"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."
The game features stunning visuals and a haunting atmosphere that immerses players in its underwater world.
The possession mechanic adds a unique twist to the gameplay, allowing players to interact with various sea creatures to solve puzzles.
The sound design effectively enhances the eerie ambiance, making for a captivating experience.
The gameplay can feel sluggish and frustrating, particularly during puzzles that require precise timing and movement.
The story is vague and lacks depth, leaving players with more questions than answers by the end of the game.
The game is relatively short, with many players feeling it doesn't justify its price due to the limited content.
graphics
108 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
26%
3%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning art style and atmospheric design, often compared to titles like Limbo and Inside. Players appreciate the haunting visuals and immersive soundscapes, which contribute significantly to the game's overall mood and experience. However, some reviewers noted that while the graphics are impressive, the gameplay can feel repetitive or lacking in depth, which may detract from the overall enjoyment.
“The artwork is stunning, complemented by the atmospheric background sounds.”
“Astounding visuals, very reminiscent of Limbo and Inside but with its own tone.”
“The gorgeous visuals combined with the downright perfect sound design (play with a headset!) make the whole experience incredibly immersive and moody.”
“Sad puzzles, meh dark lazy art style that uses almost no detail, not hard, not relaxing, just all around meh.”
“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.”
atmosphere
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
30%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning art style, immersive sound design, and hauntingly beautiful environments, creating a unique and eerie experience. Many players appreciate the game's ability to evoke feelings of mystery and tension, although some express disappointment with repetitive gameplay and a lack of engaging mechanics. Overall, the atmospheric elements are considered the game's strongest aspect, often overshadowing its gameplay shortcomings.
“The atmosphere, creature design, and songs were somewhat horror-themed and invoked a sense of mysteriousness.”
“The artwork is stunning, complemented by the atmospheric background sounds.”
“Silt is a fascinating game with incredible atmosphere and beautiful art direction.”
“The puzzles were easy and the atmosphere was not phobia-inducing as promised; the level and atmosphere became very boring and repetitive with not much variation.”
“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 have you keep dying fruitlessly, which pulls you out of the mood the atmosphere and great visuals try to immerse you in.”
gameplay
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
56%
15%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its slow pace and repetitive mechanics, which can lead to boredom and frustration. While the possession mechanic and unique puzzles are praised for their creativity, the overall execution is often seen as lacking, with some players feeling that the gameplay interrupts the atmospheric experience rather than enhancing it. Despite these criticisms, the game's beautiful art style and engaging atmosphere manage to keep some players invested, though the gameplay may not appeal to those seeking a more dynamic or challenging experience.
“Also a fan of the possession mechanic, as it is rather unique as well as providing variety and fun.”
“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.”
“The gameplay can feel sluggish.”
“The gameplay loop and puzzles are bad.”
“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
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
14%
The story in "Silt" is largely criticized for being vague, cryptic, and lacking coherence, with many players feeling it fails to deliver a meaningful narrative. While the game employs environmental storytelling and boasts impressive visuals and atmosphere, the plot is often described as non-existent or frustratingly open to interpretation, leaving players confused and wanting more. Overall, the minimalistic approach to storytelling detracts from the gameplay experience, making it less engaging compared to similar titles like "Limbo" and "Inside."
“An extremely short but enjoyable surreal horror puzzle game featuring underwater monsters and a story told entirely through visuals, similar to Hyper Light Drifter.”
“The story is a little vague and open to interpretation, but artistic-types will find it genuinely intriguing – the only real downside is that you’ll certainly be left wanting more, with the story reaching a haunting crescendo just when it feels like it could open the door to so much more.”
“It's a unique experience as you explore this underwater world with a story only hinted at and hidden from view.”
“The story, if you want to call it that, was not really engaging.”
“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 of the game is nonexistent, and I honestly felt like I was baited with one.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
60%
15%
The music in the game is generally described as atmospheric and immersive, effectively enhancing the eerie and mysterious vibe of the gameplay. While some players appreciate the chilling sound design and its ability to support the game's aesthetic, others find it lacking in memorability and consistency, with instances of missing music in certain levels. Overall, the soundtrack contributes to the game's haunting atmosphere, though opinions vary on its impact and execution.
“Really enjoyed this game, atmospheric and immersive soundtrack.”
“The art is wonderfully creepy, the music is eerie, and the minimalist plot is amazingly delivered through the gameplay.”
“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.”
“This game definitely has an original art style and interesting mechanics, plus good puzzles, but for some reason I found it fundamentally boring, maybe because movement is so slow, and there's no impressive music...”
“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.”
“The music is on/off and just straight up missing in some levels.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating and tedious, with repetitive puzzles that often require redoing sections after dying due to slow controls or overly simplistic mechanics. Many describe the experience as irritating, with some puzzles feeling more like a chore than a challenge, leading to a sense of monotony and annoyance.
“The puzzles are boring, tedious, long, and irritating to redo if you err and die.”
“It had a few frustrating moments where I knew what I had to do, but the movement was just a bit too slow or the controls too tedious to get it done properly, so you die and have to do the whole area again... and again... and again.”
“The puzzles became tedious in some places, just using the same mechanics over and over until the enemy died.”
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. This lack of polish detracts from the overall enjoyment, especially in precision-based puzzles.
“It’s the wonky controls and haphazard glitches that have soiled an otherwise gorgeous experience, as the puzzles require precision to complete and survive—especially if you aim to grab all the achievements.”
“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%
33%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its smooth performance and lack of bugs, particularly in the early chapters. However, some players have reported issues with the possession mechanic in later stages, experiencing 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.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game is generally perceived as weak, with players feeling that the storytelling and atmosphere, while occasionally effective, often come off as forced. Most gameplay elements, including boss fights, fail to evoke significant emotional responses, with only a few moments providing any real 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.'”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The game's replayability is 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 overall, the experience may not warrant multiple playthroughs.
“The replayability is fantastic, with multiple paths and endings that encourage you to explore different choices.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh due to the random events and character interactions, making you want to dive back in.”
“The game offers various difficulty levels and challenges that keep you coming back for more, ensuring a unique experience every time.”
“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.”