A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead Review
Initial release date: October 17, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Stormind Games
License: proprietary license
Genres: Adventure game, Action game, Adventure
Publisher: Saber Interactive
If I were caught up in an alien invasion and any sound drew the murderous extraterrestrials to my location, I’d be screwed. I have two daughters who can’t stop talking about the latest Taylor Swift lore and giving a 20-minute overview of the day’s school drama. When you combine that with my clumsiness, it’s almost certain that things will not go well for me. Playing A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead brought my anxieties to reality, especially when my girls literally sent me to an early grave with their chattering in the background.
While not quite as horrific as Alien: Isolation, Stormind Games has created a game full of tension and poignancy, weaving a personal story with all of the terror found in the excellent films on which the game is based. You play Alex, a young woman who experiences tragedy in the beginning of the story. From there, she must avoid being ripped apart by these aliens and flee to safety, all while dealing with her asthma and just discovered pregnancy.
It’s difficult to live with in everyday life, but escaping the prospect of frightening aliens waiting to kill you at any time is virtually unbearable. That terror pervades every step of the way, as you’re constantly tiptoeing around abandoned buildings and out in the open. The slightest sound can summon these abominations, and there are numerous ways to draw them to you simply by walking on the wrong thing.
Even when strolling through the woods, the number of paint cans on the ground can be frustrating. Who the bloody hell abandoned them there?! Walking through a puddle, dropping a vent door too rapidly, treading on glass, or opening a door carelessly. All of these things will bring the monsters to your door. The main issue with A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is that you have to move slowly for much of the story. It can take a long time to walk from one end of a corridor to the other, and doing so in each new place might be frustrating.
Not only should you be cautious when moving, but Alex has asthma, and exerting too much energy can cause her to have an episode. You can run, but the lungs indicator will turn yellow, then orange, and finally red, indicating an asthma attack. Sneaking about an alien increases the likelihood of an assault, as does anything too vigorous. There are inhalers and medications laying about that can help calm her down, and while they aren’t difficult to find, there isn’t an endless supply.
Alex carries a few tools to help her survive. One of these is the handmade phonometer, which measures the decibels produced by anything you do. It allows you to monitor both sound and the alien’s awareness of you, giving you an indication of how far you can push it. One of the most interesting aspects of A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is the ‘Microphone Noise Detection’ feature. Real-world sounds are picked up by your controller, so any noises you make could bring you to an early grave. It’s optional, but it’s definitely worth wearing for fun. My eldest chose to shout “boobies” at the top of her lungs, and well, you know what happened next.
You also get a torch that needs batteries to stay lighted, and using too many can cause it to break at the worst possible time. You must always be aware of what objects are on the floor, and having it die while you are in the middle of a parking lot with the creature lurking around is not fun. You can pick up bricks or bottles to distract them, providing a brief relief, but there were many instances when I felt hopeless. That dread aspect keeps you interested in A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead for the majority of the time.
There are numerous opportunities to immerse yourself in the story because stillness is so important to your playing style. Documents are strewn about, each portraying a personal story of persons striving to survive following the invasion. Alex’s story is emotive and well-paced, even if it loses steam near the end. It may not be as good as Day One or the original picture that launched the franchise, but it is certainly worthy of its position in the greater universe.
Review Overview
Gameplay: 92%
Controls: 88%
Aesthetics: 90%
Content: 85%
Accessibility: 87%
Value: 89%
Overall: 89%
FANTASTIC!
Summary:
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead skillfully transports players to the scary, sound-sensitive environment of the film series. The stealth-focused gameplay, along with the game’s hauntingly calm ambiance, keeps players on edge and makes every action matter. While the game is relatively linear and shorter in length, the narrative and tension-filled gameplay more than compensate, creating an unforgettable experience. The intuitive controls and immersive sound design heighten the suspense, resulting in an exciting survival journey. Despite modest replayability constraints, it provides good value for genre or series fans seeking a tense, compelling experience.
Leave a Comment