Chris InglisSongs of Silence is a blend of 4x strategy, kingdom management, turn-based movement, and card-based battles, all set in a visually stunning fantasy world. Developed by Chimera Entertainment and launching on Steam early access in early June, the game’s art style is what first attracted me to the game with its stylised and dreamlike aesthetic. The accompanying soundtrack further enhances the immersive experience, but it is the gameplay that held my attention and left me wanting more.
The core mechanics, while familiar to strategy enthusiasts, offer a satisfying level of depth. Building your kingdom, managing resources, and developing heroes provides a solid foundation for strategic gameplay. The real-time battles with auto-battler elements introduce a layer of tactical decision-making through card selection and timing. At first, I was a bit put off by not being able to control each squad of units, however this strategic element kept me engaged and made me really think about which card would give the most benefit next.
Each faction and hero has their own distinct play style, both on the strategic map and in battle. Enemy armies had some interesting characters to fight against with a mix of melee, range and magic fighting. With over 100 units and hundreds of card effects: from celestial summons to burning down entire cities, there is plenty of diversity amongst the armies. The game’s story is cleverly integrated into the gameplay, with story beats unfolding after each battle and as players progress through the campaign. While the focus remains on strategic gameplay, the overarching story provides a compelling reason to keep pushing forward and there are optional objective to meet as well.
Spell and environmental effects are fantastic and watching the battles unfold from an isometric standpoint, and with the autobattler taking the control our of your hands, you really feel like a battlefield commander watching your forces succeed for fail and be killed. The urge to hit the retreat button begs your attention, but in doing so you lose the battle anyway, so I always tried to make those most of my cards. Some cards I could use were an AOE heal that had a 15% chance to heal and resurrect fallen squad members. Others summoned mobs to your selected point or casting a rain of arrows onto a location.
This early access version has two out of five chapters to play from the first campaign which is exciting as there’s a decent amount of gameplay planned for the full release. On the first chapter, my two heroes capped XP at level 3. I tried to take on one of the final battles at level 2 and just didn’t have enough power, so swapping my armies around and gaining a bit more power at level 3 enabled me the win to move onto the second chapter.
Songs of Silence is an awesome and refreshing take on the turn-based strategy genre. Its strong visual presentation both with exploration and movement counters, as well as the autobattles, engaging gameplay loop, and compelling story make it a worthwhile experience for both seasoned strategists and newcomers alike. The striking visuals and great soundtrack added to the immersion for me, and I highly recommend you check the game out during the early access period.
This review utilised a key provided by Remote Control Productions and Songs of Silence is out now on Steam early access.
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