The Quiet Things

Absolutely harrowing, if occasionally flawed. [Note: It is worth mentioning that the game feels very work-in-progress as of the writing of this review, and has lots of issues; I will be removing this note once they're addressed."

The story was so sad, and beautifully told. Even though you don't see physical characters, the dialogue pulls the player through a story everyone should open their mind to. It's a variation of a story so many experience, all over the world. I do recommend it -- below are pros and constructive criticisms: - Pros: -- The story is told very well. I like the use of the journal and voice acting to tell the story, along with memories and walking. I'd say more here, but I don't want to spoil the story. I will say that this story is poignant example of the issues older kids and teens face in the care system, and it's a perspective worth hearing. -- The voice actors did a fantastic job, especially Alice. -- I enjoyed the theme music. - Constructive Criticisms, keeping in mind that this is a smaller team: -- Fatal error when opening the game - While I did finish the game, each time I opened it up (3 sessions), it took up to 10 tries for it to open without a fatal error. Reading the forums, it seems this is happening to multiple people. Hopefully, this is a relatively easy fix. -- Background detail: While the beginning of the game seemed to have more details filled in (picture frames, items in the houses/locations, etc.), as the game progressed, more details were missing and assets were repeatedly used. Picture frames were empty; bulletin boards were empty; rooms and buildings looked the same; the views from the windows weren't always consistent with the game, or were blurred. I'm hoping they fill these details in future updates. These details do help to immerse the player into the story, especially without physical characters. -- Music and sound: While I loved the music overall, there were points where it seemed too quiet. -- Lighting: At the start of the game especially, it was very difficult to see objects when they were picked up. Lighting was also very dark at points during the game. -- Ability to revisit chapters: I would really like to see the ability to revisit the chapters. I'm missing one page in the journal and I want to go back and get it. -- Controls: I did find a few instances where I would be moving VERY fast. This is likely a bug. -- Disappearing Items: I noticed in a few chapters, notable items, [spoiler] like Alice's wolf plush or instruments, [/spoiler] would be missing. Then, they'd be back in the next chapters. -- SPOILER NOTE: [spoiler] While I know this is about Alice and her story, I can't help but wonder what happened to these people that harmed her? Were these men convicted - Does she get justice on that level? Does she ever reunite with her brothers? [/spoiler] -- Accessibility: I could see how some would get motion sick during the gameplay. Also, the text for the journals should have an overlay for those that need clearer print. Overall, I did really enjoy this game and recommend it - Just heed the warnings regarding self-harm and abuse. I would like to see the ability to revisit chapters, and to see the backgrounds be improved and filled in. Essentially, some finessing would rise the game to the level of the story itself. Issues like the fatal error need to be addressed as soon as the team can resolve it. If much of the above are resolved in future updates, I'd revisit this game, no question.

A harrowing but wonderfully told story. When I heard about the BAFTA BS i wishlisted it and bought it the moment it was released. The VAs are amazing. I related to a lot of Alice's experiences - those content warnings aren't there for no reason. Do take time and care when playing through this. I wish I could give it a neutral rating for now, because in terms of optimization, assets and experience - it feels like it's unfinished and it took a lot out of the experience as much as I tried to ignore it. Despite being a game with minimal, low-poly assets and taking place most of the time in limited space interiors - it ran at the resources an open world hi-fi game would ( running "nasa computer" here with Epic settings, so it didn't lag the game but it's still odd it runs as such. I tried running it on my wife's laptop w lower spec, and it was unplayable even on low. We're devs who built together projects that had way more tris per scene and higher res PBR textures that ran just fine on said laptop ages ago.). I suspect it is as such due to the engine rendering objects that are not in view and/or the lights being real-time instead of baked. Which, let's be frank, most of the lighting here could be baked as it is static. A lot of the lights' intensity was also cranked up way too high, and I had to squint and even put my hand over my eyes sometimes. The exterior environments had at the same time very low, muddy lighting while the shadows were extremely harsh. Foliage was flat and awkwardly shaded, looking like it's untextured aside from a simple colored albedo, and some textures/images are crisp while others seem like they were chucked through a posterize filter - it looks out of style for the rest of the environment's design and just flat out bad. I'd recommend sticking to one viz style, and going with it across all assets. Assets are also missing (mostly textures) and parts of buildings wouldn't render at all and would be see-through. At times, looking out the window I could only see the skybox. Either populate the outside of the windows with textures and/or models, or give up completely on it and make a simple roughness texture + noise. Either would've been fine with me. Mirrors also seemed to smoothen models and mess with colors and lights, making it look extremely odd and even bothersome to the eye. The (i assume) real time interior lighting also messes up a lot, making weird noise and artefacts over the objects it shines upon. Gameplay-wise...as a simple walk, point and click, I spent ages trying to find what i'm supposed to do especially past the very early game. Highlights would often not show up, so i'd have to go back and forth and click every single object I could find and go back and forth through rooms until the non-object events would trigger. A 4-6 hr game turned into 15. It was beyond frustrating. I really wish I could recommend it, these stories need to be heard. Especially for people like me who felt seen. I wouldn't have been ripped out of the experience if there were a few visual issues here and there, but as it is right now it is the case... and for the price, I don't think that's worth it. If these issues get fixed, i'd gladly recommend it. (I already did to my friends, but they couldn't play it with how badly it's optimized at the moment.) I will edit my review once fixes are out. My wife is excited to play it too, once that is the case. I still have just one diary page missing, hope she can find it ;)

