INTRO – Welcome to the Silent Hope of the Abyss
Silent Hope is a video game created by Marvelous! In this dungeon action RPG hybrid, players assume control of one of 7 classes as they fight their way through an abyss to free a Princess from a Crystalized tear, and rescue a King gone mad. So, does this game serve up a good time, or is this one title that should be avoided?
Let’s find out!
STORY – Silent Hope, the Interactable Fairy Tale
There are 7 Playable Classes in Silent Hope
NOTE: The following Story preview/synopsis comes from the game description on the My Nintendo page for Silent Hope. All credit goes to them.
“One day, a terrible calamity struck a peaceful kingdom. In the chaos that followed, the people began to deceive and backstab each other. Their King used his powerful magic to steal away people’s ability to speak and hurled himself into the Abyss. His daughter, the Princess, cried an endless flood of tears until they encased her in a giant crystal teardrop.
Many years after these events faded to memory, seven rainbow-colored lights flew from the Abyss. These rays of hope appeared before the Princess manifesting themselves as seven heroes, ready to answer the Princess’ call for help. Why did the King abandon his daughter and his people? And why did he steal their ability to speak?” – My Nintendo story description for Silent Hope.
The rest of the story from there is full of twists and turns. The Princess will serve as Narrator for this game, so it feels like a storybook fairy tale come to life. I actually used to read fairy tales and have them read to me growing up, since this type of storytelling is right up my alley, and also suitable for young teens. But, how does the gameplay of Silent Hope stack up? Let’s dive into that Abyss and find out!
GAMEPLAY – 7 Classes, 1 Abyss, 1 at a time
Silent Hope Gameplay is pretty good with the randomized dungeon layouts.
NOTE: The following gameplay tidbits come from the software description of Silent Hope on the My Nintendo page for this game. All credit goes to Marvelous and Nintendo.
“◆Seven Heroes, Seven Unique Fighting Styles
Choose from a motley crew of characters like the well-rounded Wanderer, long-range specialist Archer, or heavy-hitting Warrior to find whose skills suit your playstyle, and embrace new roles and abilities as you gain more experience. Use crystals found throughout the Abyss to switch characters or return to Base Camp.”
“◆A Home at the Edge of the World
Find new recipes and materials and return to your Base Camp at the edge of The Abyss, where each character has a unique job. From alchemist to blacksmith to cook, each hero brings something different.”
“◆Engaging Exploration and Dungeon-Crawling
Experience a new layout each time you enter the enigmatic Abyss, keeping you on your toes every moment you explore, and look out for Memory Rifts, where greater rewards — and challenges — await.”
Essentially, in short, the dungeon layouts are randomly generated each time you enter the Abyss. A easy playthrough in one instance could be a nightmare the 2nd time around, or vice versa. Make sure to level up each hero, and not just your favorite one. Memory Rifts offer bigger rewards, but also greater challenges, so plan accordingly.
FINAL THOUGHTS – A Solid Game, with a bit much to do at times
In closing, Silent Hope is a excellent, Etrian Odyssey-styled dungeon crawler with a great story, lots of things to do at base camp, and randomly-generated dungeon layouts. That being said, the music was a bit forgettable, and only the title theme and the first dungeon theme stuck out to me on a first listen to. Also, there can sometimes be a bit too much to do in the base camp at one time, which leads to a sense of feeling overwhelmed.
Despite these 3 setbacks, the rest of the game definitely does way more than enough to make up for those shortcomings. I definitely recommend this game if you haven’t played it already.
