SILT

About

SILT is a single player action adventure game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Spiral Circus Games and was released on June 1, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Silt is a single-player fantasy platformer set in a beautifully atmospheric underwater world. As a diver, possess creatures to solve puzzles and uncover long-forgotten mysteries. Experience a haunting journey through the game's monochrome, sketch-inspired visuals, but beware of potentially triggering epilepsy warnings."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 215 reviews

graphics60 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Beautiful art style and atmospheric sound design create an immersive experience.
Unique possession mechanic adds depth to puzzle-solving and exploration.
Short playtime is balanced by engaging visuals and a haunting atmosphere.

Puzzles are often simplistic and lack challenge, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness.
The story is vague and leaves many questions unanswered, which may frustrate players.
Controls can be clunky and frustrating, especially when navigating tight spaces or executing precise movements.

graphics
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
19%
4%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style and atmospheric design, often compared to titles like "Limbo" and "Inside." Players appreciate the hauntingly beautiful visuals, intricate creature and environment designs, and the immersive soundscapes that enhance the overall experience. However, some reviews note that while the graphics are exceptional, the gameplay mechanics and narrative could be more developed.
- “Great art style with wonderful creature and environment design, contributing to a very atmospheric game.”
- “The gorgeous visuals combined with the downright perfect sound design (play with a headset!) make the whole experience incredibly immersive & moody.”
- “Beyond the stunning visuals and exploration of creepy deep seascapes, I also really enjoyed the unexpectedly soothing ambience created by the hypnotic sound design, dark colour palette, and gently drifting player movement.”
- “Although some of the visuals and atmosphere are pretty solid, I can't recommend this.”
- “But it's short, could use more music at times and caused some weird graphical bugs on Intel Xe graphic chips.”
- “Silt lives and dies by its aesthetic.”
atmosphere
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
30%
4%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning art style, haunting sound design, and immersive environments, creating a unique and eerie experience reminiscent of dark, underwater worlds. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke feelings of tension and mystery, although some note that the gameplay mechanics can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered the game's strongest aspect, captivating players despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “The atmosphere is fantastic and the overall concept is unique and fun.”
- “The beautiful artwork and haunting atmosphere fail to make up for the irritating, impenetrable gameplay elements, which feel more like an interruption of the player's sightseeing than anything.”
- “While creepy, the environments and storytelling made me feel like the game was trying too hard, while both the gameplay and atmosphere provided by the sound design and music were lacking.”
- “In the end all this does is just have you keep dying fruitlessly, which sucks you out of the mood the atmosphere and great visuals try to immerse you in.”
- “Silt successfully conjures a dark and unnerving underwater atmosphere, and fans of similar titles should be satisfied - though it's a case of style over substance, as the gameplay largely falls flat.”
gameplay
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
55%
17%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its innovative possession mechanics and engaging puzzles, while others criticize it for being repetitive, frustrating, and lacking depth. Many players noted that the game’s mechanics can feel unintuitive or glitchy, particularly in later levels, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite its beautiful art and atmosphere, the gameplay often feels like it falls short of expectations, leading to a sense of disappointment for some players.
- “Gameplay is great on controller, definitely more challenging on keyboard.”
- “The gameplay loop thrives through the character's ability to possess other creatures.”
- “The ability to possess different creatures was a really fun game mechanic and worked incredibly well with the dark, deep sea tones of the game.”
- “Game ruined by annoyingly designed game mechanics.”
- “The gameplay eventually became repetitive in a way, and there was no urgency or sense of danger in most of the sections.”
- “The beautiful artwork and haunting atmosphere fail to make up for the irritating, impenetrable gameplay elements, which feel more like an interruption of the player's sightseeing than anything.”
story
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The story in "Silt" is largely criticized for being cryptic and minimal, with many players noting its lack of a coherent narrative. While the game attempts environmental storytelling through its atmospheric visuals and sound design, it often leaves players confused and unsatisfied due to its fragmented plot and vague themes. Overall, the game is seen as an artistic experience rather than a narrative-driven one, with many players feeling that the story fails to engage or provide meaningful context.
- “The art is wonderfully creepy, the music is eerie, and the minimalist plot is amazingly delivered through the gameplay.”
- “Fun atmospheric puzzle game with a strange story left to be interpreted by the player.”
