Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
Silverfall is a devourer of PC resources. It will use all of your PC’s power and memory too! These huge system requirements would have been bearable had Silverfall delivered an all-round RPG experience, but sadly its visual excellence is its defining quality.
The opening is set in your village and it has clearly been designed to show off the graphics engine with its mix of buildings, enemies, trees and water effects. Don’t expect miracles though, other games have looked just as good and not been so hard on your PC.
The world of Silverfall remains visually impressive all the way through at the cost of some pretty lengthy loading times as you move from area to area; however, the load times are a minor concern when it comes to the game’s central problem: the control system. Like many RPGs Silverfall uses a mouse click system. If you want to attack an enemy you click on him,;if you want to move to a different part of the landscape then you click on it and your character moves accordingly. The click boxes around enemies are very large and so it is all too easy to attack the enemy you are trying to run away from or run away from the enemy you are trying to attack. Worse still, even when there is no fighting going on, the movement system is difficult to use and you will regularly find yourself making several attempts to get to where you want to go. This is very frustrating and makes your character look like a terrible drunk.
Control issues aside, the main theme of Silverfall is the fierce struggle between technological development and the preservation of nature. As a character in the world of Silverfall you will be required to make decisions that will land you in one of the two camps. You can become a bit of an eco-warrior type, keen on plants, tree hugging and the occasional spot of bird-watching. Alternatively you can join the heavy metal crowd and chat about the latest innovations in the world of marsh-gas burning steam-powered engineering.
The most promising idea in Silverfall is the opportunity to see your decisions reflected in the world around you. If you decide to join the green team and protect nature at all costs then you will see your community develop along that path; however, if you decide to blaze the trail of technological advancement then you will see your community go down the industrial path. At least that’s the idea. In reality the bigness of Silverfall is its own undoing. It can take so long for the effect of your decisions to show that you will begin to wonder why you are trying so hard to protect the trees (or perhaps cut them all down…). This means this great concept does not play as large a part in the game as it could have.
The game is also not for the fainthearted. In the first level you play temporarily as an Archmage while your own character flees. This high-level character is awesome up close and at a distance, so you’ll tear through the demons invading your home without too many problems. This builds a false sense of security that only makes it worse when you realise just how hard this game is. Silverfall uses the tombstone system. If you die, a tombstone marks the spot and all of your clothing and equipment remains there until you pick it up. Unfortunately the monsters that killed you when you had your weapons, armour and other equipment will still be there nine times out of ten. And will kill you again. Aaargh!
There are a lot of bad guys waiting to get you too. They range from men to huge demons and everything in-between, including a healthy number of skeletons and goblins, all of whom are just dying to lay out a nice little plot for you with a pretty tombstone. Would you like the black or the white marble sir?
So why not run away when things start to go wrong I hear you cry? Well as I said before, the control system is very tough to use. Most of the time when you want to run away from that approaching ogre you end up hitting him with your sword instead. The lack of a difficulty option only makes this problem more irritating.
Of course, it’s not all bad. The story is good and if you’re looking for something a little different with a serious challenge Silverfall is ideal. The impression of cell-drawing, given by the black outlines of your character, can make you forget you are playing a game – sometimes you feel almost as though you are watching an animated movie. The voices are also well conceived and although the vaguely cockney accent does make an appearance you will be chuckling more often than grimacing at the way other characters speak. The skills and experience system may not be new but they don’t get anything wrong either and if you make it to the end then you’ll find that Silverfall is a satisfying nut to crack.
