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The Silent Age

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The Silent Age
The icon of the game
Developer(s)House on Fire
Producer(s)Uni Dahl[4]
Designer(s)Thomas Ryder
Programmer(s)Linda Randazzo
Writer(s)Anders Petersen
Composer(s)Nevin Eronde
EngineUnity
Platform(s)iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, PC, Mac
ReleaseEpisode 1: December 6, 2012[1]
Episode 2: October 16, 2014[2][3]
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

The Silent Age is a point-and-click puzzle video game developed by Danish indie game studio House on Fire.[5][6] The story is set in 1972, and follows the protagonist Joe on a quest to save mankind by using time travel.[7][8]

Synopsis

The game begins with images of Joe's past: his brief time in the United States Military, the odd jobs he's worked over the years, and his present janitor job at Archon, a luxurious company focusing on scientific research and development. When he arrives to work, Joe is called up to management and is informed by CEO Mr. Hill that his coworker and janitorial superior Frank has left Archon the previous day, leaving Joe to perform Frank's previous duties in the form of a promotion. While initially troubled by Frank's departure, Joe accepts the promotion and gains clearance to the lower labs where Frank used to work. On his way down to the labs, Joe discovers small amounts of blood and a tin foil hat inside the elevator, but dismisses it as a nose bleeding incident. When he exits the elevator, Joe discovers a blood trail that leads to one of the sealed testing chambers.

Frightened by his discovery, Joe runs back up to management to inform Mr. Hill of what he found using a blood soaked handkerchief as proof. However, when he gets there, Mr. Hill's secretary turns Joe away, thinking that Joe injured himself and provides him with a band aid. Seeing no other option, Joe returns to the lower labs to help whoever is behind the sealed test chamber. Using the bandage to apply pressure to locking mechanism, Joe is able to open the chamber and discovers a wounded old man.

Initially believing him to be dead, Joe attempts to call security to his discovery, but is shocked when the man pleads with him to keep his voice down. The man claims that he is a time traveler who comes from a horrible future where mankind is on the brink of extinction. In his attempt to save humanity, he was fatally shot. Before falling unconscious, the time traveler gives Joe a small, handheld device which he claims is a solar powered time machine. The time traveler then tells Joe to find his present counterpart and inform him of the doomed future which lies ahead. Confused by the time traveler's words, Joe is confronted by Archon security when they discover him by the time traveler's body and hands him over to the police for questioning.

At the police station, Joe is questioned by two detectives of the events which occurred. Joe, confused by everything that has happened, tells the detectives of the time traveler and his message of future extinction, a story which leaves the detectives just as confused as Joe. Attempting to further the investigation, the detective sitting across from Joe hands him the strange device the time traveler had given him before he died. When Joe activates the device, it creates a pulse which blacks out the room. When he opens the door, Joe is shocked to discover the police station to be run down and abandoned. With the time machine empty on solar power, Joe explores the police station for an exit. As he searches through the station, a horrified Joe discovers the skeletal remains of one of the detectives questioning him along with the decayed skeletons of other police officers. Joe is further disturbed when he sees his own picture on a wanted poster, claiming that he stole advanced weaponry from Archon. These discoveries convince Joe that what the time traveler told him was true. Eventually, Joe is able to escape from the police station and uses a small patch of sunlight to recharge his time machine, being able to return to the present.

Having nothing left to go on, Joe decides to look for the time traveler at the hospital. Using the time machine to get through obstacles and avoid the police looking for him, Joe eventually reaches the hospital where the time traveler was taken but discovers that he has died of his injuries. Using a toe tag on the man's corpse, Joe is able to match up a file number with a name and address in the hospital's records, learning that the time traveler's real name is Dr. Reginald Lambert. With this information, Joe fixes up and steals an ambulance and goes out in search of Lambert. On the drive over, Joe ponders on Lambert's survival in the future and the concepts on time travel.

