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Silt (video game)

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Silt
Developer(s)Spiral Circus
Publisher(s)Fireshine Games
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Nintendo Switch
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 5
Xbox One
Xbox Series X/S
ReleaseJune 1, 2022
Genre(s)Adventure, puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Silt is a surreal underwater puzzle-adventure indie horror game developed by Spiral Circus and published by Fireshine Games for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, in which the player controls a deep-sea diver who can possess the diverse marine life that enters their vicinity.[1] It was released on June 1, 2022.[2]

Gameplay

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The player begins their exploration of the two-dimensional, black-and-white oceanic environment chained up for unknown reasons.[3] From the start, they will encounter different types of fish with varying abilities which can be used to traverse levels of increasing difficulty, including piranhas which can bite through restraints, or hammerhead sharks who can smash obstacles preventing progression.[4] Continued exploration eventually leads to uncovering more and more eerie mysteries in the ocean depths.[5]

Development

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Silt is the debut game for developer Spiral Circus.[6] The inspiration for both the art style and the oppressive, isolating atmosphere of the game came from one half of Silt’s development team, Tom Mead's own watercolour paintings of characters in vast, empty abysses. This is also the origin of the game's title.[6] The team attended Stugan Summer Camp, a non-profit accelerator program for game developers,[7] after which they were able to produce their first demo.[6]

The game was announced at the PC Gaming Show at E3 2021.[4][8] It is the first title published by Fireshine Games since their rebrand from Sold Out.[9][10]

Reception

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Pre-release

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The demo received favourable reviews from several publications, including Eurogamer's Christian Donlan, who compared its haunting yet minimalistic, monochromatic art style to the caricatures of Ronald Searle.[19] Before launch, others also noted the occasional difficulty in distinguishing between background objects and key interactive pieces of the environment.[3]

Several outlets such as Polygon, Rock Paper Shotgun, and Screen Rant featured Silt on their lists of 2022's most anticipated horror and indie games.[20][21][22][23]

Post-release

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Silt received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[15][16][17][18]

Game Informer gave the title 7.75 out of 10 and wrote, "The impeccable graphics and thought-provoking narrative shine so brightly in this puzzle/adventure title that the game’s defects, like the frustrating lack of direction, stand out in grimy, stark contrast," while directing criticism towards its imbalanced challenges and tedious objectives.[11] The Guardian said that the visuals, soundtrack, and atmosphere made the title "one of the most memorable releases of the year" but disliked the puzzles for having an overly simplistic design.[12] Nintendo World Report and Push Square similarly considered the fun gameplay mechanics, incredible visuals, atmosphere, unsettling sound design, and short duration of the game to be its strengths and took minor issue with a few frustrating puzzle sequences and the stuttering.[14][13]

References

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  1. ^ "Silt (2022) - Game details". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  2. ^ Wilson, Mike (19 May 2022). "'LIMBO'-esque Aquatic Horror Game 'Silt' Releases Next Month [Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b "'Silt' preview: 2D indie plunges the horror puzzle genre into eerie new depths". NME. 2022-01-20. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  4. ^ a b "Silt makes debut during PC Gaming Show @ E3 2021". Shacknews. 2021-06-13. Archived from the original on 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  5. ^ "Silt interview: How Limbo inspired this deep ocean dive". Shacknews. 2021-10-04. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  6. ^ a b c GameCentral (2022-04-12). "Indie video game 2022 preview: Silt, Card Shark, Marauders, and the best of WASD". Metro. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  7. ^ Wawro, Alex (2016-02-03). "Stugan accelerator gears up for another season of game dev summer camp". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  8. ^ "Everything new from the PC Gaming Show at E3 2021". Rock Paper Shotgun. 2021-06-13. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  9. ^ Wallace, Chris (2022-03-21). "Sold Out rebrands as Fireshine Games". MCV. ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  10. ^ "Sold Out rebrands to Fireshine Games as it ramps up digital portfolio". GamesIndustry.biz. 2022-03-07. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  11. ^ a b Grodt, Jill (June 1, 2022). "Silt Review - Glittering Through Muck". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Packwood, Lewis (June 1, 2022). "Silt review – a Lynchian underwater nightmare". The Guardian. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Croft, Liam (June 1, 2022). "Mini Review: Silt (PS5) - Deep-Sea Diving at a Premium Quality". Push Square. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  14. ^ a b DeVader, Joe (June 1, 2022). "SILT (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Silt for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Silt for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Silt for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Silt for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  19. ^ "Silt offers underwater horrors worthy of Searle and Scarfe". Eurogamer.net. 2022-02-12. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  20. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (2022-01-04). "22 indie games to look forward to in 2022". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  21. ^ "10 Most Anticipated Upcoming Horror Games". ScreenRant. 2022-01-31. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  22. ^ "Our 43 most anticipated games of 2022". Rock Paper Shotgun. 2022-01-07. Archived from the original on 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  23. ^ "E3 2021: 20 games to watch". the Guardian. 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
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