The haunted English countryside is not a frequent source of modern horror media. Whereas classics such as Hammer’s adaption of the perennial Sherlock Holmes tale, The Hound of the Baskervilles, brought life to such a grim, isolated area, I cannot readily name many modern stories set in this rich background. Have no fear (or fear a lot!), for Silver Chains has arrived from the talented developers at Cracked Head Games and publisher Headup Games to right this wrong!
I will not reveal too much about the plot, as there are quite a few fun and spooky surprises in store, but as it is, you play as a young Englishman who has recently suffered a near fatal accident and most likely adopted a concussion into his life. Walking down a narrow and demoralizing road, you end up passing out on the steps of a house to make Walt Disney’s Haunted Mansion proud. Do not worry too much about finding a way in, someone was courteous enough to leave the light on for you! From here on out, you must find a way out of this nightmare.
A simple, yet elegant and tried and true set up. But what of the gameplay? Well, if you have played Amnesia: The Dark Descent or Outlast before, you will recognize the now time-honored first-person survival horror abilities of interacting with objects, sneaking about, and hiding from enemies. Your inventory, unlike in Resident Evil, Amnesia, and such, is not there to be interacted with, just as a show of what you are carrying, as well as doubling as a list of the player’s thoughts (who actually talks, unlike our normal silent protagonists – neat!) You can pick up a lamp and later a fancy monocle (pip-pip and cheerio!) to help guide you through dark corridors and tricky puzzles. This is not something that fans of the horror genre have not seen before, but hey, if it is not broke, no need for fixing!
As for the graphics and sound design? Superb. The moment I started the game after the prologue, I fell in love with the style of Silver Chains. It looks spooky, like something out of Scooby-Doo or the aforementioned Haunted Mansion. The developers truly did an excellent job and it joins the ranks of Amnesia, Outlast, Alien: Isolation, and Resident Evil 7 for me as some of the best horror game atmosphere in recent memory. The audio is phenomenal at making you feel uneasy. A friend who was watching me play can attest how many times the creaky floorboards under my own two feet gave me cause to pause right where I was standing and take a look around to make sure it was safe. The scares generally got to me as well. Jump scares can get a bad rap most of the time, but with proper build up and atmosphere, there is a reason that films such as Jaws made it such a beloved past time of the genre. In Silver Chains, it felt just as effective, perhaps better at times because of how well it was paced. I truly wish I could write a specific example that I thought was phenomenal about one hour into the game, but it would spoil the fun!
Silver Chains is not an innovative horror game, but it is a darn good one. Well made and teeming with atmosphere and great sound design, I highly recommend it for the ever-hungry horror gamer and Twitch streamers everywhere. It was a great way to kickstart the sometimes-dry month of August and I think that players will be wonderfully surprised. Slap on your circa-1900s era gentleman’s attire and enjoy Silver Chains!
Graphics – 10/10
Sound – 10/10
Gameplay 9/10
Story – 8.5/10
Total: 9.4
Check Out the Silver Chains Launch Trailer:
Silver Chains is available for PC via Steam, currently on sale for 15% off at $21.24 (sale ends August 13th).
Steam Review
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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