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A Point-And-Click Adventure That Defies Time and Space - The Silent Age Review

28K View2022-08-05

It’s a little shameful to admit, but my intelligence has officially been bested by a puzzling adventure game. I know, I know. Coming from someone who’s overjoyed by strategy and puzzle games, you’d think I’d never actually fail to solve the problems these titles present. Well, this week, I was begrudgingly forced to watch walkthrough guides—not because I wanted to get a taste of the game before playing, but because I couldn’t beat it on my own. The marvelous and perplexing game that led me to such drastic measures was The Silent Age.

The Silent Age is a point-and-click adventure game featuring puzzles, an eerie soundtrack, and stunning visuals. Set in 1972, The Silent Age follows a regular janitor named Joe who’s gifted a time machine and tasked with the mission to save the world from devastation.

[Editor’s note: Last week we held a contest where TapTap users could submit their choices for hidden gems they recommended to other users and TapTap editors. We had so many great recommendations that we couldn’t wait to check some of them out for ourselves. The Silent Age was recommended by TapTap user @Kushadayo. Thank you to Kushadayo for the suggestion, and look forward to more TapTap Explorer opportunities in the future!]

Image Credited to The Silent Age | House on Fire

Although I sometimes get bored by point-and-click games, The Silent Age pulled me in with a compelling, well-written, and captivating story. At first, you’re introduced to Joe’s humdrum life as the literal average Joe. One day, Joe’s colleague suddenly decides to quit his job, and he’s promoted above the rank of everyday janitor. One thing leads to another, and through a series of convenient events, Joe comes into possession of a stopwatch-sized time machine and uses it to escape to the far-flung, dystopian future of 2012.

When it comes to adventure games, I’m usually more hooked on solving puzzles than learning about the deeper narrative that’s driving events forward. But The Silent Age’s storyline isn’t something anyone playing should miss. Besides the general gist of an apocalypse at humankind’s doorstep, there are many interactable features across the game depicting Joe’s experience and eminent evolution from simpleton to hero. Altogether, it makes for a complicated and unique story told charmingly.

Image Credited to The Silent Age | House on Fire

Besides the adventure the game takes you on through its narrative, The Silent Age is riddled with tricky puzzles that make the journey all the more worthwhile. The game features ten playable chapters spread between two episodes; the first episode is free, while the second is purchasable for $5.00. Don’t feel hesitant to play The Silent Age due to that small microtransaction looming in the distance. Those initial five chapters kept me busy for hours, and that’s definitely not an exaggeration.

See, one of the more intriguing and time-consuming aspects of The Silent Age is its puzzles. A few are relatively straightforward, but some are extremely difficult to crack. There’s no one way to solve every puzzle, though, even when some of them utilize the same formula. For example, a lot of the puzzles require you to collect items and use them in a cascading manner, where one key opens the way to another key needed to gain access to another, even more important key. And although this might seem a little repetitive, there’s never an obvious clue hinting towards a clear answer.

The Silent Age contained puzzles even I couldn’t solve—and that’s saying a lot, considering the amount of love and time I’ve invested into other games featuring deep, difficult puzzles. I actually had to search up walkthrough video guides because I couldn’t get through specific chapters. Challenges of this caliber might dissuade some players, but the craftsmanship ingrained into these puzzles was just another way that The Silent Age earned my adoration. I’m still trying to get over the fact that I couldn’t solve some of the puzzles without help.

Image Credited to The Silent Age | House on Fire

If you can get past your own ego at failing to figure out some of these riddles, though, The Silent Age presents an absurdly enjoyable little thriller. If you enjoy solving mysteries within a beautifully designed game, look no further. The Silent Age is an impeccable point-and-click game that I would gladly turn back time to play and experience for the first time again. I just hope I’d actually be able to solve the puzzles by myself this time around.

SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Puzzles. If you enjoy solving puzzles and testing your brain, you’ll love The Silent Age for its puzzling gameplay experience.

• Reach: SOS. If you loved Reach: SOS’s point-and-click adventure, you’d enjoy The Silent Age just as much. It’s much longer and filled with so many mysteries to uncover. Feel free to read my review on Reach: SOS.

💬 Have you played The Silent Age? What’s your favorite puzzling adventure game?

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