Review by Jon Donnis
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead takes the nerve-racking premise of the A Quiet Place films and brings it to a tense, survival-horror gaming experience. Set in a brutal post-apocalyptic world, it follows Alex Taylor, an asthmatic college student who must fight to survive after the death of her boyfriend Martin. As if that weren't enough, she's pregnant, making her journey even more harrowing. Alex's world is dominated by alien creatures that hunt by sound, so every footstep and whispered breath could be her last. In many ways, the game captures the tension and fear that made the films so memorable, blending it with innovative, sound-based mechanics.
The most striking feature of The Road Ahead is how it uses sound to control gameplay. You play from a first-person perspective and must navigate with extreme caution, as the slightest noise could draw in the hyper-aware alien monsters. The game includes microphone options, letting in-game creatures respond to any sounds picked up from your microphone, creating a nerve-wracking experience where even a quiet exhale could have dire consequences. This mechanic adds a thrilling level of immersion that horror fans will appreciate, keeping players alert at every turn.
The game's graphics are superb. From hauntingly desolate buildings to dense, shadowed forests, each area has been designed to evoke dread, capturing the eerie silence of a world long abandoned. The sound design is equally impressive, from the unsettling ambient noises to the terrifying shrieks of the aliens when they detect movement. Anairis Quiñones' performance as Alex adds emotional weight, making her struggle feel deeply personal and real. All of these elements come together to create a sensory experience that is both haunting and immersive.
However, The Road Ahead has some serious pitfalls that undercut its best aspects. For one, the game causes severe motion sickness, which will affect even mildly susceptible players. The first-person perspective just made me feel ill, and the lack of an option to adjust the field of view is frustrating, especially since expanding or reducing the FOV might alleviate some of the discomfort. Even with head bobbing turned off, the game is disorienting to play, and if you're prone to motion sickness, it's almost unplayable. This issue is made worse by the fact that the settings menu has almost no customisation options to mitigate these effects, making the physical discomfort a big barrier to an otherwise intense experience.
The pacing is another mixed point. While the game eventually builds up to some intense sequences, it takes its time getting there. The first half feels slow and almost plodding, spending too much time introducing survival mechanics that would have been better presented early on. This slow burn might work in a film, but here it feels drawn out, leaving you frustrated as you wait for the action and tension to ramp up. Instead of teaching you essential survival strategies early on, the game leaves you to figure them out halfway through, by which point you're likely already deeply frustrated.
On top of these issues, the alien AI is hit-or-miss. Sometimes, the aliens are truly terrifying, responding to the smallest sound with unnerving accuracy, but at other times, they feel almost glitchy. They might freeze, wander aimlessly, or ignore obvious cues, which undercuts the tension. It's a shame because these bugs make parts of the game feel unpolished, taking you out of the experience just when you're most invested in it. Add in some dark areas where you can barely see anything, and the game occasionally crosses from creepy to outright annoying.
In the end, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead has so much potential. The concept is brilliant, the sound mechanics are groundbreaking, and the visuals and voice acting make the world feel real and gripping. But the technical issues, the frustrating lack of motion sickness options, and the inconsistent AI prevent it from reaching its full potential. It feels like a game that could have used more time in development to iron out the details. While it offers moments of true terror and suspense, these are often overshadowed by issues that will leave many players feeling underwhelmed. For fans of the franchise, it's worth a try, but be prepared for some rough patches along the way. Overall, it's a strong idea with flawed execution, deserving about a 6 out of 10.
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