Songs of Silence Review (PlayStation 5)

Rating: 7.6
Author: Jim Smale

by Jim Smale · December 19, 2024

Songs of Silence Review, Songs of Silence is the next generation of turn-based 4X strategy games. Explore hand-crafted maps, build powerful armies, and crush your rivals in fast-paced, real-time battles where every decision is strategic. Lead one of three unique factions, and carve out your place in a ravaged land.
From dense forests perfect for ambush to towering strongholds ripe for siege, every map presents new challenges and opportunities. Manage resources, rebuild shattered kingdoms, and stake your claim in this living, breathing world!

Songs of Silence Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
7.10GB download size.
Platinum trophy.
Game settings – tutorials on, auto open battle statistics, autosaves stored amount, UI scale, gamma correction, and Colourblind mode.
Controller settings – sensitivity and deadzone sliders.
The game manual is a massive encyclopedia of all controls and actions complete with text and images.
The encyclopedia is all things people and places.
Multiplayer options – quick join, join via a code, host game, and load game.
Single-player has two modes – campaigns, and skirmish.
Skirmish mode will spawn a randomly generated map, you then select the map size, modify game rules, hero selection, and the type of map.
Eight campaigns to unlock, you just choose which one and the game difficulty.
Three game difficulties – story focus, balance, and challenging.
You can replay campaigns.
The cutscenes look fantastic with their art and animation style, complete with powerful voice work.
You command your troops to select them and place markers on the game world for them to move around it.
Four X strategy gameplay.
Optional tutorial pop-ups as you play.
Enchanting soundtrack.
When you interact with other clans and people in the world you can trigger conversations.
Combat plays out automatically for your troops, the control you have over them is by playing cards that have cooldowns.
You can pause in battles.
There are three battle speeds you change with the d-pad.
It’s a four-X game that respects your time, streamlines actions, and makes combat a much quicker and more accessible experience.
In the campaign, the game is split into days and you can only do X amount of actions in a day before you have to rest and the game world advances one day.
Fog of war is in play so you cannot see the world until you uncover it bit by bit.
Full army management is where you can inspect troops and place them where you want them to deploy on each battlefield.
Recruit new units.
Many unit types to recruit and the game really lets you customize your army and get creative with it.
Tooltips are everywhere and sometimes require a button press.
In the campaign, you have an objectives checklist for main and optional side objectives.
I really like the pace and accessible approach they have taken.
It’s cool that you can just sit and watch the fight break out playing cards making it again quicker and simplified.
Earn battle points in the campaign and level up your hero (leader of your army).
Save and load when you want.
You can skip cutscenes and interactions.
The campaign takes in many scenarios like taking out a hit on a hero or taking over a settlement or town, defending your land, and more.

Songs of Silence Review Cons:

Small text in the game no matter the UI scale slider.
You cannot remap or Invert the controls.
It’s annoying that cards don’t have to pop up text to say what they are, over time this gets better but early on it’s quite stressful. You can turn it on to have the text but it resets every battle.
A lot to take in as you are expecting huge info dumps but it’s not there and you still have to learn the new mechanics.
No way to have screens and interactions auto-scroll.
Slow starter and the pace can be a bit up and down.

Songs of Silence:

Official website.

Developer: Chimera Entertainment

Publisher: Chimera Entertainment

Store Links –

PlayStation

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
7/10

Sound - 7/10
7/10

Accessibility - 7/10
8/10

Length - 8/10
8/10

Fun Factor - 8/10

7.6/10

Summary

Songs of Silence offers a mixed bag of experiences for players. The game boasts decent graphics and a manageable download size of 7.10GB, making it accessible for most players. The inclusion of a Platinum trophy adds an extra layer of challenge and reward for completionists. The game settings are comprehensive, featuring tutorials, auto-open battle statistics, autosave storage, UI scale adjustments, gamma correction, and a Colourblind mode. Controller settings are also customizable, with sensitivity and deadzone sliders available. The game manual is an extensive encyclopedia, detailing all controls and actions with text and images, which is a valuable resource for players.

The multiplayer options are robust, allowing for quick join, joining via a code, hosting games, and loading games. Single-player mode offers two distinct experiences: campaigns and skirmishes. Skirmish mode generates random maps where players can select map size, modify game rules, choose heroes, and determine the type of map. There are eight campaigns to unlock, each with three difficulty levels: story focus, balance, and challenging. The ability to replay campaigns adds to the game’s longevity. The cutscenes are visually impressive, with excellent art and animation, complemented by powerful voice work.

The gameplay involves commanding troops by selecting them and placing markers on the game world for movement. The four X strategy gameplay is enhanced by optional tutorial pop-ups and an enchanting soundtrack. Interactions with other clans and people in the game world can trigger conversations, adding depth to the narrative. Combat is automated for troops, with players controlling the action through cards that have cooldowns. The ability to pause battles and adjust battle speeds with the D-pad makes combat more manageable. The game respects players’ time by streamlining actions and making combat quicker and more accessible.

In the campaign, the game is divided into days, with a limited number of actions possible each day before resting and advancing the game world by one day. The fog of war mechanic adds an element of exploration, as players uncover the world bit by bit. Full army management allows players to inspect troops and deploy them strategically on each battlefield. The game offers a variety of unit types to recruit, encouraging creativity in army customization. Tooltips are prevalent, though they sometimes require a button press to access. The campaign includes a checklist for main and optional side objectives, providing clear goals for players.

Despite its strengths, the game has some drawbacks. The small text size can be an issue, regardless of the UI scale slider. The inability to remap or invert controls is a notable limitation. The lack of pop-up text for cards can be stressful early on, though this improves over time. However, the text resets every battle, which can be frustrating. The game can be overwhelming at first, with a lot of information to absorb and new mechanics to learn. There is no option for auto-scrolling screens and interactions, which can slow down the pace. Additionally, the game can be a slow starter, with pacing that varies throughout.

In summary, Songs of Silence is a well-rounded game with a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Its comprehensive settings, engaging gameplay, and impressive cutscenes make it a worthwhile experience. However, the small text size, control limitations, and initial learning curve may pose challenges for some players. Overall, it offers a rich and accessible strategy experience that respects players’ time and encourages creative army management.