- “The sound design sets the mood well, the story is quite interesting and I was very curious to see what was going to happen next when I played the game.”
- “There is no story but it drops tons of visuals of animal statues and interesting building designs to make you think there is some sort of narrative, but there isn't.”
- “The story is incredibly cryptic.”
- “The story of the game is nonexistent, and I honestly felt like I was baited with one.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The music in the game is widely praised for its eerie and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall aesthetic and storytelling. While many players appreciate the minimalist sound design that complements the gameplay, some feel that it could benefit from more variety and presence. Overall, the soundtrack effectively supports the game's creepy vibe, though a few users noted technical issues and a desire for additional musical elements.
- “Aesthetically great, the sound effects and music were fantastic; it was chill and yet puzzling, and there wasn't a single point where I was bored or disengaged.”
- “From the art style looking like pencil drawings, to the dark and gloomy atmosphere as well as the soft music floating in the background... this game is a piece of art, no doubt.”
- “The greatest asset of this game is without a doubt the art direction, monochrome but painstakingly detailed through most of the game with an eerie beauty that draws your attention; the occasional low music tones add to this ambience.”
- “While creepy, the environments and storytelling made me feel like the game was trying too hard, while both the gameplay and atmosphere provided by the sound design and music were lacking.”
- “But it's short, could use more music at times and caused some weird graphical bugs on Intel Xe graphic chips.”
- “The greatest asset of this game is without doubt the art direction, monochrome, but painstakingly detailed through most of the game with an eerie beauty that draws your attention, the occasional low music tones add to this ambience.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is significantly hampered by numerous bugs and glitches, leading to frustrating experiences such as soft locks and unresponsive controls. Despite its appealing visuals, the lack of polish detracts from the overall enjoyment.
- “It’s the wonky controls and haphazard glitches that have soiled an otherwise gorgeous experience.”
- “It's annoying, buggy, and unpolished.”
- “It's also extremely buggy at the moment, with over 4 soft locks happening to me in one hour.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Overall, the game is praised for its amazing art style and smooth optimization, with most players reporting no bugs or performance issues. However, some users experienced problems with the possession mechanic starting in the later chapters, leading to random stuttering and activation failures.
- “Amazing art style, well-optimized.”
- “Runs smoothly; I didn't experience any bugs.”
- “Strangely, I had no issues in the first two chapters, but the possession mechanic started to break down for me from the third, randomly stuttering or failing to activate for extended periods.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and long loading times that disrupt the overall experience.”
- “Despite the intriguing gameplay, the optimization is lacking, causing constant lag and making it difficult to enjoy the action.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often involving simple mechanics that lead to frustration rather than challenge. Many describe certain tasks, such as the puzzle involving poisoning creatures, as overly drawn out and lacking in engaging complexity.
- “Tedious and pretentious to the point of nausea.”
- “The puzzles became tedious in some places, just using the same mechanics over and over until the enemy died.”
- “Calling them 'puzzles' is pretty generous; they're incredibly simple for the most part. The ones that gave me the most trouble were not difficult, but very tedious, with the worst offender being the one where you have to poison the swordfish creature to kill the snapper plants one at a time (there's a lot) to make it easier to get to the glowing worm.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited, primarily driven by the initial joy of discovery rather than ongoing content. Players may find motivation in completing missed achievements or attempting no-death runs, but these factors may not be sufficient for sustained engagement.
- “The game offers a variety of paths and choices, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
- “With multiple endings and different character builds, I find myself coming back to explore all the possibilities.”
- “The dynamic events and random encounters keep the gameplay fresh, encouraging me to replay it time and again.”
- “There's not much replayability, as the main joy comes from discovery, so keep that in mind as you judge whether or not the game is worth it for you.”
- “Replayability is fairly limited, with missing an achievement or going for a no-death run being the main drawing factors.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game is generally perceived as weak, with players feeling that the storytelling and environments are overly ambitious yet ultimately unfulfilling. While one boss fight elicited a notable emotional response, the overall gameplay and sound design failed to create a deeper connection, leaving players with mixed feelings of appreciation for aesthetics but dissatisfaction with emotional engagement.
- “The boss fights feel unsatisfying - aside from the chapter 3 boss, that was the only time the game sparked an emotional response from me aside from 'that's pretty!' or 'that's creepy.'”