Silent Nights
- March 10, 2023
- JustTomcuk
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Silent Nights" is a horror walking simulator focused on drama and psychological horror. After his grandmother expresses her sadness over her husband's death, Thomas visits her childhood home to help her cope. The game features realistic graphics, a touching story, and screamers, all built on Unreal Engine 5. It is the first game by indie developer Tomcuk, who encourages players to follow them on Twitter for updates. The free version is also available for players to try.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game effectively captures a creepy atmosphere, especially in the house section, with well-timed jump scares that can genuinely startle players.
- The graphics and attention to detail are impressive, creating an immersive experience that enhances the horror elements.
- Despite its flaws, the game offers a touching story that resonates with players, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including poor performance, unbound controls, and visual glitches that break immersion.
- Many jump scares are predictable and poorly executed, diminishing their impact and making the gameplay feel less engaging.
- The pacing is hindered by slow movement speed and confusing objectives, particularly in the outdoor sections, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- story20 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it touching and emotionally resonant, while others felt it was confusing and had plot holes. Despite its linearity and occasional lack of clarity, many appreciated the heartfelt themes of grief and aging, as well as the strong atmosphere and graphics. Overall, the narrative is seen as a decent, albeit flawed, aspect of the game that holds interest and evokes emotion.
“Just like every walking sim out there, the game is very linear but the story was touching indeed.”
“The graphics were incredible and the storytelling was phenomenal.”
“However, the story was touching, and the graphics were very nice, that is more than a lot of horror games provide.”
“It tries to tell a story that in the end really didn't make much sense.”
“The story was a little difficult to follow and the game was a little confusing at times (mostly once you get outside) but this was a really good first game for this developer!”
“I did get a bit confused with some of the story, like with the whole murder suspect and such.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game received mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning environments and attention to detail, while others found the visuals to be average. Some players experienced frame rate drops even on high-end systems, but overall, the graphics were considered good for the game's price, contributing positively to the atmosphere and storytelling.
“The environment and graphics and attention to detail were absolutely stunning.”
“The graphics were incredible and the storytelling was phenomenal.”
“However, the story was touching, and the graphics were very nice; that is more than a lot of horror games provide.”
“The visuals are kind of average, as is the audio.”
“I also experienced some random frame rate drops in 4K resolution with an RTX 3080 and i9 processor, no matter what graphic settings I selected.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its creepy and immersive qualities, particularly in the house sections, with effective sound design and jump scares enhancing the experience. However, some areas, like the forest, are criticized for being dull and lacking tension. Overall, while the game successfully creates a spooky environment, there are suggestions that it could have further developed its atmospheric elements.
“First two chapters: great jump scares, good audio effects, eerie atmosphere, and well-structured story.”
“Silent Nights offers beautiful and spooky environments, moody lighting and atmosphere, and an alternate ending that makes it worth a second playthrough.”
“The house section definitely captured the horror atmosphere well, but the forest part was nothing but boring and lacked the tension that the game seemed to promise.”
“The scary moments are mostly the jump scares that you get at times, but the atmosphere is creepy in itself.”
“Atmosphere: overall very reasonable - did enough to keep the 'scare' up but could have done a lot more!”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Silent Nights" is described as fun but somewhat limited, with a playtime of around 45 minutes and a few mechanics that are unclear or buggy, such as issues with the lighter. Despite its short length and minor gameplay flaws, the game effectively delivers scares and a compelling story about grief and aging. Overall, it offers a decent experience for its low price.
“The setting was nice... the gameplay was pretty fun... and the story paced along good enough to hold my interest.”
“This game is just a couple of dollars and will give you a couple of hours of gameplay.”
“A few mechanics were unclear/had issues.”
“Gameplay: a tad buggy - could not get the lighter to work - kept vanishing...so played most in the dark when there was no need.”
“Pretty short game (I was on pause for a considerable amount of time streaming. Real gameplay ~45 min) but it packs a punch!”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game evokes strong emotions through its touching and heartfelt story, effectively addressing themes of grief and aging, despite its linear gameplay and limited interactivity. Players appreciate the wholesome elements and the emotional impact, which stand out even in a horror context. Overall, the narrative resonates deeply, enhancing the overall experience.
“Just like every walking sim out there, the game is very linear, but the story was touching indeed.”
“Despite having nothing to do with Christmas and not having much gameplay, Silent Nights still delivers some cheap but effective scares and a heartfelt story about grief and aging.”
“However, the story was touching, and the graphics were very nice; that is more than a lot of horror games provide.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for various bugs, including camera detachment, visual glitches like shadow popping and lighting issues, and gameplay problems such as disappearing items and invisible walls. Overall, players report a frustrating experience due to these technical issues.
“Camera detached from player, buggy mess.”
“It looks okay, running on the Unreal Engine, but there are a few visual glitches, mostly shadow popping and lighting issues.”
“Also encountered glitches and invisible walls.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received criticism for poor performance, although it is noted to be an improvement over "abandoned souls."
“The game performance is quite bad, though still better than 'Abandoned Souls.'”
“Optimization issues make the game feel sluggish and unresponsive.”
“Frequent frame drops and long loading times severely impact the overall experience.”
