Have you ever wondered what lurks in the quiet spaces between sound and silence? Where the unseen whispers and the shadows dance, a world of intrigue and peril unfolds. Ayasa: Shadows of Silence beckons you into this very realm, a place where stealth is your song and darkness your ally. But does it orchestrate a symphony of engaging gameplay, or does it fall flat, a discordant note in the vast orchestra of action-adventure titles?

A Silent Symphony or a Cacophony of Chaos?

Ayasa: Shadows of Silence plunges players into a stylised, semi-open world where they assume the role of Ayasa, a skilled assassin. The gameplay is a blend of stealth mechanics with action-oriented combat, demanding players to master both shadow and blade. For those who have played Little Nightmares prior to playing this, you will immediately see strong inspiration in both style and genre from there.

For the most part, gameplay is smooth and flows well, but there are times when some animations are janky (one example is if you jump and then press the crouch button whilst still airborne, Ayasa glitches before landing).

The opening scene is interesting, although it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The demo starts with a cutscene that contains lots of unusual, and highly peculiar things, yet none of it explained (at least not at the start). As such, there is an immediate disconnection of sorts from the story at the onset.

Beyond the stealth and combat, Ayasa: Shadows of Silence incorporates environmental puzzles. These puzzles often involve manipulating the environment, using light and shadow to activate mechanisms, or deciphering ancient symbols. While not overly complex, they provide a welcome change of pace from the action and contribute to the overall sense of immersion in the game’s world. Whilst not overly complicated, they are immersive enough to not become tedious.

Whispers of the Past, Echoes of the Present

The story that we do experience centers around Ayasa’s quest for revenge and the unraveling of a conspiracy that threatens to consume her world. While the premise is intriguing, the narrative pacing can feel uneven at times. The story, unfortunately, isn’t the primary focus, with the emphasis instead placed on the moment-to-moment gameplay experience. Ayasa does a good job of getting your blood pumping with terrifying chase sequences, typically featuring an enormous, terrifying enemy. However, the demo feels disjointed as it seems to flit between story and chase sequence, without much connecting the two aspects.

The world itself, however, is rich with detail and environmental storytelling, and is an absolute pleasure to look at. Despite Ayasa’s generic appearance, the enemies are indeed the stars of the show. Typically grotesque and utterly enormous in most cases, enemies are hideously beautiful and their behaviours are very fitting to their respective appearances.

The Dance of Shadows and Steel

As this is a demo, we didn’t get to experience a significant amount of gameplay, but the gameplay we did experience revolved around stealth, combat and evasion. Ayasa can utilise shadows to her advantage, moving undetected and dispatching enemies with silent takedowns. Combat, when it occurs, is a mix of melee and ranged attacks, requiring players to time their strikes and utilise Ayasa’s agility to avoid enemy blows. The controls are generally responsive, though there is some occasional clunkiness.

A Canvas of Light and Shadow

Ayasa employs a distinctive visual style, characterised by its use of a muted colour palette, creating a moody and atmospheric world, which enhances the sense of mystery and intrigue. The sound design complements the visuals, with subtle ambient sounds and a haunting soundtrack that regularly reminds you that you (Ayasa) are not in a very nice place!

Conclusion

The demo of Ayasa: Shadows of Silence presents an intriguing blend of stealth and action within a visually compelling world. While the narrative may not be the game’s strongest point, and with occasional jankiness, and clunkiness, the core gameplay mechanics, combined with a unique aesthetic, offer a compelling experience for fans of the genre. Hopefully some of these smaller issues will be rectified upon full release, because there is the start of something good here.

Grade: 7/10