Fade to Silence

With just a little more time in the cooker, Fade to Silence could have fleshed out these mechanics. This is the kind of game that thrives off an expanded scope. The vision for this unique world is there and, for the most part, it delivers.

Fun but fraught, muddled but entertaining, Fade To Silence is one of the most ambitious games of the year so far, which unfortunately doesn’t always play in its favour. [Issue#163, p.96]

For the flaws that it has, Fade to Silence is an ambitious game that provides a unique experience in a crowded genre. The world is stark, cold and unwelcoming, and there’s a discomposing atmosphere that always puts you on edge. Fade to Silence isn’t for everyone, but for those who want to experience a harsh, unforgiving world, this is just the ticket - just don’t rush into permadeath mode right away.

It’s got the resource management and camp building that I seem to be drawn to and challenging but not Soulsbourne level enemies to tackle.

Fade to Silence is a good survival game, and it could’ve been much better if they had polished some aspects like the combat and the graphics. If you like the genre, you’ll probably enjoy it regardless of its shortcomings.

Fade of Silence has excellent survival and base building machanics, unfortunately not supported by a corresponding quality of other features like graphics and the consistency of the combat system.

Despite a rather slow start and a "Dark Souls-like" combat system that also disappoints on the distance, the post-apocalyptic journey of Black Forest Games, at the crossroads between the action-adventure and the management, demonstrates qualities that could be tempting to lovers of the tough and uncompromising challenge.

There is a decent survival gameplay loop at the core of Fade to Silence. It's just that everything that emanates from that core is either cheaply cropped from another game or poorly executed in this one. I just kept coming back to this feeling I was playing disjointed parts of these other games, not a unified experience of this one.

Lackluster combat and poorly explained mechanics aside undermine the fact that Fade to Silence is an often decently crafted survival sandbox effort that neatly dovetails Lovecraftian themes into its design to often surprising effect.

THQ Nordic and Black Forest Studio deliver an interesting survival proposal, with some unique elements such as the cold environment, the mushing and the inner voice that guides and tortures us throughout the whole game. But its mechanics are not polished, and we found several technical problems while we played the 1.02 version.

Fade to Silence is a true survival game that I want to like a lot more than I do. A passionate team has cooked up some tasty scraps in this frozen hell, but I’m forced to share the meal with irritating company. The ideas are great in theory, but too many elements end up in the realm of mediocrity. Nothing ruins the game, though, yet it is also prevented from being something more. The end result is a survival experience that’s simply enjoyable, but I can’t commend it beyond that.

The survival of Fade to Silence is certainly good, credible and well structured. Severe for the most hurried players but at the same time will reward strategists. Unfortunately it lacks all that undergrowth of contents that give soul and "color" to a video game, like a real campaign, fiction, secondary activities, not to mention decidedly mediocre graphics and combat system.

If you can ignore the various technical issues and the repetitive combat, then you may enjoy the survival experience that Fade to Silence has to offer. otherwise, this game doesn't give much to enjoy.

Immersive, sometimes beautiful and pleasant in co-op, Fade to Silence is a game that unfortunately fails to bring a polished combat system, a good narrative experience, or even a correct technical side (bugs, crash, AI issues).

I still can't find myself comfortable within the genre but at least Fade to Silence offers people like me a foothold. Despite a more casual experience and some welcome co-op, combat feels sluggish and shallow. The world is wonderfully bleak but the storytelling fails to capitalise on the setting. There's some intriguing systems at work here but they don't combine in a way I can enjoy.

Fade to Silence is an amalgamation of mechanics and systems that only work some of the time. Extensive survival procedures and dynamic weather patterns provide the potential for a memorable experience, but nothing takes advantage of that. Controls frustrate, crafting is lacklustre, and combat is missing any sort of depth. Keen survivalists will find something to like here, but those with only a passing interest should probably steer clear.

Clearly too ambitious, Fade to Silence looses itself in the many things it tries, but ultimately fails, to achieve. Apart from the visuals, we can't really find anything appealing, from the rigid gameplay to the poor game design, and worst of all, that punishing permadeath system.

Fade to Silence is an unremarkable and slow slog for survival through a wintry post-apocalypse. Technical problems, underdeveloped gameplay systems, and a confused tone erode away most of the enjoyment in a setting that showed potential.

With Fade to Silence, Black Forest Games was undoubtedly willing to offer a title with a unique atmosphere at the crossroads of influences dear to hardcore players, eager for ruthless survival mechanisms and mute narrative. Unfortunately, by trying do to too much, this RPG survival does not convince in any of its aspects, offering a repetitive experience, technically very limited and painful.

All things said and done Fade to Silence is not a game that will inspire you to keep playing it. There are just too many issues with graphics, control and hit box contacts. It looks and feels clunky, and I am not sure it can be saved with a patch any time soon. Sadly I would suggest that eventually this game will do what its title suggests; Fade to Silence.

A survival game that, despite a few interesting ideas, struggles to provide any reason to persevere with its overfamiliar gameplay and poorly handled storytelling.