The Quiet Things Preview: Heavy with Perspective
The Quiet Things is a walking sim where you play as Alice, a young girl who grows up with loss and the troubled life that follows. Much like other games we’ve seen time and time again, this familiar title deals heavily with weighty themes and contains several content warnings to prove it. However, The Quiet Things succeeds, whereas other games fail with proper perspective.
Presentation
Regarding the overall vibe and look of the game, The Quiet Things will only wow some people. Luckily, it doesn't have to. Outside of the minor screen resolution issue rendering the game's subtitles far too large for my screen to be legible, I didn't have many technical hiccups.
As you play, however, the few things that do stand out in the environment are the game's knick-knacks lying about. As you progress, these knick-knacks range from an old-school Gameboy, CRT Televisions, a PS2, and an Xbox 360 later. The game's narrative carries the experience, and the environmental storytelling stands out for players to grasp even in the simplest ways, so players probably won't even fault the game's lack of technical prowess.
Narrative
The Quiet Things features several content warnings for the game's heavy themes. As you take control of a young Alice and grow up alongside her rollercoaster of a story, you tackle topics like cancer, depression, addiction, suicide, cutting, and overall self-harm.
It's easy to tackle these subjects, but Alice contemplates them from her perspective in The Quiet Things, and it feels genuine. For instance, as Alice becomes a teen, she expresses in her diary or journal that she finds herself planning activities away from home and most supervision so that she can self-harm because it's become an addiction now. Moreover, Alice's wardrobe changes from short-sleeved, uplifting colors to long-sleeved dark colors as she grows up.
Thankfully, it's not all doom and gloom, though. Her journal details a pleasant interaction with a teacher who looks after her and encourages her to get better and seek help. It's only a passing side note, but it's there and carries more weight than one might imagine it intended to originally.
Gameplay
Most of my preview took place in Alice’s childhood home, but that’s not what the game boots up to. As the game boots up, you encounter some harrowing statistics about suicide and self-harm, followed by a scene on a bridge featuring a frantic 911 call and the following panic. The scene sets the tone and then immediately transitions to child Alice.
Now, The Quiet Things is primarily a walking sim, and calling it a game is a bit of a stretch, but it is an experience and an effective one. As you play, you encounter household items ranging from photos, toys, computers, and anything at all with arrows hovering over them, as well as handwritten notes you need to read. You approach them as Alice and interact with the items, triggering an audio queue in either Alice’s or other characters’ voices. Key details are found both in the handwritten notes and in the items with audio queues.
You are forced to interact with every object possible before moving on, but you’ll want to anyway since the story is compelling. I found out the progressing angle the hard way, though, considering I struggled to locate the final object before moving on. Luckily, it didn’t take me too long, and players can sprint.
Breakdown
Game: The Quiet Things
Developers: Silver Script Games
Availability: Steam
Previewed on Steam
Demo Length: 15-30 minutes
Pros:
Short and Sweet
Great Perspective
Compelling Narrative
Cons:
Gameplay leaves a little to be desired
Subtitles rendered useless
Final Thoughts
The Quiet Things might not be much of a video game, but what makes a video game anyway? What the title truly delivers is a short yet meaningful experience told through a perspective that matters, and it does it in a way that feels authentic and makes it stand out from the myriad of other experiences like it. Those who boot up The Quiet Things should take the content warning seriously, but hearing this story is worth the heartache.
Preview by Austin Ernst