The ‘Silence’ about this being an auto-battler is ironic
Songs of Silence is developed by Chimera Entertainment, who usually makes titles for mobile devices like Angry Birds Epic. With this game the studio moves to PC and console with their take on the tried-and-true 4X classic genre. With some beautiful cutscenes and graphics as well as a narrative-driven campaign I was excited to give this one a try on the Series X.
MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
Songs of Silence tells the story of a nations fight against the life-consuming darkness known as the Silence. The campaign is divided into two sections that will have players take control of two distinct nations. Players will be forced to employ a combination of navigating the world’s politics ala Game of Thrones type intrigue and making tactical choices on the battlefield. Being a 4X game means that the meat of gameplay is going to take place on a turn-by-turn basis. What I wasn’t prepared for though was how little I actually had to do in regards to actual gameplay.
Actions in-game happen by playing various types of cards. These cards will allow players to construct buildings to buff their areas and units, increase resources and many more things.
Recruitment cards are used for, you guessed it; recruiting new units to either defend settlements that your forces have taken over or bolster your commanders’ armies. There are also spell cards that players can play that will allow things like their armies to see concealed units or other magical buffs. Players will move around the world map taking over settlements to increase their influence in the land. Once in contact things move to the battlefield, where things get boring.
I didn’t realize this going in, but this is an auto-battler. These are games which do exactly what they advertise, they ‘auto-battle’ My units will run toward the enemies’ units to clash until one side depletes the others health bar. What is there for the player to do? Well the hero commander has battle cards which can be played. Players can even slow time to precisely target these actions, which some of them did turn the tide of many a battle I had. But I was so bored, even with the developer thankfully including a fast-forward option for battles to make things faster.
There just isn’t enough here in Songs of Silence for me. If you are the type of player who wants to set up the pins and then watch the guy try and knock ‘em down; then this is for you. But I prefer being the one who is actually playing, not just setting things in motion. The very best things about Songs of Silence have nothing to do with its gameplay. This game has some of the best art direction that I have seen, with beautifully vibrant colored graphics and some stellar cutscenes; not to mention the excellent voice-acting and soundtrack. All of which just makes me sad that I didn’t like this more, If I was able to actually have more control over battles and their outcomes the inner RTS fan in me would love this game.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.