Songs of Silence is a turn based, strategy game set in a world where a celestial war has sundered the planet in two, allowing a blight to grow in the space between. This blight reaches down and starts to corrupt the land.

Set in a world where a celestial war has sundered the planet in two

You play as Lorelai, whose land has been decimated, leaving her to lead the remnants of her kingdom in search of allies and enemies. The setting is pseudo medieval, with infantry, cavalry and trebuchets. Added to this are the fantasy elements of mages and war animals.

Gameplay offers a campaign mode as well as skirmish and multiplayer modes, plus a few difficulty levels. That said, even in story mode the game has a very steep learning curve. There is a lot to learn, and remember, to get the best out of your experience.

The game is a combination of AI controlled battles and kingdom resources management. Engaging in battle or laying siege and capturing cities will gain you experience, gold and building materials. Your control over your army consists of gaining recruits and allies, setting the constitution of your army and your hero cards.

You must continually balance what you have between conquering new ground and protecting your cities.

The cards provide several buffs

The cards provide several buffs and this is where the game falls down a little. Each card is on a timer and through progression you can increase the power of the cards or gain new cards. During battle these are cycled through using the L2 and R2 buttons which works well with the DualSense controller.

There's no real element of card stacking, they just represent actions you can take during battle. These can be chosen and placed on the battleground to help you or hinder the opposing army.

There is an extensive back lore available to read, but what is missing is simple titles for each card that lets you know what they do. It may not seem much but in the heat of battle, if you must try and remember what they all do, it can restrict you having an optimal outcome. There is the option to pause the game, but this takes you out of the moment.

This may all sound a little dry, but the game does have a story to tell, with some pretty good voice acting thrown in.

The game offers AI battles and kingdom resources management

The game works well on the PS5, offering no difficulty in dropping in and out of the various elements of the map or even moving your armies. Navigation is smooth with no noticeable delay in switching between elements.

Overall, there is a lot of depth to the game, just jumping in without some knowledge will only get you so far. An unsophisticated or cautious commander is likely to be destroyed quickly by the brutal AI.

9

Charles Packer