After hours of driving, Joe finally reaches Lambert's address, a small island residence on the far side of a lake. To get there, Joe repairs and refuels a boat docked on the shore. When Joe finally arrives he finds no sign of Lambert, finding only a crocodile guarding Lambert's front door and his time machine out of charge. After getting rid of the crocodile, Joe uses a chainsaw fueled with Lambert's homemade moon shine to break into the house. After charging his time machine using a fluorescent light bulb, Joe jumps to the future and discovers that future Lambert had fortified his home, replacing his hard wood doors with steel ones to protect himself from wild animals and set up an agricultural garden to grow food to survive. Joe also discovers a much larger Mark I Prototype time machine in Lambert's basement, as well as the blue prints to the pocket sized Mk. II prototype that he currently carries.

Having searched through every room in the house, Joe eventually finds Lambert (who is much younger) behind a hidden door armed with a rifle. Holding Joe at gunpoint, he demands to know who Joe is and how he managed to find him. Joe tries explaining that it was actually Lambert himself who sent him here to warn him of the coming extinction of the human race. While Lambert is initially unconvinced of Joe's story, he finally comes to believe Joe when he is presented the Mk. II with his family crest on it. Joe then explains that the future Lambert had given him the device after being shot. Lambert initially asks how he became injured, but stops himself, explaining that he could consequently alter the future course of time if he knew too much of the coming events. Joe then explains to Lambert that the future world he has traveled has become an empty quiet wasteland.

Feeling that Joe deserves an explanation, Lambert recounts the events of how his college thesis on the possibility of time travel had caught the attention of Athena, an experimental weapons company with ties to the U.S. Government. Impressed with Lambert's theories on time travel, Athena recruited him out of MIT to develop the Mk. I Time Machine for military use. Their initial intentions were that they could use the machine to strangle communism in its cradle before the formation of the Soviet Union. However, Lambert couldn't design a machine that could travel back in time due to the Law of Causality, which prevents an individual from traveling back before the invention of time travel. In later years, Athena secured a confidential contract with the U.S. government and officially became Archon, promising to provide time machines that could be used to bring back advanced weaponry from the future to better combat the Soviets.

With a large military budget at their disposal, Archon began mass-producing Lambert's Mk. I Prototypes and began conducting live experiments with human test subjects. The results however were more horrifying than they could imagine. The majority of time pilots who were sent to the future never returned, resulting in Archon losing several million dollars worth of equipment. Those who did make it back did not bring weapons and became terribly ill, ranting of empty streets and human remains. Horrified by the symptoms the pilots exhibited, Lambert and his R&D team initially threatened to resign after learning that Archon planned to continues its experiments. While most were convinced to stay due to being offered large pay raises and stock options, Lambert, having seen the virus's effects first hand, resigned from his position and moved out of the city to prevent himself from being infected by the plague and to prepare for the coming apocalyptic future.

Realizing that the extinction of the human race is imminent, Lambert tasks Joe to return to Archon the day before and prevent the Mk. I and its pilot from taking off. While initially hesitant, Joe agrees to the task after Lambert explains that he was only there at that moment because Lambert was able to complete his work on the island. With little time remaining, Lambert sends Joe back to the previous day so that he can stop the time machine from taking off. Before sending him away, Lambert warns Joe to not encounter his past self, for it could have dire consequences according to the Law of Causality. Unable to use the ambulance for transport as it is no longer there, Lambert provides Joe with a fully fueled van and some food for his journey back to the city.

After infiltrating Archon's lower labs, Joe attempts to destroy the time machines control console to prevent it from leaving. As he tries to find something to destroy the console, Joe manages to find a Level 4 access card to enter a confidential lab, but is shocked to discover a Cryo Lab containing two test subjects. While trying to acquire a vat of acid to destroy the console, he finds his old coworker Frank going through confidential files, and asks him if they could get a beer when this is all over. After managing to steal the acid, Joe finds that Frank has disappeared along with the files concerning Archon's Mk. I. As he's exiting the Cyro lab, Joe hears a faint warping noise from the Mk. I testing chamber. Joe returns to discover the time machine has already taken off. With no time to spare, Joe steals the acid and destroys the control console, only discover a trail of blood.

