Children of Silentown Review

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Fast Facts

Not Your Average Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there was a quiet village nestled in the middle of a vibrant forest. It sounds like the beginning of a charming fairy tale, but Children of Silentown’s story is darker. It’s a bit more like Brothers Grimm, where villagers are vanishing and monsters lurk in the shadows. This point-and-click adventure is beautifully stylized and very Tim Burton-esque. I was really drawn to the dark feel of this game and excited to get into the exploration and puzzles, but just how well does it all hold up?

I was struck right away by how well the tone is set in the game. As I was playing through an early scene where the children are playing ball, I noticed a distinct feeling of cozy, everyday life seamlessly blended into a gloomy world bound by rules. This is felt throughout the game in its beautiful art with muted colours, hopeful yet melancholy music, and cute characters who also look creepy. Almost everyone in Silentown acts like everything is fine, but how can anyone truly be okay in an isolated world that is surrounded by a constant, monstrous threat? I think this sentiment was well-conveyed by the developers.

Children of Silentown is laid out over five chapters and follows the story of Lucy—a young girl who’s just trying to be a kid in a world that gives her disturbing nightmares. In the village of Silentown, monstrous roars are heard throughout the night, and people going missing is nothing unusual. To remain safe, the town abides by strict rules to keep their voices low and to stay inside after dark. Despite the town’s constraints, people continue to disappear. With no action or answers from the adults, Lucy embarks on a brave journey to find out the truth. 

Puzzles Galore and Lots to Explore

You’re immersed into Lucy’s journey with point-and-click adventure gameplay. Exploring the town, interacting with objects, and talking to the (sometimes very odd) residents gives you a good sense of life in Silentown and of Lucy’s personality. As you explore, you’ll collect items and complete a variety of tasks to keep the story going. For example, while helping your mother make dinner, she’ll ask you to get some wood to rekindle the fire. You’ll then have to figure out how to get your troublesome cat, named Squinty, to move off a chest, so you can collect the wood you need. A little later in the game, you’ll learn how to combine items, such as fixing a broken slingshot with a pair of tights. You can then use your newly fixed slingshot to help a friend.

I did really enjoy completing tasks and exploring Silentown, but there were times when I got very stuck. I would be running around and combing every area, trying to figure out what I missed. Also, some item combinations and their uses didn’t quite make sense, and I only figured them out by trying everything. 

As you continue to play, you’ll collect notes that Lucy keeps in her journal. Once you have enough notes, it will create a melody that Lucy can sing. Each melody has a different ability, such as revealing a person’s traumatic memory. This usually triggers a mini puzzle game that you’ll have to solve to heal the memory. Some mini games are satisfyingly solvable, while others are very hard. I found myself dreading mini games, especially the one where you must place gears and turn squares in the right sequence to light up a path. Because there’s only three types of mini games, eventually I found them to be a bit repetitive and tiresome.

What a Beautifully Dark Place

The game’s art has a beautiful hand-painted style that transports you into its wondrous and terrifying world. The characters look a bit like rag dolls and have big, solid white eyes that are very reminiscent of A Nightmare Before Christmas. Muted colours fit well with the gloomy feel. Bright colours are used for the surrounding forest and in later parts of the game, showing a contrast between the inner and outer world. 

The music complements the art really well and sets the right tone with hopeful and sad undertones. At times I did feel like the music was too repetitive and had to shut it off—this can easily be done in the settings.

Ending in Disappointment 

Children of Silentown has a lot going for it, but it does fall short in a few areas. Getting stuck in this game was just plain frustrating and really pulled me away from the story. Some hints would have been welcome when things get tough. The story itself is initially intriguing, but it tends to drag and doesn’t really find its stride until over halfway through. Some incredibly strange and interesting things start to happen, and I found the puzzles and exploration to be quite compelling. However, just when everything seems to come together, the game ends. An extra chapter would have been nice to flesh out the resolution. 

The ending itself also seemed rushed and didn’t give me the answers I wanted. There are four different endings to the game, but you have to play through again to get each one. I felt like one playthrough was enough for me. There’s also no save progression, so if you’ve missed anything, there’s no going back.  

There’s Light in the Darkness

Even with its downsides, Children of Silentown was a joy to play. I really liked Lucy’s character. She’s relatable and witty and faces her fears with great determination. The amazing art and atmosphere creates a delightful, terrifying world to explore. Some puzzles are on the harder side, but in general they are a good challenge. The mystery behind the monsters did keep me curious until the end. 

I also appreciated how easy it was to learn the controls in the game. There are real-time tutorials and onscreen buttons, so I never had to think about how to use an ability or access something.

I think people who are looking for cozy games with a darker theme would enjoy this game a lot. And if you can forgive the story falling short and deal with some of the frustrating aspects of the game, then I think Children of Silentown is worth playing.

You can buy Children of Silentown from the Nintendo eShop here