A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead has looked like an increasingly promising horror experience as we’ve approached its release, and something in particular that has stood out to genre enthusiasts is how much it seems to be emulating the gameplay style and unique brand of horror of the beloved 2014 survival horror cult hit Alien: Isolation. Interestingly enough, as it turns out, the Creative Assembly-developed title was the “main inspiration” that developer Stormind Games looked to for A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead.
Speaking in a recent interview with GamingBolt, lead game designer Manuel Moavero revealed that Stormind Games wished to capture the feeling of being constantly hunted by a threat that cannot be directly confronted, same as Alien: Isolation.
“During development, we were inspired by several games that managed to blend fear and atmosphere in unique ways,” Moavero said. “Alien: Isolation was our main inspiration, particularly for its management of tension and the feeling of being hunted by an enemy you can’t confront directly. The fear stemming from the constant invisible threat is something we wanted to capture in A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, but with the unique sound-based mechanic.”
Moavero went on to mention several other titles that A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead takes cues from in a variety of different ways, including The Last of Us, the Amnesia franchise, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, and Thief.
“The Last of Us was a major reference for the way it creates tension through resource management and interaction with the environment,” he said. “Amnesia influenced our thinking on how to create fear without necessarily showing enemies at every moment, instead playing on the sense of vulnerability and isolation.
“We also drew inspiration from games like Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, for the depth of its stealth mechanics, and Thief, for the importance of environment and sound in determining survival. Each of these games taught us something important about how to balance tension, exploration, and danger in a way that immerses the player in an intense horror experience without being too punishing.”
Moavero also spoke of the resurgence of the horror genre in games, and how it has enjoyed developers to create unique kinds of horror experiences.
“Absolutely: the resurgence of horror games in recent years has allowed developers to explore new ideas and approaches to the genre,” he said. “With the evolution of technology and innovation in gameplay mechanics, audiences have become more open to different experiences, allowing creators to push the boundaries of traditional horror games. Today, we see a greater variety, from more action-oriented games to psychological survival horror and more atmospheric horror, as in the case of A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead.”
He added, “In the end, the variety and success of recent horror games gave us the freedom to experiment and innovate, allowing us to explore a more atmospheric, sound-based direction while keeping the core of the horror genre intact.”
Our full interview with Moavero and Stormind Games will be going live soon, so stay tuned.
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead launches on October 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.