While Lucy’s days consist of hanging out with friends or assisting her mother, she suffers nightmares and can hear strange growling outside the town. Even though she’s told to never venture into the forest, a tragedy forces her to confront the so-called monsters for herself.

Children of Silentown is primarily a point-and-click title with puzzle-solving, mini-games and items to collect and combine. You’ll also find notes, learn songs essential for communicating, and much more. Along with various secrets to uncover, there are also multiple endings to unlock. For more details on the title, check out our review here.

Children of Silentown is set in a small, quaint village – a handful of rooftops, as the game describes it – out in the middle of nowhere, completely isolated and surrounded by a dense forest. That forest also poses the biggest threat to the village and its denizens. Said to be filled with vicious beasts whose howls and roars can be heard when dusk falls, the residents never venture into it, preferring to stay within the borders of their small village. For their own survival and to ensure that they don’t fall prey to the monsters, they’ve also established a couple of rules that are enforced with great strictness – don’t make too much noise, and don’t be outside when it’s dark. Break those rules, and you’re guaranteed to be snatched away and taken deep into the woods, never to return.

"Children of Silentown is probably not going to be remembered as one of the greats, but there’s plenty to like here nonetheless."

You play as Lucy, a young girl with an affinity for music and singing, who – along with the other children in the village – is trying to life the normal life of youth – or as normal as it can be, in a place like this. Early on in the story, the dangers of the forest and its chilling inhabitants begin posing a much more direct threat to the village, and after a couple of disappearances, Lucy takes it upon herself to investigate the mysteries of the monsters, and why the adults of the village are so insistent on keeping those secrets so closely guarded. Is it just for the protection of the children, or might there be something more sinister going on?

It’s a solid premise, if an unspectacular one. Children of Silentown’s story isn’t the most gripping or breathtaking, but it does an admirable job of keeping you engaged and genuinely invested. The story peels back the layers of its mystery bit by bit, and I was constantly curious to keep pushing forward to make the picture clearer and clearer. It also helps that the game has quite a charming cast of characters. I’d be lying if I said any individual personality left a lasting impression, but each character in the game feels unique and well-developed. The more familiar you grow with these people and the village you live in, the more the story pulls you in.

Something else that contributes to the game’s unique vibe is the hand-drawn art style, which combines charming and childlike elements with imagery that can be genuinely chilling to varying degrees, whether that’s the hollow eyes of every character in the game, the murky and ill-defined quality of distant figures and shadows, or more. The end result is something that feels very unique, giving the game a distinct look.

"Children of Silentown’s story isn’t the most gripping or breathtaking, but it does an admirable job of keeping you engaged and genuinely invested."

On the gameplay front, Children of Silentown is pretty simplistic, as you’d expect from most point-and-click adventure titles. The core loop revolves around exploring environments, examining objects, talking to people, and solving puzzles. Where exploration is concerned, the game leaves a little something to be desired – roughly the first half is set entirely within the village, which is basically just a collection of about half a dozen screens that you’ll be bouncing between time and again for that duration. That, as you might imagine, can get a little repetitive – though the game does take you to new locations in its latter hours, to its credit.

Interacting with NPCs always remains interesting, at least, even if it also always remains quite straightforward. Conversations don’t get quite as complex or present you with as many options as you might see in something like, say, the Monkey Island games, but then again, Children of Silentown is clearly going for a much for simplistic vibe. For instance, figuring out how to progress forward in conversations with certain characters – usually by tracking down specific items and then bringing them to them – always remains interesting in a a very elementary way.

The bulk of the game’s puzzles, meanwhile, are presented within the context of Lucy’s singing. By exploration environments, in addition to the stickers that serve as the game’s collectibles, Lucy can also find different musical notes to compose songs. There are a handful of songs to unlock, each comprised of three notes, and each goes hand-in-hand with a unique puzzle. One song, for instance, lets you peer into people’s thoughts and memories, though often, their thoughts will be torn due to an old trauma, with you being tasked with literally stitching them together – which, in turn, unlocks new dialogue. Another song lets you interact with specific objects and view memories associated with them, though to do that, you have to solve a puzzle designed around pathways, turning tiles, and cogs.

