When I first saw footage of Silt, it reminded me of an older game that I really loved, Playdead’s Limbo, a monochromatic 2D horror puzzle game. When I finally got my hands on it, I’m happy to say that while Silt is very similar to Limbo, it does a good job at carving out its own identity in this little sub-genre. The overall experience is shorter than I was hoping, but the achievements the developers at Spiral Circus were going for, they certainly succeeded in.
“In endless depths, Goliaths roam, Beneath the waves and crashing foam, hunt them down, remove their eyes, for this is where their power lies.” As far as the story is concerned that’s pretty much all you have to go off of. You play as a deep-sea diver, that more or less is human, but with the ability to shoot a stream of electricity to nearby sea life and possess them makes me question that. Your goal is to get through several stages that will inevitably lead you to a boss fight, or a boss puzzle, taking on a goliath and figuring out how to take it down. There are four goliaths total and it took me under an hour to get to each one, so you’re looking at an estimated three-to-four-hour experience.
A short game is by no means a bad thing, they can be some of the most memorable experiences in gaming. In the case of Silt, it did a good job not wearing out its welcome, but at the same time, there is such a beautifully horrific atmosphere, with intriguing lore, that kept me wanting to know more about it. If they designed more of a story throughout, this experience could have had 10 goliaths and I would have been happy. Alas, sometimes staying focused with a smaller experience and being less ambitious may have been the right decision in order to give the gamer a more well-rounded experience.
The ability to take over other fish in the sea, is a really cool idea, and executed very effectively. Taking over a piranha-like fish to chomp away at ropes or chains, or controlling a hammerhead shark to bash specific walls down to help you proceed. The use of this cool ability really lends itself for some really fun and creative puzzle solving. There were a few stages that had me stumped for a bit, but with some immersive underwater sound effects and a gorgeous black-and-white look really had me not caring that I was taking longer than usual because I was just admiring the scenery too much. If I had to give another nitpick, it would be the slow speed of your deep-sea diver when swimming around the larger, more explorative areas, which could make them feel a bit tedious.
All-in-all, Silt did what it set out to do. It gives you fun puzzles, awesome creature designs, and an enthralling ambiance portrayed deep into the horrific depths of the sea. All of which wrapped in simplistic but engaging lore wrapped in a very quick and gratifying experience. It may not be the most time-consuming game, but it’ll scratch that puzzle solving itch, and keep you thinking about it well after you’ve finished it.
8.5/10
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Related: Reviews by Nick Navarro
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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