It’s incredible that Alien: Isolation, a first-person survival horror based on the classic sci-fi film, is almost ten years old and still hasn’t received a sequel. The atmosphere, combined with the tension of an invincible Xenomorph hunting the player in bafflingly intelligent ways, resulted in one of the scariest experiences at the time. Sure, there were flaws, but along with genuine frights, it also captured the essence and atmosphere of the moves very well.
While we may never see a follow-up or a similar title like Alien Isolation, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead from Stormind Games and Saber Interactive may serve as a viable substitute when it launches this year for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. Not because it features hyper-intelligent alien horror (well, not exactly the same kind), or due to its survival horror trappings. Instead, it’s the treatment of the source material, capturing that same vibe of helplessness, making for such a tense cinematic experience.
Let’s start from the beginning. In this universe, blind alien creatures with extra-heightened hearing have landed on Earth and instinctively decided, “Yep, this all has to go.” Incredibly quick and powerful while possessing near-impenetrable bodies, they rampage through humanity, leaving very few survivors. The first film showcases the remnants forced to survive without verbal communication, relying on sign language and not making any noise, going as far as avoiding modern technology.
By the end, a method of battling against the creatures is discovered. The sequel showcases how it’s used as a weapon while expanding on the setting, including how the aliens can’t swim, leading to the US government evacuating several people onto islands. The prequel spin-off reveals how the survivors made it out of New York City while transporting us back to a more frantic time – when humanity is hopelessly outmatched and completely unable to fight back, doing their best not to make a single sound. Amid all this, there’s a message of living life to the fullest, even when things seem hopeless, to the very end.
It’s that harrowing experience which A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead seemingly looks to capture. Set on Day 119 post-alien attack, the story is about Alex, a college student whose world is turned upside down like many others. An extended gameplay trailer showcased one instance of this, with players having to carefully sneak through a near-abandoned building while a creature aggressively scours it, picking off any stragglers.
A flashlight is necessary to navigate the environment – not only due to the limited visibility but also because you might accidentally nudge objects in the dark, making noise (which is bad). Collecting batteries to recharge it is necessary. Would Alex have avoided death at the end of the gameplay if she had seen that bucket in the dark? Probably.
The other twist is that Alex has asthma and must find and use inhalers, presumably to prevent coughing and attracting the monster. This may lead to scenarios where she doesn’t have an inhaler handy and must look for other ways to avoid detection.
A sound measuring device can check noise levels, though it didn’t play that much of a part in the gameplay walkthrough. Some suspension of disbelief is needed throughout, especially regarding how noticeably loud the footstep audio is (perhaps due to the mixing in the trailer) or how Alex uses an inhaler so close to a creature yet escapes disembowelment. However, there is promise, especially with teases of using sandbags to muffle footstep audio out in the wild.
That’s not all, as the recent story trailer showcased sequences from when the meteors first arrived on Earth. These saw Alex and her loved ones desperately running from the creatures, including a sequence on the highway where you must use a shotgun to push one back. There are also scenarios where players must seemingly navigate in a location with water while a creature threatens them. The themes of parenthood are reinforced, as Alex must also deal with an unforeseen pregnancy on top of everything else.
From the perspective of the average survival horror fan, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead may look like yet another survival horror stealth title with gorgeous visuals (as if those are growing on trees these days) but little innovation. However, of all the upcoming horror adaptations – an admittedly short list – it has the potential for blockbuster success. The first film made a whopping $317 million off a $17 million budget and several award nominations. Call it a flash in the pan but the second film, despite a larger budget of roughly $61 million still earned over $297 million at the box office.
Maybe it was Emily Blunt in the starring role (alongside Cillian Murphy in the sequel), but no. Even A Quiet Place: Day One with a new cast would earn $227.9 million from a $67 million budget. Is the increased budget and reduced box office revenue from each film somewhat concerning? Sure, but the property is generally well-liked, reviewed well among critics and successful.
If you check the comments on the trailers, they’re about how the game should implement VR or even support for mics to capture the experience. Some are commenting on how it looks much better than expected (and let’s be honest, it’s visually splendid). The gameplay trailer even saw complaints about the footstep audio and how it could be more in line with the film. However, even with these complaints, many are looking forward to the game and being scared witless.
Regardless of whether genre fans consider it generic or safe, there’s room for something special here. After all, the last title with a somewhat intelligent monster that ruthlessly pursued players was Amnesia: The Bunker, which launched last year. The Outlast Trials also technically qualifies, but it’s built more for multiplayer (and breaking players’ minds with its debauchery) than a curated narrative experience. Besides, neither of those games features purely sound-based monsters, which already helps The Road Ahead stand out from a gameplay perspective.
Whether Stormind Games capitalizes on the hype and leverages the universe remains to be seen. The developer’s last horror title was 2020’s Remothered: Broken Porcelain, with a 39 Metascore from 30 critical reviews. Steam user reviews were slightly kinder, with 60 percent of the currently 544 leaning positive, though it’s still “Mixed.” Its next release, the action-adventure RPG Batora: Lost Haven from 2022, did better with a 77 percent “Mostly Positive” rating on Steam from 156 user reviews. However, its critical reception is still in the high 60s and mid-70s.
There’s hope that under Saber Interactive, A Quiet Place could be a more enjoyable experience, if not more polished. Judging from the gameplay and visuals alone, it looks like a step up from Stormind’s previous efforts. Time will tell.
For now, it’s good to see a horror game based on a successful contemporary horror movie franchise garnering so much attention. It doesn’t have to beat out the likes of Alien: Isolation or even Amnesia: The Bunker in narrative or quality scares. Though its success is seemingly guaranteed, if it can capture the essence of the films, immersing players in that universe and making them feel that same sense of terror and humanity, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead could stand out. With the surprising success of several lesser-hyped titles from smaller or unknown teams, a game based on A Quiet Place doing well would certainly rank low among the strangest occurrences of the year.
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