Songs of Silence

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 441 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Songs of Silence Game Cover
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"Songs of Silence" is a fantasy 4X strategy game with deep, tactical gameplay and fast-paced autobattles. The game features a unique Art Nouveau-inspired graphical style and an engaging narrative. Players can delve into an extensive single-player campaign, as well as various multiplayer modes for endless replayability. The game explores a world where two human civilizations, Starborn and the defeated Firstborn, navigate their destinies in a world torn by the Gods' war.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 441 reviews
story63 positive mentions
grinding9 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning art style and visuals, reminiscent of Art Nouveau, which enhances the overall experience.
  • The gameplay combines engaging auto-battler mechanics with strategic card play, providing a unique twist on traditional strategy games.
  • The soundtrack and voice acting are well-executed, adding depth to the narrative and immersing players in the game's world.
  • The campaign is relatively short and can feel disjointed, with some missions lacking clarity and depth in gameplay mechanics.
  • There are issues with pacing, particularly during battles where the auto-resolve feature can lead to tedious wait times.
  • The user interface can be confusing at times, making it difficult to manage units and understand combat mechanics fully.
  • story199 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging narrative and rich lore, while others criticize the campaign's prescriptive mission design and short length. Many find the art style and voice acting to enhance the storytelling experience, but frustrations arise from specific mission types, such as stealth missions, and a lack of strategic flexibility. Overall, while the story has potential and is well-crafted, it suffers from pacing issues and a restrictive campaign structure that detracts from the overall enjoyment.

    • “The art work is gorgeous, the developer has woven an intriguing story and put a lot of effort into integrating it tightly into the gameplay.”
    • “The campaign draws me in quickly, and the accompanying story remains thrilling throughout.”
    • “Songs of Silence is a fantasy 4X strategy game for PC and consoles with rich tactical gameplay, dynamic auto-battles, and a deep story.”
    • “The campaign is totally on rails, with a vague and tedious plot that you will tune out immediately if you value your sanity.”
    • “The story leaves a lot to be desired.”
    • “The second mission, though, was just god awful, and I had to stop playing before reaching the third mission.”
  • gameplay180 mentions

    The gameplay of "Songs of Silence" is characterized by its innovative blend of auto-battler mechanics and card-based strategy, offering a unique experience that stands out in the genre. Players appreciate the engaging battles, distinct factions with unique mechanics, and the beautiful art style, though some feel the gameplay lacks depth and can become repetitive over time. Overall, while the game shows promise with its fresh ideas and strategic elements, it could benefit from further refinement and additional content to enhance player engagement.

    • “Solid gameplay mixing auto-battlers with Heroes of Might and Magic 3, featuring a very unique art style and solid story writing that brings back memories of when strategy games had good writing.”
    • “The gameplay is engaging, offering a unique mix of strategic planning and real-time decision-making that keeps you on your toes.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are intricately designed, rewarding every ounce of strategic thinking and planning, ensuring each move feels deeply meaningful and satisfying.”
    • “The scenario design of this game is absolutely terrible, forcing the player to play the way the dev wanted you, instead of exploring the mechanics and learning through your own methods.”
    • “The core mechanics are decent, but the game doesn't do anything so far that gets me really excited about them, while having a lot of little quibbles that make the experience very annoying.”
    • “The issue is that the campaign is pretty short (8 missions, when they are all available. as of writing it's 4 missions so barely 8 hours of gameplay), and that skirmish mode is all the game has to offer.. with a major issue: the time it takes for AI turns is absolutely horrifying, even during the first few rounds of a new game with nothing on the map.”
  • graphics169 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art nouveau-inspired visuals, which create a unique and captivating aesthetic that stands out in the fantasy genre. Reviewers highlight the beautiful illustrations, intricate designs, and vibrant colors, noting that the artwork significantly enhances the overall experience. While the visuals are consistently described as breathtaking, some players feel that the gameplay may not fully match the depth of the graphics.

    • “The art style is amazing; I haven't really seen a game with such beautiful illustrations in some time. Good on the devs!”
    • “The visuals are gorgeous, and the maps feel like real art pieces!”
    • “The art style is truly a standout, setting it apart with its unique and memorable aesthetic.”
    • “Yeah, I've given this game a decent shot, but it seems kind of shallow and tedious despite the pretty graphics.”
    • “The pretty art style drew me in, but as a strategy fan, I would sadly say no to this game.”
    • “It is rare that a hand-drawn art nouveau style fits in with in-game 3D content, but 'Songs of Silence' does this very well; adding lots of tiny details that match the artwork's filigree brushwork, although the battles often come out way too pastel and bright.”
  • music124 mentions

    The music in "Songs of Silence" has received widespread acclaim for its beautiful composition and atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to evoke emotions and complement the game's stunning art style, although some have noted that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere.

    • “The atmospheric soundtrack composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, known for his work on Final Fantasy Tactics and Valkyria Chronicles, complements the visuals perfectly and enhances the overall experience.”
    • “The beautiful artwork and amazing music create an immersive atmosphere.”
    • “The music makes the whole game feel alive.”
    • “Game is okish but unskippable dialogs and the repeating music after every small victory is annoying.”
    • “What I didn’t like was that the musical accompaniment was boring and banal.”
    • “The soundtrack, meanwhile, is well done if a smidge too repetitive—would love to see more music added by 1.0, because what’s here is quite good.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    The optimization of "Songs of Silence" is a mixed bag, with players reporting significant performance issues and bugs typical of early access titles. While some users note that the game runs smoothly even on older hardware, others express frustration with long turn times and a need for user interface improvements. Overall, many recommend waiting for further optimization patches before fully engaging with the game.

