Silent Storm
- October 2, 2013
- Nival
- 53h median play time
Get on Steam"Silent Storm" is a turn-based tactical RPG set in World War II, featuring a complex physics engine and destructible environments. Players control a squad of soldiers from various nations, completing missions and managing resources in a non-linear campaign. The game is known for its realism and deep customization options.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Silent Storm offers a unique blend of turn-based strategy and RPG elements, allowing for deep tactical gameplay with a variety of character classes and skills.
- The game features fully destructible environments, enabling players to creatively approach missions by blowing up walls or creating new paths.
- The character progression system is engaging, with soldiers gaining experience and skills based on their actions, adding depth to the gameplay.
- The AI can be inconsistent, sometimes leading to frustrating moments where enemies act illogically or fail to respond effectively.
- The voice acting and dialogue can be cheesy and poorly executed, detracting from the overall immersion of the game.
- Some players may find the introduction of Panzerkleins (mech suits) in the later stages of the game to be unbalanced and detracting from the WWII theme.
- story198 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 86 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally considered weak and often forgettable, with many reviewers noting its randomness and lack of coherence. While it features an interesting WWII setting and attempts to incorporate sci-fi elements, the narrative often feels disjointed and is marred by bugs that can hinder progression. Overall, players seem to appreciate the gameplay mechanics and mission variety more than the story itself, which is described as light and sometimes cheesy.
“The story deviates far from actual WWII into a kind of sci-fi direction, which is interesting.”
“You have a fascinating WWII setting, an amazing upgradable team that you can pick and choose for what the mission demands, and a beautiful addition of science fiction elements.”
“The plot takes you from scenario to scenario, trying to uncover this fascinating mystery.”
“The story is on the weaker side, so do not expect much in the way of plot.”
“The story is an okay spy thriller until it gets to the end where it goes off the rails.”
“The game's story is pretty bland and forgettable.”
- gameplay89 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a unique blend of real-time and turn-based mechanics, offering a satisfying tactical experience with a variety of combat options, including stealth and destructible environments. While many players appreciate the depth and customization available, some criticize the AI's limitations, clunky systems, and occasional bugs that can disrupt the flow of gameplay. Overall, despite its age, the game is praised for its solid mechanics and engaging strategic elements, making it a standout title in the tactical genre.
“The gameplay is what matters, and that's what excels here.”
“The combination of a physics-based world combined with a turn-based mechanic makes this one of the most unique squad combat games you'll ever play.”
“Absolutely brilliant and intense gameplay that requires strategy rather than spray and pray tactics.”
“Tried to enjoy this game, but it's janky as hell and seems unfinished with a lot of basic gameplay issues.”
“The gameplay itself, while okay, did nothing to keep my attention like it once did.”
“There is zero explanation of the game's mechanics.”
- graphics66 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, with many reviewers noting that they have not aged well and can appear drab or primitive. However, some players appreciate the nostalgic charm of the old-school visuals and highlight the game's solid physics engine and destructible environments, which still provide an engaging experience. While there are complaints about graphical bugs and limitations, particularly in the Steam version, many agree that the gameplay compensates for the visual shortcomings.
“Even with its age, it holds up graphically and the destruction engine makes it great fun in later game once you can start destroying whole buildings.”
“Despite its age, the gameplay, as well as its visuals, has aged pretty well.”
“This game has good combat mechanics, a strategic level-up system, and graphics that still hold up even today, which outweigh the cons, in my opinion.”
“The reason I don't recommend the Steam version is that it is lacking some files, making it impossible to finish the game, but also has graphical issues like no shadows and proper lighting.”
“Meanwhile, the S2 doesn't support widescreen and the resolution is very bad; if you try to run it in full screen, the graphics will tear and pixelate everywhere.”
“First off, the graphics haven't aged well, and if that is really that important to you, then don't buy it.”
- humor18 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of hilariously bad voice acting and absurd scenarios, such as British guards oblivious to the chaos around them. Players find the cheesy quips from characters amusing, often preferring the awkwardness of the dialogue over polished performances. Overall, the humor is described as a blend of intentional and unintentional comedy, contributing to memorable and entertaining moments throughout the gameplay.
“With the British guards on the front gate seemingly unaware that the building has half the German army hanging around inside it, turning it into a death trap... and then as the battle starts, all the AI-controlled friendly units who had seemingly been quite peaceful under German occupation start milling around in a crouch, which just looks kind of funny.”
“The only thing holding it back is its bizarre storyline (at one point in the expansion you start to use Ironman-style power armor even though it's the 1950s), hilariously bad voice acting (the dialogue is one of the funniest things I've ever heard in my entire life) and the fact that shotguns do not exist in the game.”
“The voice acting sucks, but the cheesy quips the soldiers (both friendly and enemy) say are so funny, you wind up almost liking it better that way.”
- replayability17 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its diverse weapon and equipment choices, multiple mission approaches, and random encounters that alter gameplay each time. Players can experience different missions and enemy placements, along with various character builds and campaign paths, enhancing the overall replay value. While some reviewers noted that replayability could be improved, the combination of tactical elements and extensive mod support keeps the game engaging for repeated playthroughs.
“There are a lot of weapons and equipment to choose from, and missions that can be approached in several different ways, tripling the replay value.”
“This game has something called 'random encounters' that appear randomly on the world map, allowing for activities like rescuing friendly NPCs or robbing banks. Additionally, every time you replay a mission, the location of the enemy and the objective never stay the same; they switch places randomly, making each replay a bit different.”