"Ultimately, even at their most complex, the puzzles remain quite simple, though more importantly, they’re also pretty enjoyable more often than not."

There’s a decent variety of puzzles with all songs taken together, especially since each puzzle type grows progressively more elaborate. Ultimately, even at their most complex, they do remain quite simple, though more importantly, they’re also pretty enjoyable more often than not. Personally, I’d say the cog puzzles are serve as the exception, primarily because of their unnecessarily confusing and obtuse mechanics, and I never really enjoyed these any time they showed up. It doesn’t help that the game doesn’t have a hint system either, which, for a point-and-click adventure game releasing in 2023, seems like a bizarre omission.

When all is said and done, Children of Silentown isn’t going to blow you away by any means, but I’d still say it’s worth your time. I’ve used the words “simplistic” and “straightforward” a few times in this review, and though those characteristics do mean that the gameplay experience here isn’t quite as engrossing as this genre has been known to be capable of over the years, Children of Silentown also uses that simplistic nature to deliver an experience that’s consistently focused and fun. In the end, enjoyable puzzles, charming characters, excellent art design, and an intriguing story come together in this game to make for a solid package.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Monster Hunter Rise (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, XSX)

Xbox and PlayStation players will finally get their hands on Monster Hunter Rise when it releases for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5 on January 20th. Tasked with defending Kamura Village from the impending Rampage, players choose from one of 14 weapon types and, well, hunt monsters. Classic beasts like Rathalos, Mizutsune, and Pukei Pukei return, joining newcomers like Aknosom, Great Izuchi and Magnamalo.

Slay strategically, craft better armor and weapons from your prey, and then hunt tougher monsters – such is the Monster Hunter way of life. On Xbox Series X and PS5, there are options for 4K/60 FPS and even 1080p/120 FPS, along with 3D audio support. Despite the lack of cross-platform multiplayer, the new mechanics (like the Wirebug and Silkbind Skills) and monsters make it worth checking out.

Forspoken

After a fair number of delays, Luminous Productions’ upcoming action RPG Forspoken is finally releasing on January 24th for PS5 and PC. It stars Ella Balinska as Frey Holland, a New Yorker who discovers a mysterious bracelet that sends her to the realm of Athia. With the bracelet becoming sentient and named Cuff, Frey embarks on a journey to take down the once-peaceful Tantas and save Athia.

She can utilize dozens of different magic types, traverse the world with magical parkour, and fight off creatures corrupted by The Break (which she’s strangely immune to). Though the recent demo may have garnered mixed responses, it’s still worth seeing how Forspoken turns out at launch.

Dead Space

Dead Space is finally seeing a revival, courtesy of Motive Studio. The remake is based on the iconic 2008 sci-fi survival horror, which sees engineer Isaac Clarke boarding the USG Ishimura and encountering nightmarish Necromorphs. Along with vastly improved visuals in terms of environmental details, textures and volumetrics, Dead Space features Gunner Wright as the voice of Isaac, with the character now fully voiced, and Tanya Clarke as the voice of Nicole (whom she also played in Dead Space 2).

New rooms, routes, obstacles, the Peeling system for realistic limb damage, and a new Intensity Director for dynamically adjusting Necromorph spawns and effects while delivering some 1200 terrifying random events are also being added. Dead Space is out on January 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider

If you enjoyed the Contra-esque Blazing Chrome, then JoyMasher’s action platformer Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider may scratch the same retro itch. Out on January 12th for PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, it’s set in a dystopian future where the Moonrider is awakened and decides to wreak havoc against its authoritarian masters. In addition to dashing and wall-jumping, Moonrider also wields various melee attacks, giving this more of a hack-and-slash feel. Explore the eight stages to discover chips that modify abilities, or take in the 16-bit-style pixel art and delectable soundtrack while fighting for your life.

