A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead: Review

This game was reviewed on the Xbox Series X.

Reviewed by: David Cameron

In the chilling world of silence, where the smallest sound can mean death, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead puts you in the shoes of survivors trying to navigate the apocalyptic landscape, avoiding terrifying creatures with hypersensitive hearing. Developed by Stormind Games, this survival horror experience captures the tension and fear of the film franchise, blending immersive stealth mechanics with atmospheric storytelling. On the Xbox Series X, the game manages to be a solid, if not flawless, horror experience.

Gameplay: Tension and Silence

True to its cinematic origins, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead focuses heavily on stealth and survival. Every move you make must be calculated—one wrong step on a creaky floorboard or a dropped item could summon the deadly monsters lurking nearby. The gameplay primarily revolves around sound-based mechanics, making noise control essential. You'll spend a lot of time creeping through abandoned towns, forests, and desolate buildings, scavenging for supplies while trying to remain as quiet as possible.

The creatures in the game, inspired by the films, are relentless once they detect you, which heightens the stakes. The AI is sharp and responsive, creating nail-biting moments as you attempt to outmaneuver your hunters. However, the tension can become somewhat repetitive, with much of the gameplay looping through similar stealth encounters and set-piece chases.

While the tension is certainly effective, it's worth noting that the stealth mechanics aren't particularly groundbreaking. The game does a great job of immersing you in its world, but there are moments when the trial-and-error nature of sneaking can feel frustrating, especially when it feels like you're punished for making the slightest mistake.

Story: Atmospheric, But Thin

The narrative in A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is one of survival, but it doesn't expand much beyond the foundation set by the films. You play as a new group of survivors, and while the world is rich with lore, the story itself doesn't dive too deeply into the emotional core of its characters. The atmosphere does most of the heavy lifting here, with environmental storytelling creating a sense of foreboding as you explore desolate, ruined towns and landscapes.

The game excels at conveying isolation and desperation through its environments, but the overall plot feels more like a series of survival scenarios rather than a deeply compelling narrative. It's an effective backdrop for the gameplay, but you might wish for a stronger emotional connection to the characters by the time the credits roll.

Visuals and Sound: Silence is Deafening

Visually, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead makes great use of the Xbox Series X's capabilities. The environments are beautifully detailed, with moody lighting and eerie landscapes that immerse you in this post-apocalyptic world. Abandoned homes, dilapidated cities, and overgrown wilderness all contribute to a hauntingly realistic setting that feels lived-in and tragic.

But the real star of the show is the sound design. Given the importance of sound to the gameplay, A Quiet Place delivers an audio experience that is both terrifying and mesmerizing. The game plays with sound in clever ways—quiet moments where you can hear your heartbeat, the distant growls of creatures, and the horrifying crunch of twigs underfoot. Every noise feels like it has weight, making you hyper-aware of every action you take. The lack of a traditional soundtrack, replaced by ambient sounds and silence, heightens the tension beautifully.

However, the game can sometimes feel like it's leaning too heavily on this gimmick. While the audio design is undeniably well-done, there's a sense that the reliance on silence could have been pushed even further, with more variety in the ways the game manipulates sound to create fear.

Pacing and Difficulty: A Balancing Act

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead does a commendable job of building and maintaining tension throughout its runtime. However, the pacing can be uneven. The game alternates between moments of high-stakes stealth and slower, exploration-focused sections, and while this rhythm is generally effective, there are stretches where the game feels like it's dragging.

The difficulty curve can be punishing, especially during sequences where the monsters are on your trail. While these moments are undoubtedly intense, they can sometimes feel unfair due to the creatures' overwhelming speed and precision. You'll often find yourself restarting segments multiple times, which can break immersion and become frustrating. For players who enjoy a challenge, this might be welcome, but others might find the lack of more forgiving checkpoints a bit harsh.

Room for Improvement: Sound Execution but Missed Opportunities

Stormind Games does an excellent job in creating the right atmosphere, but there are areas where A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead could improve. While the stealth gameplay is effective, it could benefit from more variety in the types of encounters and puzzles. After a while, the gameplay loop becomes predictable, and it feels like the developers missed an opportunity to further innovate on the concept of sound-based stealth.

A more emotionally driven story would have also given players a greater connection to the world and the characters. The films thrive on their human moments of silence, and while the game captures some of this, it doesn't always match the intensity or emotional depth that fans of the franchise might expect.

Final Thoughts: A Solid Survival Stealth Experience

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a worthy adaptation of its cinematic namesake, offering a tense and engaging survival experience that effectively uses sound as a gameplay mechanic. It's atmospheric, well-designed, and nails the sense of dread that comes with every step you take in its unforgiving world. While it doesn't break new ground in terms of stealth gameplay or narrative depth, it's a solid entry for fans of the franchise and survival horror alike.

If you're looking for a game that will keep you on edge, with a unique twist on stealth mechanics, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead delivers. Just be prepared for a few frustrating moments and a somewhat thin story along the way.

Reviewed by: David Cameron