A mix between Gone Home and Mouthwashing, which is a wild experience. It's Gone Home in presentation and Mouthwashing in gut churningness. Slow boil horror but absolutely grounded in reality. It's a good idea to take the warning at the front at face value and take breaks. Do not try to rush through the game to get to the "happy ending" and then stay up all night mad at what happens. I still haven't finished it, and it seems increasingly unlikely that there is a happy outcome anyway. I did put it off a bit because the warnings about content are so up front and blatant, but it's also a character study and intensely personal so it's gripping as hell. I understand why those warnings are there and why they're so prominent, clearly the people who made the game don't want anyone who has been through something similar to be *surprised* by what is in it, but it does serve as a bit of a wall and makes it seem like you're signing up for a 5 hour PSA on sexual abuse. That is not what this is, so if you think you're up for it I'd definitely recommend giving it a go. There are some small technical things that I hope get ironed out. At its heart it's a walking simulator and I got stuck at a few points not being able to figure out where the next story trigger was and wandering around the environments trying to figure out where to go. There are also some issues with the subtitles and audio triggering at the wrong times, but nothing game breaking for me.

it is never too late

A game like this feels impossible to place and write a typical review for. All the adjectives feel misplaced, knowing how raw and real the events of the game are, but over the two days I've spent playing this it's felt impossible to not want to press on and work it through. The team did a phenomenal job in all aspects, the dialogue and writing especially heavy hitting. It's insane the meaning that can go into so few words to tell a story so vast, that even just a single sentence can have me in tears. It takes a special kind of game to do that, and this is exactly it. The power The Quiet Things holds, even with a couple rough edges here and there, is so potent and so important to talk about and truly feel all the way through. I really really won't be forgetting this experience, and I hope the team are all so proud of themselves.

Eine intensive Geschichte über Missbrauch und Trauma. Man macht nicht viel außer den nächsten Interaktionspunkt zu suchen. Teilweise sorgt das für sehr viel Hin- und Herlaufen und vielleicht auch Frust. Aber das passt auf eine gewisse Weise zur erzählten Geschichte. Ich möchte diese Erfahrung nicht missen

The Quiet Things touches on incredibly important messages that young people find themselves navigating, through the perspective of Alice. This story/game is a rollercoaster of emotions and the storytelling is thoughtfully planned out. It's worth taking the journey with Alice. I have so much respect for the developer, it's not an easy story to tell, but it has been told so well. The voice acting is fantastic, as is the soundtrack. I was initially worried about the impact on my mental state by plunging into the immersion of this game, but once I started, I couldn't stop playing it. From my experience, there are some moments that feel familiar, but rather than leaving me feeling worse, I came away with a lot of empathy for the story as a whole. It's made me pause and reflect, and its impact lingers long after you finish the game. However, if the themes explored in this game are particularly close to your own experiences, I'd recommend approaching it with care and taking breaks. Overall, this game is daring, brave and vulnerable, and while it has some quirks that I'm sure will get fixed, it's worth every penny. Congrats to the whole team who brought this story to life.