Season: A letter to the future

Better known for the survival multiplayer title The Darwin Project, Scavengers Studio is going an entirely different route with Season: A letter to the future. After living in a village that doesn’t experience the changing of seasons, protagonist Estelle leaves to see the world before a mysterious event alters it forever.

Players will explore landscapes by bicycle, recording events and studying art while meeting people and helping them out. The purpose is to collect memories and learn more about what’s coming. Season: A letter to the future is out on January 31st for PS4, PS5, and PC.

Superfuse

On the surface, Stitch Heads’ Superfuse is all about being the hero and saving humanity. However, in truth, humanity is dominated by the superpower-wielding elite after leaving a dying Earth. As an Enforcer, you’re tasked with taking out the monstrous Corrupted at their behest, with the story present in a comic book format.

Launching into Steam Early Access on January 31st, Superfuse offers isometric action RPG gameplay. You choose two classes with various powers and skills and further augment them with different weapons, armor and boosters. The campaign can be played solo (even offline) or with up to four players in drop-in, drop-out co-op.

A Space For The Unbound

A Space for the Unbound offers gorgeous pixel art and a relaxing late 90s setting, but there’s plenty to unpack in the story. Focused on high-schoolers Atma and Raya in rural Indonesia who gain the ability to dive into minds, they must explore the world, interact with its people, and deal with bizarre events like meteors and giant cats.

Amid all this chaos, the slice-of-life pace and exploration of mental health issues make for an endearing experience. A Space for the Unbound is out on January 19th for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Children of Silentown

How many games have a “very mean cat” messing with the main character as their selling point? Children of Silentown does, and it’s probably the least terrifying aspect of this dark adventure from Elf Games and Luna2. You control Lucy, who suspects something dire in the neighboring forests of her village, and it doesn’t help that people are disappearing without explanation.

Lucy sets out to investigate, solving puzzles and talking to people (before they suddenly disappear) in a point-and-click adventure, where singing may help out more than you’d expect. Launching on January 11th, Children of Silentown will be available for PC.

Lone Ruin

Cuddle Monster Games is no stranger to rogue-likes and bullet hell titles, as seen with Hell is Other Demons. However, its next game, Lone Ruin, is a twin-stick rogue-like shooter focused more on magic. You venture to the ruins of a magical city turned corrupted haven to investigate ancient magic, which has since twisted its people into terrifying creatures.

One lone ruin seems to hold the answers, but you’ll need to fight through multiple enemies and bosses to get to it. Various spells, from beams and ricocheting shots to magical slashes, and upgrades are available as one makes their way. On top of this is Survival Mode, a wave-based mode where the enemies get tougher and more plentiful over time. Lone Ruin is out on January 12th for PC and Nintendo Switch.

One Piece Odyssey

Based on Eiichiro Oda’s super-popular manga, One Piece Odyssey is a turn-based RPG published by Bandai Namco and developed by ICLA (of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl fame). It features open areas and dungeons, with each Straw Hat Pirate having a unique ability for exploration (like Luffy sling-shotting across gaps or Zoro cutting down barriers).

The game launches on January 13th, 2023, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. A demo will also be available on January 10th for consoles, if you want to try it before buying.

The Steam Game Festival will see its first iteration for the new year taking place next week. It starts at 10 AM PST on February 3rd and end on February 9th. There will be over 500 free game demos to try out along with livestreams and chats with the various developers.

A brief trailer highlights some of the titles that will be returning. Familiar games like Bloodroots and The Riftbreaker can be expected along with new titles like Genesis Noir and Shady Knight. Even highly anticipated titles like Windjammers 2 are seemingly making an appearance.

Other titles spotted in the trailer include Blunt Force, Children of Silentown and Narita Boy so those expecting updates will have a lot to look forward to. Much like previous iterations though, all demos will be available for a limited time (usually the duration of the event itself). Stay tuned for more details when the Steam Game Festival goes live.