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SILENT HOPE
review | SWITCH
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Publisher: Marvelous.
Developer: Marvelous. Released: October 2023. Genre: Dungeon Crawler. Other versions: PC. Posted 17th May 2026. By Tom Clare © 2026 |
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Released towards the end of 2023 by RPG stalwarts Marvelous, Silent Hope provides a sturdy if unspectacular slice of dungeon crawling, mixing easy-to-grasp real-time combat with a light sprinkling of farming and crafting. Centred around a kingdom laid low by a calamity that led its citizens to turn on one another, the King’s anger leads him to steal the voices of the people before disappearing into the Abyss. One voice remains: a Princess trapped in a chrysalis made of her own tears. Seven voiceless heroes arrive to tackle the increasingly formidable, malicious dungeons, with the Princess offering support and words of encouragement from the safety of a small haven on the edge of the chasm.
On paper, it sounds rather poignant, but soon flatters to deceive. Silent Hope’s story is trite and ineffectively told, inspiring little emotional connection with its world, and little sense of a journey defined by meaningful progression. Derivative writing means occasional world-building tidbits appear clumsy and lacklustre. Worse still is the Princess, whose almost ceaseless, sickly-sweet wittering you’ll have to endure whilst navigating the crafting and equipment menus. Pointless nuggets such as “I don’t know what runes are, but I know everything eventually turns back into runes” or the bizarre “waiting is part of the fun!” ensure you’ll very quickly find silence preferable.
Silent Hope's simple, action-led combat is okay, but the game is short on ideas and weighed down by ineffective storytelling.
From a technical standpoint, Silent Hope does little wrong. It’s true the dungeons lack character due to their rather aimless, patchwork design, but the combat is responsive and works effectively. The seven warriors provide a myriad of options: melee fighters who favour a number of different weapons including greatswords and tridents, mages who can benefit from (or inflict) status buffs, and archers who attack from range. Each character can assign as many as three special moves to the face buttons, accompanying the standard attack function, whilst also possessing a highly useful dodge ability. Level-ups allow for the enhancement of the various specials, whilst new classes provide a few more options to ponder.
These work well in conjunction with a quirky range of enemies. Tricky bats that hunt in packs, beefy bears that you’ll not want to get too close to, a veritable platoon of dangerous geckos with an arsenal of swords, staffs, and bows, not to mention a range of traps. Bosses offer a good challenge, utilising a range of unique attacks and chunky health bars that ensure a measured challenge where tactical planning and good reactions are encouraged to topple them. These encounters provide some of Silent Hope’s best gameplay.
These work well in conjunction with a quirky range of enemies. Tricky bats that hunt in packs, beefy bears that you’ll not want to get too close to, a veritable platoon of dangerous geckos with an arsenal of swords, staffs, and bows, not to mention a range of traps. Bosses offer a good challenge, utilising a range of unique attacks and chunky health bars that ensure a measured challenge where tactical planning and good reactions are encouraged to topple them. These encounters provide some of Silent Hope’s best gameplay.
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Dungeons become progressively longer, though every five or six floors, you’ll reach a campfire that acts as a progress checkpoint, allowing your party to retreat to the entrance of the Abyss. In principle, the player is encouraged to alternate between the seven party members, so as to bring in fresh fighters and maintain levelling parity as you work your way through the floors. I found this didn’t work particularly well, as should a character fall a few levels behind, they’re often vulnerable to being killed in just a couple of hits. Should they die at any point, the run is abruptly brought to a close, voiding some of the loot you’ve collected. This means it’s often a trial keeping weaker characters in the loop, with progress taking a lot longer.
Visually, it’s rather bland chibi RPG fare. The main story sees the heroes battling through five initial locations, including the healthy greenery of the Verdant Path, the chilly Frozen Mountain, the fiery Burning Wasteland, and the macabre Dying Castle, but although there’s a pleasant enough divergence in the themes, it’s all a bit basic. Silent Hope has the veneer of mobile gaming to its visuals, a feeling that’s reinforced by deeply generic character designs and simplistic animations. There’s little in the way of flaws or glitches, at least. The sound is unmemorable, with the odd nice ditty countered by dull sound effects and the aforementioned tedious voicing.
Visually, it’s rather bland chibi RPG fare. The main story sees the heroes battling through five initial locations, including the healthy greenery of the Verdant Path, the chilly Frozen Mountain, the fiery Burning Wasteland, and the macabre Dying Castle, but although there’s a pleasant enough divergence in the themes, it’s all a bit basic. Silent Hope has the veneer of mobile gaming to its visuals, a feeling that’s reinforced by deeply generic character designs and simplistic animations. There’s little in the way of flaws or glitches, at least. The sound is unmemorable, with the odd nice ditty countered by dull sound effects and the aforementioned tedious voicing.
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Freeing the Princess should take a little over 20 hours, with the unintended bonus being that, in the post-game, you won’t have to suffer through any more of her dialogue. There are a couple of additional dungeons and a Hard mode providing some options for those willing to continue. The trouble is, by this point, the numbers may change, but the action will have long since remained the same. Even with favourable buffs, there’s a lot of combat between the player and their next level-up, and the action showcases precious little evolution. With increasingly circuitous dungeon layouts and only the occasional new trap to add variety, it swiftly becomes repetitive. The admin proves fatiguing, with a need to sort through mountains of multi-rank, multi-rarity items. Players collect a plethora of Mementoes, but frustratingly, these are tantamount to blueprints for various weapons and armours, meaning that whilst you might acquire promising pieces of kit, they typically require a myriad of items (many of which appear only rarely) to craft.
Silent Hope’s thematic weakness ultimately proves its undoing: the lack of a decent story, memorable setting, or distinguishing gameplay characteristics ensures this dungeon crawler languishes in obscurity. It’s solidly built and will offer committed fans of the genre a diversion, but with so many better alternatives on the market, it’s difficult to recommend a game that fails to leave a lasting impression.
Silent Hope’s thematic weakness ultimately proves its undoing: the lack of a decent story, memorable setting, or distinguishing gameplay characteristics ensures this dungeon crawler languishes in obscurity. It’s solidly built and will offer committed fans of the genre a diversion, but with so many better alternatives on the market, it’s difficult to recommend a game that fails to leave a lasting impression.
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VERDICT
"A sturdy if unspectacular dungeon crawler that's short on ideas. Competent mechanics are hindered by a poor story, mediocre presentation, and repetitive gameplay."
OVERALL: 5/10 |
OTHER GAMES WITH DUNGEONS REVIEWED
Diablo III (2013, Xbox 360)
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Hades (2021, PlayStation 4)
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