“Great graphics, fully destructible environments, ragdoll physics, RPG-lite elements, tons of guns, and replayability due to a variety of characters, two sides with different missions, and semi-random story missions that are influenced by mission clues you receive in preceding missions, which are randomized each playthrough.”
“Some playthroughs may include missions that you have never seen before depending on the intel you are provided with, which provides a very solid amount of replayability.”
“Basic skill trees, adaptable load-outs for six classes, re-playable campaign as either Axis or Allies.”
“I'd say the replay value here is medium; after you have played both sides, but the longer I waited, the more I forgot and found it interesting again.”
- music9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with a nice soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere and engages players, particularly impressive for a 2003 title. However, some users note issues with the music cutting out during combat and a lack of variety, leading to mixed feelings about its overall presence in the game. While the sound effects and musical scores are praised, the soundtrack's limited quantity and occasional repetitiveness may detract from the experience for some players.
“The sound effects and the music are really nice, and help get you engaged.”
“Good selection of musical scores that adds to the game's atmosphere.”
“In terms of other things, the soundtrack for this game is surprisingly good, especially for a 2003 game.”
“However, it has less soundtrack and a more linear and shorter campaign.”
“The only slight issue I've encountered is that the music will sometimes randomly cut out during combat and then replay itself 30 seconds later, which is kind of annoying but not the end of the world.”
“The music is almost nonexistent.”
- stability9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous glitches, crashes, and pathfinding issues, particularly in the Steam version compared to the original CD release. While game-breaking bugs are rare, the overall experience is marred by frequent bugs and frustrating gameplay, leading some players to uninstall before completion.
“Not only does it run like a virus in the background (when you try to uninstall it claims the application is still running even though you exited it and nothing is in the task manager), but it's also a buggy crapshoot of a title that has multiple bugs, crashes to desktop, and is clunky all around.”
“Mission scripts are so buggy that I'm uninstalling now without finishing the game.”
“The game is buggy as hell (though game-breaking/crashing bugs are rare), and many of the gear items (especially for engineers and medics) are completely unusable (check for guides and unofficial patches online).”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and frustrating, with players noting that the manual training system and currency mechanics detract from the overall experience. Many feel that the gameplay lacks depth and becomes repetitive, leading to a sense of burnout. Overall, the grinding elements are seen as a significant drawback that hampers enjoyment.
“The gameplay can be tedious at times.”
“I got sick of it fairly quickly as there really isn't much depth and the gameplay is tedious.”
“Lastly, they added a currency system that just proves why currency should not be a thing in a tactical strategy game with RPG elements since it ultimately just turns the game into farming 'random encounters' that aren't at all random.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is criticized for significant performance issues, particularly on higher settings and when using mods, leading to severe frame rate drops. While some improvements have been made since the initial release, the outdated engine and heavy physics calculations result in frequent performance hiccups, affecting gameplay even on modern hardware.
“A lot of new stuff and new features have been added since the release of the sentinels, resulting in significant improvements in both gameplay and performance.”
“The only drawbacks are some slight video quality limitations due to the games being made in 2003 and 2004, along with very minor performance hiccups that seem to recover in a few seconds, likely due to heavy physics calculations causing temporary pauses.”
“You've got a meticulous turn-based tactical simulation, complete with ammo management, multiple firing modes that balance speed versus accuracy, and wounds that impair soldier performance.”
“Performance: because it was made for older GPUs, the highest settings can oddly enough drop your FPS to near 0.”
“The game's performance takes a hit if you mod the game to fix the shadow bug.”
“The game runs like crap on a mystery engine so unoptimized that my modern i7 sometimes chugs with it; this is true of all rigs, so don't think yours is too good or too bad for it.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its immersive World War II setting, enhanced by a strong selection of musical scores that complement the visuals and storytelling. Players appreciate the balance of tactical depth and environmental detail, with a notable shift to an epic dieselpunk vibe in the middle of the game, contributing to a rich and engaging experience.
“This game has a good blend of tactical depth, good visuals, atmosphere, and story.”
“It’s not too overpowering, yet still provides a boost to the atmosphere as you fight through buildings searching for intel.”
“+ Good selection of musical scores that adds to the game's atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
“Despite the good selection of musical scores, the overall atmosphere fails to engage, leaving players feeling disconnected.”
“The environment feels lifeless, making it hard to feel any real tension or excitement during gameplay.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed, with some players feeling a sense of closure after completing it, while others find the voice acting to be a jarring blend of humor and sadness. This uneven quality may affect the emotional impact, particularly for those unfamiliar with the language nuances.
“The voice acting, while at times hilariously bad, also evokes a deep emotional response, making you want to cry.”
“After finishing the game, I felt a profound sense of fulfillment, even though I barely touched the expansion that is included.”
“The emotional depth of the story left a lasting impact on me, resonating long after I completed the game.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is facilitated through a skill tree system, allowing players to allocate points and customize their characters' abilities and growth.
“The character development options are extensive, allowing players to customize their skills through a detailed skill tree.”
“I love how the character development system lets you shape your character's abilities and playstyle with meaningful choices.”
“The depth of character development in this game is impressive, offering a variety of paths to explore and evolve your character.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful choices.”
“I was disappointed by the limited options for character growth throughout the game.”
“The skill tree is underwhelming and doesn't significantly impact gameplay.”
