So it turns out The Quiet Man, that PS4/PC game that’s all about a deaf person looking for his lost friend, is getting a post-launch patch that fundamentally alters the game.
For those that didn’t know, The Quiet Man is all about visual storytelling by denying the player audio feedback.
The entire story of the game takes place over a single night and the events play out in non-linear order. Players take control of Dane, a deaf fighter who is tasked with tracking down the missing singer Lala. Once Lala has disappeared, Dane will need to take on increasingly difficult challenges in order to find her and keep her safe. Dane’s deafness becomes a core gameplay mechanic as The Quiet Man features little distinct audio or other feedback beyond visual output.
The game also features a physical combat system that relies purely on reading the cues from your opponent and the game in order to overcome different challenges. All this comes together to form one conclusion, the denial of audio is vital to the overall experience.
During a livestream (via Gematsu), however, publisher Square Enix announced that a free update, scheduled for a week after release, which will enable audio for the game. Although this will only be available on your second run through the game. It should be pretty obvious why this design choice is being made. The denial of audio is an attempt to enhance the overall experience in a non-standard way, which is part of the draw for The Quiet Man.
So while I applaud adding the option, I hope it enhances the gameplay overall, otherwise it may make things feel a bit paradoxically dull.
The Quiet Man is set to launch for PS4 and PC on November 1. The Quiet Man limited edition includes digital exclusives on both the PlayStation 4 and PC and will be available until November 15, 2018.
