enjoy about Children of Silentown, though? The title still needs to prove its worth mechanically and narratively, so we'll have to play to find out.

The Sage of Silentown

We can say that Children of Silentown is remarkable visually. The 2D, hand-drawn art builds a curious world to set up the narrative for the game impeccably, where the isolated village vibe is real. The title is all about how this odd forest settlement regularly sees people disappearing without any of the seemingly brainwashed characters giving a toss about why.

Our curious protagonist, Lucy, comes of age to satisfy her curiosities about why this keeps happening, finding that she's bitten off more than she can chew. The point-and-click adventure mechanics have players exploring the town and the surrounding forest to piece together the narrative and discover why her home isn't what it seems. While all straightforward, gameplay is compelling.

The rich story, character development, and interactive puzzles bring this strange game world to life, and that's what builds the most enjoyable aspect of Children of Silentown. Using music to shape action, crafting items of value, and interacting with nature also contribute to cultivating this unique atmosphere that's as satisfying as it is eerie.

Despite the game's slow start and the challenge of familiarizing yourself with gameplay, Children of Silentown becomes riveting. There's a decent balance between leveraging consistent point-and-click mechanics and diversifying through narrative. While not perfect, the game states that it could be considered one of the more intriguing indie titles this year.

Lucy on the Ground with Disappearances

The core issue with adventure games like Children of Silentown is that the game world becomes so unique that getting immersed in it through gameplay can be daunting. However, give the title some time, and it will grow on you like white rice. There's been a lot of effort put into curating a story, and environment players will love it. Eventually, you'll be throwing hours into it.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Beautiful art creates a fascinating game world
• Diverse point-and-click mechanics keep players entertained
• A great narrative

Cons:

• The slow start might put some players off
• The sound design could be improved