Songs of Silence is a unique take on the 4X genre with engaging army management, card system, real-time combat, and splendid Skirmish mode.
Songs of Silence is a top-tier turn-based strategy game with a fast-paced auto battles feature. This game has been presented in such a unique mix of kingdom and army management, hero development, and real-time combat. It’s a beautiful example of the evolution of a classic genre, as the game features extensive single-player strategic gameplay, a narrative-driven campaign, plus multiple competitive and cooperative modes for endless replay value.
Songs of Silence is developed and published by Chimera Entertainment, the studio behind some of the most famous games like Angry Birds Epic and Angry Birds Evolution, in collaboration with Rovio Entertainment. The game features an extensive single-player, narrative-driven campaign, plus multiple competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes for different experiences, both solo and with friends.
The story of Songs of Silence is torn between two forces: the light and the encroaching Silence, a mysterious, life-consuming power. By controlling one of the game’s various factions, players must negotiate this conflict through a combination of tactical choices and in-the-moment fighting.
Songs of Silence’s campaign is divided into two sections, each consisting of five chapters that tell the tale of two distinct nations. The world of Songs of Silence is a complex web of kingdoms and groups fighting for dominance and halting the Silence’s inevitable spread.
Additionally, the campaign does a great job of gradually introducing you to every aspect of the gameplay. RTS games aren’t easy for newcomers to pick up, while more experienced players can adjust to the more unusual aspects of the game. However, I thought the stories that transpired during both campaigns were both well-written and fascinating.
The game’s worldbuilding is superb, and each campaign is firmly supported by its outstanding narrative. Voice acting is used to great effect for key characters in the area! I had a great time listening to characters argue or quarrel vocally while keeping track of relationships and events. Song of Silence is a good example of epic high fantasy because of its dramatic gravity.
Discovering and navigating the world map, controlling your troops and towns, and engaging enemy forces in combat are the three main objectives and playstyles of Songs of Silence’s gameplay. All of this takes place during your turn, which ends when you’re done. Then, in a quick and fluid turn-based system, other sides take their turn, bringing it back to you.
All actions (except movement) are done using three types of cards. Strategy Cards let you strengthen your kingdom by constructing special buildings, bolstering your defenses, and increasing resource incomes, among others.
Recruitment Cards let you recruit new units to defend your settlements or join your armies, and Strategy Cards influence the tide of battle with buffs, magical attacks, and reinforcements.
You can use the globe map to plan your next move and scan the terrain from the widest vantage point. You can move your army, check on your settlements, and explore the planet here. Where you are not there, a fog of war will obscure your view; thus, you must disperse it in order to reveal what it conceals. If you can see them, you can also examine the armies and villages of other hostile or neutral forces.
Settlement and army management are the second forms of gameplay. With a more detailed, zoomed-in view, here is where you choose what buildings to construct, units to recruit, and forces to organize. With the help of cards, your heroes can perform a variety of magical activities.
A spell that allows your army to see concealed opponents for multiple turns or the construction of a particular structure at a settlement that creates a unique unit you can later recruit are examples of how some are employed on the world map or administration displays.
Others are useful in combat, either enhancing your units or harming the forces of your adversary. In contrast to Recruitment and Strategy Cards, which can be used once each turn, conflict Cards recharge during the conflict. Each army can only have one Hero unit in charge, but you can move units from one army to another by bringing them together, much like you would when you were stationed in a town.
All these boil down to the last feature in Songs of Silence, which is all about combat. If not unique, it’s quite interesting. If you attack a town or an opposing army, you may be subject to siege or conflict respectively.
Similar to previous auto-battlers, you can utilize your hero’s Battle Cards to support your forces or impede your opponent’s, but you do not have control over your soldiers throughout the battle. The combat can be slowed down to allow for precise usage of combat Cards, but you can also choose to pause and hurry it up at any point.
The basic tactics to increase your chances of victory are obvious to everyone who has played RTS games. Place weaker, ranging soldiers toward the back of the army and speedier, more powerful units at the front. You can look at the strengths of each unit’s statistics and utilize that information to put together a force that will win. In order to hold reinforcements and caravans loaded with your war booty, your forces have a rear guard that is separate from the main army.
Even while Songs of Silence is flawless from beginning to end, and every aspect of its design is fully realized, I’m concerned that the gameplay might be too passive. About halfway through the game, I started playing battles at full speed to finish them, stopping sometimes to use a Battle Card.
It wasn’t because I was certain to win, but rather because there wasn’t much else to do. Although this wouldn’t be an issue and is typical of an auto-battler system, I now knew that it was the case during the Songs of Silence gaming.
Simply said, the game’s options aren’t deep enough. The only things that level up are your heroes and settlements, which also make additional troops available for building constructions and recruiting, respectively, and upgrading or learning new skills.
There is no real resource management because there is no trade or diplomacy, and resources are not utilized to buy structures or units for a one-time price. Some will appreciate these modifications, but I believe that others, particularly those who like the finer points of controlling everything in classic RTS games, will enjoy the game for a short while.
The best aspect of Songs of Silence, in my opinion, is the art direction, which I have reserved for last. This game stands out from all of its RTS competitors thanks to its exquisitely detailed, vibrantly colored Art Nouveau-style graphics and embellishments.
Every plot point, character exchange, or struggle in the campaign offered a chance to appreciate their stunning artwork. It’s the ideal visual language for Songs of Silence, and I can’t think of a better way to convey the ethereal and epic quality of the game’s environment.
Additionally, Songs of Silence has excellent voice acting, as I’ve already noted, but the soundtrack, composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto (who composed for Valkyria Chronicles and Final Fantasy Tactics), is flawless.
As you navigate the map and administer your kingdom, gentle woodwinds flutter playfully. Thundering drums accompany the battle while booming trumpets announce combat. The music perfectly complements this magical universe, rising and falling in time with the events on screen.
Even though I might not continue playing Songs of Silence since I’ve finished all the campaigns, I had a great time going through the campaign and can understand why other players could.
The game is more approachable and fast-paced thanks to its simplified management and combat features, but seasoned genre enthusiasts could find the lack of depth and control unsettling. Songs of Silence is a fantastic take on the traditional RTS paradigm, combining real-time strategy and auto battler in a graphically lavish manner.
Songs of Silence is an efficient strategy game that does enough to carve out a niche in an overcrowded genre. Its engaging army management, original card system, real-time combat, and splendid Skirmish mode make it hard not to admire its efforts.
However, the problem lies with the Campaign mode because it doesn’t work soundly. There are minor flaws that are quite annoying, and in regard to balancing, some effort and energy were wasted, and there was immense boredom.
The game is still in its early stages, so there is still a lot to go. I really hope that the developers will be able to enhance the performance in the days to come. Many may be put off by Songs of Silence’s high costs and sometimes poor optimization, but being an oddity in the 4X genre might actually help it stand out, and it is really good on the Steam Deck anyway. It’s a game that I’ll surely follow closely.
