The Thin Silence is a narrative adventure side-scrolling game developed by TwoPM Studios and published by Nkidu Games Inc. As per the developer, it is inspired by games like Limbo and Knytt Stories. This game is about the journey of Ezra Westmark from his voluntary exile to absolution and hope that delves into depression, self-doubt, struggles, and trials.
Platform Reviewed: PC
Platforms Available: PC
Developer: Two PM
Publisher: Nkidu Games
Release Date: April 27, 2018
MSRP: USD $9.99
This review is based on a review code provided by Nkidu Games.
One thing that I liked about this game is that it has a disclaimer of having strong themes of depression, suicide, and negative mental health, but at its core, it is a game of hope. They also disclaim that this may cause some people to feel less mentally and emotionally well and that we all need to be aware of our own inner state while playing the game.
This game has 4-5 hours of challenges driven by an item vs environment interaction mechanic. It has over 40 different in-game documents. The controls are pretty straightforward. Up, down, left and right keys are for the movements and the “A” key is the execute key, down key is the pickup or enable key. In the game, you will be in the shoes of Ezra Westmark. First, you need to get out from a dark and gloomy environment that looks like an underground mining facility. The next area is outside the facility.
I think it depends on the path you chose as to where you want to go next. As for me, I was able to get outside but ended up falling to a dark area again. What’s interesting is that the game’s story unfolds as you go along each area. All of the areas have mind-boggling puzzles that test your mental capacity.
To proceed to the next area, the player must solve all the given challenges. There are useful items in the game that will help you go through obstacles. Whenever you loot an item, there will be a cut-scene telling a story about that item. Every piece of item you loot while exploring the area are craftable. You can make a unique item out of it. For example, when I looted a rope, I tried to mix it up with a hook, then it became a hook attached to a rope item that can be used to pull a huge rock to the hole so that I can pass through. There are also books and notes you can gather in the game. The books are quite hard to understand as it’s really deep and poetic.
When it comes to the game’s graphics, it’s pretty decent for a side-scrolling puzzle game. The dark color combinations are pretty nice. The floating star effects and the lighting effect looks cool as it gives contrast to the game’s dark theme. The music matches the game. It has a deep base music type. Although the story, in my opinion, has a quite sensitive topic, the message was properly delivered to me.
What interests me of the game is that the challenges are really unique and not that easy at all. It stimulates my urge to solve it no matter what. While playing the game and unfolding the story of it, I realized that Ezra’s struggles can be compared to a real-life situation. In my opinion, fighting depression, facing problems, and guilt is an ongoing thing for all people. The game’s story revolves around those aspects. I’ve learned that depression can be fought, and face all problems no matter how difficult they are.
Final thoughts
Overall, the game is not that bad. I like how they put a disclaimer that the game might not be good for some people. There might be some parts that need improvement like probably the game interface. It would be better if they add some description per item. What’s it for and what not. Also, when I started to play the game, the interface started in a 640 by 360 windowed mode. I think it’ll be better if the resolution will auto adjust depending on the computer’s default screen resolution.
