A game similar to HoMM, but an autobattler with an artistic flair? Songs of Silence review

I know many people who fell in love with football after specific matches. The Champions League finals from ’99 and ’05 are the best examples. In the same way, many friends discovered their passion for games. Mario from Pegasus, one of the GTA parts, World of Warcraft. One of such titles for many players was certainly the third part of the Heroes of Might and Magic strategy.

Songs of Silence is a bit like HoMM 3

The legendary and ever-living “Hirołsy” aroused in many of us an appetite that subsequent parts of the series could not satisfy. So we were looking for something similar, having fun with Disciples, Etherlords, Age of Wonders, King’s Bounty and recently the really good Songs of Conquest.

Now joining this group is Songs of Silence (don’t confuse the movie!). Let us emphasize right away that this is not the long-awaited savior. We may never get anything as good as Heroes of Micht and Magic III again. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun trying. When the goal is far away, let’s enjoy the search itself.

Songs of Silence will attract hiro fanatics with its strategic layer. We have our castles here where we buy armies. Additionally, there are plenty of objects on the map that are worth controlling. What will be new for you is the fact that here every bridge or mine can become a stronghold. We will also be able to recruit unique units from some facilities.

Silence devouring fantastic worlds

There is no such thing as in the HoMM series, where one castle will provide us with all types of troops. The units are quite diverse, especially if we take care of the diversity of our properties. We can choose from three main factions: those born from the stars, i.e. the Thousand Kingdoms; the firstborn connected by the web of light – the Old Race and the Crusade – religious fanatics, devouring worlds and leaving behind a sinister Silence.

Instead of quantity, the creators of Songs of Silence focused on character. Each unit, each hero and each building has beautifully drawn boards and interesting descriptions, and they are also nicely animated in the game itself. The visual style of Chimera Entertainment’s work attracts attention. You can see that this is a game made with artistic flair and the desire to stand out.

What definitely distinguishes SoS from HoMM is that battles are fought in real time, not divided into turns. Additionally, we don’t have much control over our own army. We can only place it in formation before the fight and provide slight support with spells/orders during the fight. It is somewhat reminiscent of the popular autobattlers. The fights are quick, and you can speed them up once you feel confident.

Strategic fantasy with heroes

The heroes are extremely important here and it’s not just about their participation in battles. Their level determines how many units we can have in the army. Therefore, it is worth running around the map a lot and fighting everything you can to increase the limit of available troops. When advancing, we also choose new skills or improve already unlocked ones. We can also learn to build specific buildings.

We will have a maximum of four heroes in each game. This is a nice limitation for those who don’t necessarily want to “tryhard” by creating chains passing a single soldier. When any of our commanders dies, they must wait a few turns before returning to the game in the capital. Of course, the game continues until we take over the enemy’s capital or lose our own. This is also a big change from HoMM, where you play until the last castle.

What makes Songs of Silence even more similar to Heroes of Might and Magic is the creation of the world. We have a really bold fantasy here that is not limited to typical elves and dwarves. The intricacies of the primordial and star world are explained briefly in a decent campaign. We see the style of inventive monsters in every battle. Clashes between ordinary pikemen and walking jugs or giants can please the eye.

Songs of Silence – free to play

Songs of Silence is, next to Solium Infernum, the prettiest game I’ve played this year. Together with the same title, it also shares the title of the most enjoyable strategy of 2024. However, unlike SI, it has a much greater chance of success. It is simpler at the beginning, and even in the later stages the multitude of options does not discourage you. Contains plenty of tutorials and an extensive encyclopedia. Unit statistics could perhaps be clearer, but on the other hand – this is an epic fantasy game, not Excel tables.

If you like hi-roll strategies and aren’t afraid of weird things, I definitely recommend Songs of Silence. The price is definitely attractive if you compare it with this year’s other premieres. As a reviewer who often buys games for himself to review, I guess I can mention this detail. Some titles don’t want to be played even for free. And there’s always a few pennies to spend looking for more Heroes 3.

Rating: 8