Songs of Silence

Songs of Silence is a PC 4X strategy game that combines turn-based kingdom management and exploration with fast, pauseable real-time autobattles. The current storefront name remains Songs of Silence; Campaigns Edition, Expansions Edition, Complete Edition, and Supporter Edition are bundles built around the same base game rather than a verified rebrand. Chimera Entertainment handles both development and publishing, with H2 Interactive also listed as publisher for Korea and Japan.

The game is designed for players who want the strategic movement and faction variety of classic fantasy adventure strategy without committing to a long, conventional real-time strategy match. Its most important distinction is the handoff between the overworld and battle screen: you make the major decisions on a turn-based map, then influence automated real-time battles through formation, army composition, hero abilities, and combat cards.

A Turn-Based Kingdom War With Real-Time Battles

Each campaign or skirmish begins on an overhead fantasy map where heroes travel between settlements, resources, hostile forces, and strategic locations. Movement is limited by the turn structure, so choosing which route to take can matter as much as the destination. Exploration reveals useful locations, side objectives, hidden rewards, and threats that can reshape your next few turns.

Settlements provide the foundation for expansion. You develop captured locations, recruit units, improve your military position, and make choices about how to connect your territory. The system is more focused than a traditional grand strategy simulation, keeping attention on the next decisive move rather than requiring the player to manage a sprawling list of economic screens.

When armies meet, the game switches to a real-time battle sequence. Units fight automatically once deployed, so this is not a conventional RTS where you directly select every soldier and issue constant movement orders. The real tactical work happens before and during the clash through formation placement, unit selection, timing, and the use of hero cards.

You can pause the action to assess the battlefield and play available abilities. That makes the combat accessible to strategy players who prefer deliberate decisions, while still giving battles a sense of momentum. A poor army matchup cannot always be rescued by card usage, so preparation on the world map remains central.

Heroes, Factions, and Cards of Fate

Heroes are the main connective tissue between exploration, progression, and combat. Their classes and development choices shape the type of army they can lead and the abilities they bring into battle. Hero progression also expands the range of tactical options available during a campaign or skirmish.

The Cards of Fate system is divided into strategy, recruit, and battle functions. Cards can influence the campaign map, add or improve forces, or produce direct effects during combat. This is not a deckbuilding roguelike with a conventional draw-and-discard loop; cards are a character- and faction-driven layer of strategic control.

Three factions define the main asymmetry. The Thousand Kingdoms represent divided human realms descended from the former Enlightened Empire. The Old Race, also known as the Firstborn, uses the Hymn to sustain life and create artificial beings called Konstrukts. The Crusade serves the God in the Void and uses Purgatories to consume the world's remaining Hymn.

Those factions are not simple cosmetic choices. Each has different strategic priorities, unit identities, hero options, and relationships with the setting's spreading Silence. Players who enjoy faction-specific campaigns and asymmetric matchups will find more depth here than the broad 4X label initially suggests.

There is considerable tactical variety within the faction system. The storefront lists 13 hero classes, 37 class variations, 113 units, more than 38 artifacts, and over 150 skills affecting battles, armies, and kingdom management. These figures describe a toolbox for experimentation rather than a promise that every option has equal value in every situation.

Campaign Content and Replayable Maps

The story campaign contains eight maps and follows Queen Lorelai and her people as they search for a new home while dealing with the Crusade and hostile civilizations. Side quests, secrets, and higher difficulty tiers add reasons to revisit missions after learning the basic systems.

Three difficulty settings make the campaign a useful introduction for newcomers while giving experienced players more demanding objectives. Higher tiers include exclusive achievements and quests, which makes difficulty selection affect more than enemy strength.

Outside the campaign, standalone scenarios and skirmish maps provide a more open-ended structure. Randomly generated multiplayer maps support matches for up to six players, with free-for-all and cooperative formats available. Map sizes, map layouts, and gameplay modifiers called Fates let players adjust the shape of a match before it begins.

The game is therefore best understood as two connected experiences: a focused, story-led campaign for learning the world and factions, and replayable skirmish content built around experimentation, matchup knowledge, and multiplayer sessions.

For a more traditional turn-based fantasy kingdom game, turn-based faction campaigns like Songs of Conquest offer a useful comparison. Songs of Silence differs by replacing direct tactical unit control with formation planning and card-driven intervention in real time.

What the Current Editions Include

The standard purchase is the base game. The storefront also lists several paid content groupings, so buyers should distinguish campaign expansions from cosmetic or bonus items.

