Developer – Stormind Games

Publisher – Saber Interactive

Platforms – Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, PC (reviewed)

Review copy given by publisher

Imagine having asthma and being pregnant while attempting to avoid a monster-infested apocalypse. Sounds like a relaxing time, right? A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead offers plenty of opportunities to experience what it’s like to be a fragile glass vase on the edge of a shelf during an earthquake. With the subtlety of a whisper, Stormind Games’ first-person stealth-horror game plonks you unarmed and afraid into the spooky world of the ‘A Quiet Place’ series. Thankfully, in this game on lower difficulty, you don’t need to stay completely silent to enjoy it, though it might help! Let’s get into it!

Stunning Visuals

The Road Ahead is aesthetically pleasing from the get-go. The eerie world of the game is truly brought to life by its atmospheric design, which features flickering lights and creepy silent settings. Everything appears meticulously detailed, from the run-down towns to the overgrown campgrounds, as though each detail was intended to serve as a reminder of your precarious position. It instantly reminded me of a world similar to Joel and Ellie’s sans mushroom zombies! This tension is further increased by the use of first-person perspective, which puts you in the shoes of Alex, a pregnant woman with asthma who appears to have the worst luck during apocalypses. To be honest, I’ve never been more grateful for my own lungs. Breathing and shouting are seriously underrated!

Characters You’ll Care About

Alex, whose predicament makes her one of the most sympathetic and vulnerable heroes in recent memory, is at the center of the game. Because of her severe asthma and pregnancy, surviving feels like a precarious balance. What about the voice acting? Excellent. The dread grows with each muttered exchange and trembling breath. There are enough dramatic beats to keep the plot interesting, and the story doesn’t waste any time in putting you in life-or-death situations. You might be tempted to give up after your third or fourth death at the hands of a “creepy, chittering monster,” but this kind of story keeps you going. The story may lose a bit of pace towards the end but it’s never dull and you’ll want to see it through.

Stealthy Shenanigans

The “Stealth 100” meme should be the box art for A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead. Sneaking is the main focus of the game, and boy, does it take it seriously. Ezio Auditore wouldn’t last five minutes in this world. You have to move like you’re defusing a bomb for every action, including opening doors and picking up objects. You are constantly on edge due to the deft use of sound mechanics, such as a sound meter that records both your own and the background noise. Ambient noises like waterfalls and rain showers are your friend as they’ll help muffle your own movements. Inevitably, when you knock over a paint can or step on some broken glass, you’ll be attacked by aliens who don’t take too kindly to noise.

Killer Mic Mode: A Next-Level Tension Booster

If you’re looking for a real challenge, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead has a unique trick up its sleeve—microphone integration. Turn on the controller mic, and suddenly, every sound you make in the real world becomes a threat in the game. I’m talking about sneezing, slurping your soda, or even swearing when the creature inevitably corners you…it all counts. It’s the kind of feature that makes you rethink your every breath, turning a simple snack break into a potential death sentence for Alex. The immersion it adds is terrifyingly fun.

This level of real-world involvement feels like a spiritual successor to Alien: Isolation’s motion tracker mechanic, where sounds and movements attracted the alien. But in The Road Ahead, the stakes feel even higher. Where Alien: Isolation allowed you to crawl into vents and hide, here, the margin for error is razor thin. If you slip up and speak too loudly, there’s no running or fighting back—just the heart-pounding reality of Alex’s vulnerability. The controller mic feature cranks the intensity up a notch and makes every moment of the game a live-wire experience.

For horror fans, it’s a thrill, but for the faint of heart (or those with noisy pets/kids/partners), maybe keep the mic off unless you’re up for a truly nerve-wracking time!

Sound Mechanics: A Breath of Fresh (or Wheezy) Air

The already stressful gameplay is made more difficult by Alex’s asthma. She gets out of breath almost every time you do something, so you have to use the incredibly finite inhalers you find lying around to help her relax. It keeps you invested in her survival, which is cool, but it also makes you appreciate your freedom a bit more. Every encounter gains weight when you strike a balance between using your limited resources, such as flashlight batteries and those crucial inhalers.

But as the game progresses, it does seem like the stealth element is used excessively. Although frightening at first, the monster AI becomes a little cliched. There is a limit to how many times you can sneak past a chittering death machine before it loses its terrifying effect, and there are times when it seems like the game is repeating the same trick. However, who doesn’t enjoy a good jump scare from time to time?

Some Bugs and Bumps Along the Road

The Road Ahead is not without its challenges, just like Alex. The tight hallways in the game, for instance, where you’re essentially pleading to be snatched up by a monster, are one instance where the level design feels a little unfair. Not to mention the sporadic glitches. In one instance, I was being pursued by a friendly face muncher only to have him/her glitch into a wall and freeze. Don’t get me wrong, I was delighted!

However, when the game functions as planned, it provides some genuinely uncomfortable moments that make your heart race as quickly as Alex’s does when he has an asthma attack. Even if the game’s pacing falters or the design seems a little forced, the important thing is to remain patient. There is a decent story here that deserves to be seen.

Final Thoughts

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead’s sound effects, compelling plot, and stunningly eerie visuals undoubtedly add something special to the stealth-horror genre, even though it doesn’t reinvent it. Although it has some shortcomings—the AI can be a little too predictable at times, and the level design occasionally seems to be trying to actively work against you—all in all, it’s a fun stealth experience that both franchise fans and horror enthusiasts will enjoy.

Just keep in mind to breathe deeply, move slowly, and, for heaven’s sake, stay away from those paint cans!!