The Quiet Collection (Wii U) Review

It all kicks off with a charming cut-scene featuring the heroine of the piece who, after having a terrible day at school, is looking forward to the relative tranquillity of home, only to find that it's just as noisy there. It sounds all too familiar and definitely sets the tone for the first of four very short adventures. The aim of the game is simple. Use whatever means necessary to eradicate all sources of noise to ensure a peaceful night of sleep.

It's very much about lateral thinking and coming up with clever solutions to kill the noise using the simple everyday items scattered about the world. For example, putting water in a lawnmower is a creative way of ensuring that it'll no longer contribute to the cacophony. Creative puzzles aside, there are still a number of flaws that detract from the experience with the most problematic aspect being the adopted old-school art style. It can be difficult, at times, to tell when the main character is stood next to a usable item, as the indicator is all too easily missed in certain locations.

Another issue with The Quiet Collection is that it keeps the inventory aspect as simplistic as possible by only allowing one item to be carried at any one time. It might not appear bothersome at first, but as the game progresses, it can become difficult to keep track on where all the items are, resulting in a lot of tiresome backtracking. Sneakily trying to circumvent this limitation by placing all the objects in a central pile doesn't work, either, as the main character's little brother fouls things up by throwing the items around everywhere.

These aspects give some of the puzzles an artificially steep difficulty, which, more often than not, results in a sense of relief, rather than satisfaction, upon solving. Each of the four games are very short, too, and can be completed quickly, with a play time ranging between fifteen minutes to an hour, dependant entirely on the wits of the participant. As such, it should come as no surprise that it's lacking in replay value, so once the game is beaten, there is no real reason to return.

The Quiet Collection is both cute and clever at its core, with the ability to charm and entertain in equal measure, so it seems a shame that it's hampered by an unfriendly user interface. For newcomers to the genre, it's a decent enough entry point courtesy of the simple and appealing themes; however, veteran puzzle-adventurers may as well be looking elsewhere for a challenge.