• Campaigns Edition: the base game plus Celestial Church Expansion and Crownless King Expansion.
• Expansions Edition: the base game, both campaign expansions, and the Lighteaters DLC.
• Complete Edition: the expansion content plus the original soundtrack, digital goodies, and artbook.
• Supporter Edition: the Complete Edition content plus Luminant, Firstborn, and Starborn Supporter Upgrades.

The Celestial Church and Crownless King releases are the meaningful campaign additions. Lighteaters is separate downloadable content, while the soundtrack, artbook, digital goodies, and supporter upgrades should be treated as bonus or support content rather than core gameplay expansions.

There is no verified evidence that the base PC game has been renamed. Steam, GOG, and the official game site continue to use Songs of Silence, while the different edition labels describe bundles and content selections.

Who Should Play Songs of Silence?

Songs of Silence suits players who enjoy turn-based exploration, asymmetric fantasy factions, hero progression, and battles that reward preparation more than rapid mouse work. It is particularly appealing if you like seeing an army plan resolve quickly, then stepping in with well-timed abilities when the result is still uncertain.

The game also works for players who want a story campaign that teaches its systems through authored scenarios rather than dropping them immediately into an endless sandbox. The Art Nouveau visual direction and soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto give the setting a distinctive identity beyond standard medieval fantasy presentation.

It may be a poor fit for players seeking detailed battlefield micromanagement, traditional base-building depth, or direct control of every unit during combat. The battles are intentionally automated after deployment, and the player influences them through composition, positioning, hero development, and cards rather than conventional RTS commands.

Players who prefer compact territory management and deliberate economic pressure can also compare it with seasonal clan strategy games such as Northgard, although Northgard is a more conventional real-time settlement game and does not use Songs of Silence's hero-card battle model.

PC Features, Multiplayer, and Localization

On PC, Songs of Silence supports single-player, online PvP, online co-op, Steam Cloud, achievements, trading cards, and Family Sharing on Steam. The game is also marked as Steam Deck Verified and offers full controller support, alongside a mouse-only option for players who prefer traditional strategy controls.

Owners can play multiplayer skirmishes with up to six participants. Cross-platform PC matches are supported between the Steam, Epic, and GOG versions according to developer communication, which is useful when a group owns the game through different storefronts.

The Steam version uses Steam services for its platform features. The GOG edition is DRM-free and can be installed and played without GOG Galaxy; Galaxy remains optional for features such as synchronization. No separate anti-cheat system is clearly identified in the verified storefront information, so it is better not to promise one.

English includes full audio and text support. The storefront also lists French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Korean, Turkish, Italian, Ukrainian, and Traditional Chinese for interface and subtitles. These additional languages are text localizations rather than full voice tracks.

For another hybrid fantasy strategy option with a stronger real-time army-command component, hero-led 4X campaigns like SpellForce: Conquest of Eo are a relevant comparison. Songs of Silence is more combat-card focused and keeps its battle control deliberately streamlined.

Songs of Silence FAQ

Is Songs of Silence still the official PC name?

Yes. Steam, GOG, and the official website use Songs of Silence. Campaigns Edition, Expansions Edition, Complete Edition, and Supporter Edition are storefront bundles, not confirmed replacement names for the base game.

Is Songs of Silence a traditional real-time strategy game?

No. The strategic map is turn-based, while battles run in real time after armies are deployed. Units fight automatically, and the player influences the result with formations, army composition, hero development, and combat cards.

Does Songs of Silence have multiplayer?

Yes. The PC version supports online PvP and online co-op on randomly generated skirmish maps for up to six players. Free-for-all, cooperative matches, and gameplay modifiers are available.

What is included in the Campaigns Edition?

Campaigns Edition includes the base game, Celestial Church Expansion, and Crownless King Expansion. Lighteaters, the soundtrack, digital goodies, artbook, and supporter upgrades belong to larger bundles or separate add-ons.

Does Songs of Silence support controllers and Steam Deck?

The Steam listing identifies full controller support and Steam Deck Verified compatibility. A mouse-only option is also available for players who prefer direct pointer control.

Does the GOG version require GOG Galaxy?

No. The GOG edition is DRM-free and provides an optional offline installer. GOG Galaxy is not required to launch or play the game, although it can provide platform conveniences such as cloud saves and achievement synchronization.

Is there direct unit micromanagement during battles?

No. Battles are built around automated real-time combat. You arrange forces before the fight and intervene with cards and hero abilities during the action, including while paused, rather than issuing continuous orders to individual units.