A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is the first video game set in the universe of the popular horror film franchise A Quiet Place. While familiar with the premise, I haven’t seen the films, so I began this review with few expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by the game’s execution, clever use of the franchise’s premise, and spooky atmosphere, resulting in a genuinely good horror experience.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead features a novel voice detection system, using your microphone to pick up sounds as if you were speaking in the game. This mechanic ties in perfectly with the film’s premise. Unfortunately, I lost my voice from seasonal scare acting just before reviewing the game. While I’m sure the microphone adds a significant layer of immersion and fear, I couldn’t test it without risking further damage to my larynx. I’ll have to assume it works as intended and amplifies the scares.

If you’re unfamiliar with A Quiet Place, the premise is pretty straightforward: Earth has been invaded by aliens who, despite their incredible speed and strength making them apex predators, are completely blind. They can, however, hear quite well and lash out violently against any noise. Hence, A Quiet Place: the surviving humans, 120 days after the invasion, can only survive by limiting the amount of sound they make, lest even a whisper lead to their demise.

In a game about staying quiet, movement speed is crucial. Controller users can usually slow their pace by lightly pressing the control stick, but this isn’t possible with PC movement keys, leading to frequent, unwanted running. Thankfully, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead lets you toggle your movement speed with a button press. This feature saved the game from a potentially negative review.

Staying quiet is truly the core of the game’s design, influencing both player mechanics and levels.

Each level presents a maze that protagonist Alex must navigate without alerting the aliens hunting her. This is no easy task. Not only must she walk quietly, but also avoid cleverly placed noise traps like puddles, cans, shards of glass, and more. Even interacting with doors tests your patience and stealth, as the game requires precise, slow movements to avoid detection.

Making matters worse, protagonist Alex has asthma, which can cause sudden, noisy breathing fits—terrifying even without the ever-present threat of attracting aliens. Asthma attacks can be triggered by strenuous activity or proximity to the aliens themselves. Add to this a flashlight that drains batteries at an alarming rate, and you’re constantly searching for batteries, pills, and inhalers scattered throughout the levels.

One immediate frustration in A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is the limited inventory space for essential supplies.

Batteries and asthma medication are often hidden behind noise traps, forcing players to weigh the risk versus reward. However, if you already have a certain amount, you’re met with a frustrating “not needed” message. This undermines the challenge of acquiring these items. If there’s no reward for taking the risk, why have the risk at all? Letting players carry as many supplies as they find would create more organic moments of risk assessment across levels. Players could then decide whether a particular item is worth jeopardizing their progress.

The monstrous aliens aren’t the only threat in A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead’s tense atmosphere. Slight story spoilers ahead – you’ve been warned.

Early in the game, protagonist Alex discovers she’s pregnant, and shortly after, her lover is killed. His family blames Alex for his death and exhibits a power-hungry, controlling attitude toward her and the other survivors. Declaring, “I won’t let you hurt another member of my family,” the grandmother of Alex’s unborn child locks her in her room. The rest of the game quickly becomes a desperate flight from her and her deranged son.

I found this lingering threat of losing your autonomy created a unique fear alongside the danger of the aliens. Laura and her son were incredible secondary antagonists, and the fear of what they’d do if they caught you sometimes even overshadowed the aliens. It’s a unique human terror that blended well with the alien threat, making for a thrilling horror game.

Try Hard Guides received a PC review code for this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is available on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox.