Published by Daedalic Entertainment and developed by Elf Games and Luna2 Studio, a new point-and-click adventure has arrived in the form of “Children of Silentown.” The genre seems to be making a resurgence, after recently reviewing “Return to Monkey Island” (check out the review HERE) late last year, I wasn’t really sure if I was in the mood for another, because that experience set a whole new bar for me. I’m happy to say that with “Children of Silentown,” while it doesn’t quite reach the level of highs Monkey Island did for me, its storytelling genre, that of more of a mystery thriller, really engrossed me into this world and this game really put their own and unique stamp here.
In this very, I’d say safe to say, very Tim Burton aesthetic influenced game you play as Lucy, who lives with her mother in this strange little town oozing with mystery. There is a forest surrounding the town and there have been some startling monstrous noises coming from it in the middle of the night. Rules are set in place for everyone that there shall be no loud noises during the day, and as far as in the evening, no one is able to go outside. When these rules obviously get broken, townspeople go missing. To add stress to everyone Lucy loves to sing with her mother, which is sadly frowned upon. Lucy brings it upon herself to begin an investigation into what is really going on, while getting to know more of your fellow neighbors you really begin to understand who they are and why they are the way they are, all while slowly getting more clues to the overall mystery.
Just like many of Tim Burton’s films, they’re very dark in style, but there’s also a very human and beautiful quality that’s wrapped up in not just the look, but how people are represented, “Children of Silentown” nails this, because I got very invested in many of its characters, even with an overall sense of dread always looming. I know text bubbles are more common than actually incorporating voice acting in these types of games, but that’s what I feel made “Return to Monkey Island” extra special, by adding another level of personality to it, and while the writing in this game is quite good, I think I would have fallen in love with these characters even more so if they spoke. Anyways, as far as the gameplay goes, it’s fairly straight forward, doing it’s very best to not be over complicated which is always appreciated. Most of the game is in this little town so there is a lot of repetitiveness as far as scenery, but as you progress the townspeople are always doing something different to help keep it fresh. The music is also very good, which is great, because you’ll be hearing a lot of the same thing the entire time.
The puzzles are some of the more fun aspects here, they come in few different forms, but aside from the longer, more story-based puzzles that involve items you collect which can be obtuse, the regular puzzles do a good job being challenging. Some had me stumped for a bit and I wish there was a hint system to help me out, but I managed. Items can be picked up and used in multiple ways to help proceed the story, but you can also find stickers hidden away in places, which don’t really add anything extra to the game aside from preying on your collecting mentality and giving more to do for completionists. Different songs can also be collected and can also be incorporated into some of the larger puzzles, I always enjoyed any opportunity the game gave Lucy to sing. A game that charms you with it’s dark but compelling world of characters and an overall runtime that doesn’t overstay its welcome with roughly eight hours give or take on how much of the extra stuff you want to finish, “Children of Silentown” is a very solid experience and for me is the one to beat for best point-and-click adventure of 2023.
8/10
For more information, visit https://childrenofsilentown.com/
Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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