Realizing that future Lambert is in the testing chamber, Joe enters only to discover future Lambert telling his past self of the doomed future. Remembering that the security guard would come at any second, Joe hides in the Cyro Lab to prevent himself from being seen by his past self, who is taken away by the security guard. The close encounter with his past self causes Joe to feel a small pulse similar to when he uses the Mk. II, reminding him of Lamberts warning of the law of Casualty. Returning to the testing chamber, Joe is saddened that he couldn't prevent future Lambert's fate. However, to his surprise, Joe finds that Lambert is still alive, although still mortally injured. Lambert explains that he attempted to change his fate by infiltrating Archon through the sewer entrance rather than through the elevator to prevent getting shot, but instead was accidentally shot by Joe himself when he used a revolver to shoot the fan control console in the sewers to gain access. With little time to spare, Lambert asks Joe for the coordinates for the Mk. I's last jump, being struck with awe when Joe repeats the coordinates to him. With his final breath, Lambert sets Joe's time machine to the coordinates where the time pilot went to and attempts to warn Joe of something important, but succumbs to his wounds before he can tell Joe.

Not wanting Lambert's death to be in vain, Joe travels to the time pilots coordinates. Passing out from the time jump, Joe awakens only to discover that his Mk. II time machine destroyed and Archon's Mk. I stripped of its power source. With no other way home, Joe goes out in search of the Mk. I's power source and discovers the future he has traveled to is more empty and hollow than any of his previous jumps, showing little to no signs of any previous civilization. During his search he discovers the corpses of Archon's time pilots along with the lost prototype time machines that had gone missing. After discovering a light source at the bottom of a massive tree, Joe cuts his way through using a deceased time pilots machete that he sharpens using a block of concrete. After making his way through, he finds a sick, dehydrated Frank burning papers to keep the fire going.

After getting his friend a cup of water, Joe asks Frank how he managed to get here from the present, to which the latter responds he had stolen the time machine and had somehow become deathly sick shortly after arriving. Joe, confused by Franks actions, asks why he would do such a thing. Admitting that he has little time left, Frank tells Joe his real name, Yuri Baryshev, and reveals that he is actually a spy for the Soviet Union. While Joe initially doesn't believe him, Yuri explains that he was sent to the United States by the KGB to infiltrate one of Americas advanced weapons companies, Archon, and to report his findings back to the Kremlin. Disguised as a Janitor, Yuri initially found nothing of interest until stumbling upon evidence of Archon's time travel project through his investigation of their Lazorus Project. Using Joe as a distraction to obtain sensitive materials regarding the project, Yuri was able to supply enough Intel to keep his bosses at the Kremlin happy until being caught by Archon security while snooping through the lower labs, resulting in him getting fired. Seeing no other opportunities, he planned to steal the time machine and return it to Russia, only to be transported to far future. Explaining that he doesn't have much time left, Yuri hands Joe the Mk. I's power source and explains that it works like a toaster, using a timer to set how far one can travel in time. Before passing out, Yuri apologizes to Joe for deceiving him, and reveals that their friendship was always genuine. Forced to leave Yuri behind due to his illness, Joe sadly bids him farewell and travels back to the Mk.I.

After repairing the time machine, Joe travels back to the present where the time machine crashes and kills an Archon Security Guard. Disoriented from the jump, Joe enters through a broken wall into the Cyro Lab, although an automated quarantine alert goes off, locking down the Cyro Lab. While Joe is initially confused over the alarm, he suddenly becomes extremely ill, suffering from both muscle fatigue and a violent cough. Joe then realizes that it was actually himself who brought back the deadly virus that kills humanity. Unsure of what to do, Joe begins panicking while his health further deteriorates. Realizing that he has been through exactly the same situation a countless amount of times, Joe quickly discovers that the people inside the Cryo tubes are also time pilots and decides freeze himself in an empty Cyro chamber to prevent himself from infecting anyone with the virus. Finding the manual for the Cyro Chamber's controls, Joe activates the chamber's freezing sequence and seals himself inside, going into a hybernetic state and effectively ending the time paradox, ensuring humanity's survival.