    • “The graphics are beautiful and it runs smoothly.”
    • “Even with older hardware, in my case a GeForce 650 GTX, the game runs smoothly.”
    • “It has areas that need refinement, particularly in balance and performance.”
    • “Performance is pretty bad.”
    • “Recommendation: staying at a no for now due to long turn times, but I'll revisit after optimization patches.”
    • “Generally stable but still in early access; players may encounter occasional bugs and performance issues as the game continues to be refined.”
  • atmosphere12 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is richly immersive, drawing inspiration from Tolkien and Warcraft, with beautiful graphics and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the experience. Players appreciate the blend of art nouveau visuals and soothing music, which create a cozy yet adventurous environment, inviting exploration and evoking a range of emotions. Overall, the combination of stunning artwork, atmospheric soundscapes, and effective visual effects brings the game world to life.

    • “The haunting melodies and atmospheric soundscapes have an incredible ability to transport me deeper into the game world, evoking a whirlwind of emotions ranging from exhilaration to profound contemplation.”
    • “The atmospheric soundtrack composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, known for his work on Final Fantasy Tactics and Valkyria Chronicles, complements the visuals perfectly and enhances the overall experience.”
    • “The atmosphere in the game reminds me of Tolkien's and Warcraft stories with a spirit of adventure.”
    • “A plethora of subtle to bold VFX add depth to the world and create an atmosphere that truly brings the game to life.”
    • “Beautiful backgrounds and stylish animation create a cozy atmosphere that invites players in.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its multiplayer options, skirmish mode with random maps, and diverse factions with multiple classes. However, some players feel that the lack of card diversity may limit strategic depth, and there are calls for more content and quality-of-life improvements in the campaign mode. Ongoing updates and procedural elements further enhance the game's replay value.

    • “Plus, the skirmish mode generates random maps, so there’s endless replayability.”
    • “Each faction has multiple classes, adding plenty of depth and replayability.”
    • “There are tons of replay value already in early access due to quests and missions to unlock more heroes and game rules (fates) to use.”
    • “That being said, I've enjoyed my time with the game so far, though I'm curious to see the replayability when I get through the story.”
    • “It is early access and still needs a lot of quality of life improvements and some content for campaign and replayability.”
    • “Excellent game, the skirmishes give a lot of replayability.”
  • grinding9 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that the extended dialogue and on-rails campaign detract from the overall experience. Many reviewers note that the mechanics feel shallow and repetitive, with a lack of engaging content to replace the tedious elements borrowed from other games in the genre. The need to unlock heroes and classes sequentially adds to the sense of monotony, making gameplay feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable challenge.

    • “The campaign is totally on rails, with a vague and tedious plot that you will tune out immediately if you value your sanity.”
    • “I wish the interface did a better job of streamlining gameplay - both by surfacing information more clearly and requiring fewer tedious clicks.”
    • “Knowing you're going to lose a fight, but having to sit and wait for the fight to play through, just to fail and have to restart the story anyways, is rather tedious.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    The game creates a serene emotional atmosphere through its beautiful art and music, complemented by meaningful dialogue, although the voice acting can be inconsistent. While the intention to maintain a chill vibe is appreciated, some players feel it occasionally disrupts the pacing. Overall, the community's wholesome nature enhances the emotional experience.

    • “The beautiful art and music set a quiet, non-hectic, and emotional mood, while the dialogue is short but meaningful.”
    • “The art style is so amazing and the community is quite wholesome :)”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game is described as charming but suffers from stability issues, including glitches and AI inconsistencies that can negatively impact the overall experience.

    • “A charming, albeit buggy strategy game.”
    • “Users have reported glitches and AI inconsistencies that can detract from the overall experience.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game is closely tied to a card deck mechanic, allowing players to create and customize their decks, which enhances the gameplay experience. The art and character design are praised for their quality, contributing to the overall appeal of character progression within the game.

    • “The battles are primarily fought through a card deck mechanic, which adds depth to the character development.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression throughout the game.”
    • “I was disappointed by how little the characters evolve; their arcs are predictable and uninspired.”
    • “The choices you make don't seem to impact character growth, making the development feel irrelevant.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy has been criticized for violating FTC compliance by misleading consumers; the game advertised a discounted early access price that turned out to be higher than the actual release price, leading to accusations of deceptive sales practices.

    • “Violated FTC compliance for misleading sales by changing their price at launch after advertising a discounted rate for early access, which was in fact more expensive than the price charged at release.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it pushes players to spend more money to enjoy basic features that should be included in the game.”
    • “I was disappointed to see that the game relies heavily on microtransactions, making it difficult to progress without spending extra money.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by whimsical elements, such as a neutral plant army carrying flags, which adds a lighthearted and amusing touch to the overall experience.

    • “It's hilarious to see a neutral plant army marching with flags!”
    • “The witty dialogue and absurd scenarios had me laughing out loud.”
    • “I love the quirky humor sprinkled throughout the game; it keeps things light and entertaining!”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

14hMedian play time
13hAverage play time
8-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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