Years later, a fully bearded Joe awakens in a locked hospital room. Upon escaping from the hospital room, Joe discovers that he and the other time pilots were unfrozen. While Joe has somehow managed to keep his sanity, the other time pilots appear to suffer from severe dementia from their experience with time travel, believing that the future is still doomed. After finding Dr. Brown, the doctor in charge of their ward, Joe learns that it is the year 2012 and that he and the other time pilots Cyro chambers were bought by another company after Archon went out of business. Joe tries to explain that he and the others were very sick and should be put back in stasis, only to discover that he and the others were carrying a rare type of avian flu that was not discovered until the 1990s. She further explains that the flu they were carrying remained dormant in them for only a short time and that it was curable, revealing that Joe and the others are cured. Realizing that he saved humanity, Joe becomes relieved and is released from the hospital to join a reintegration program at the suggestion of the doctor, who notices Joe's uncanny problem solving abilities. After being released, a new sequence of events take place that shows Joe working as in tech support, riding the subway, visiting a history museum to learn what he's missed in the past four decades, and finally at a park, with Joe thinking that the world would never know how he saved them from extinction, looking up at the sunset while wondering what his new future will hold.

Reception

The game has received mostly positive reviews. As of December 2014, Metacritic lists a score of 84 (out of 100) for Episode 1, and a score of 81 (out of 100) for Episode 2, both ratings of "Generally Favorable Reviews".[1][9] Regarding the first episode, the one initially released in 2012, critics are in favor of the game's puzzle and graphics design, but criticized it for its short gameplay.[7][10][11] Episode 2, which was released on October 16, 2014, received mostly positive reviews from critics.[3] Gamezebo gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating that while the episode serves as a "satisfying conclusion to Joe’s story and the time-traveling mystery", while pointing out flaws in the episode's puzzle design.[12] Pocketgamer gives the episode a score of 7/10.[13] Ragequit.gr gave the game 84/100 saying that the game is "Very well written and beautifully presented, House on Fire's debut will absolutely thrill fans of darker, more mature science fiction."[14] Multiplayer.it gives the game 8/10 stating that "Rich in style and atmosphere, with a compelling plot and nice minimalist graphics, The Silent Age is a solid attempt at the point-and-click adventure genre."[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "The Silent Age iOS". Metacritic. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  2. ^ "The Silent Age - Episode Two Release Date".
  3. ^ a b "The Silent Age: Episode 2". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  4. ^ "Team". House on Fire. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  5. ^ Marc Saltzman (March 28, 2013). "'The Silent Age': new app a free, atmospheric adventure". USA Today.
  6. ^ Mike Schramm (March 8, 2013). "Daily iPhone App: The Silent Age is a great, stylistic point and click adventure". TUAW.
  7. ^ a b Dan Whitehead (April 8, 2013). "The Silent Age review". Eurogamer.
  8. ^ Hanuman Welch (July 9, 2013). "The Silent Age". Complex.
  9. ^ "The Silent Age: Episode Two". Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  10. ^ Jillian Werner (Mar 7, 2013). "The Silent Age Review". Gamezebo.
  11. ^ John Bedford (March 13, 2013). "The Silent Age iPhone Review". Modojo.
  12. ^ "The Silent Age Episode Two Review: Alone Again". Gamezebo. October 20, 2014.
  13. ^ "The Silent Age: Episode Two". Pocketgamer. Steel Media. October 16, 2014.
  14. ^ "Ragequit.gr | Gaming Portal - THE SILENT AGE". www.ragequit.gr. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  15. ^ "La macchina del tempo". Retrieved 2015-09-09.
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