I wasn’t wholly convinced when A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead was announced—how many movie video game adaptations succeed? Sure, there’s a handful of notable titles, but this seemed the unlikeliest choice of IP to port over. Yet, this survival horror focused on noise genuinely impressed me, and indeed Zack. It’s not the most intuitive or groundbreaking horror game to strike fear in our hearts, but it provides a consuming atmosphere that brings the film universe to life. But with an established universe to draw from, many of us are left wondering how this standalone story fits into the A Quiet Place world.
Is it completely separate? Does it overlap? Do you need to have seen the movies to enjoy the game, or does the game spoil the movies? Here is how A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead fits into the movie universe!
What’s A Quiet Place all about?
The original A Quiet Place, directed by John Krasinski (The Office), showcases a world in which blind extraterrestrial creatures—Death Angels—crashland via meteors all across the globe. Seemingly within days, they’ve spread across the planet, even into the countryside, and hunt anyone or anything making too much noise.
In the first film, a mother and father work tirelessly to protect their family and homestead while eking out a living at the end of the world. In the second film (also helmed by Krasinki), we follow the same family as they traverse the land, avoiding the extraterrestrials and searching for safety. Finally, the most recent film, A Quiet Place: Day One (this time directed by Michael Sarnoski), is a spin-off prequel of sorts, detailing the earliest days of the alien invasion in New York City.
As I said, these beings hunt via sound. They have evolved hearing, allowing them to pick up a twig snapping from great distances. Upon hearing any noise, they hunt relentlessly until they find, kill, and seemingly consume their prey. A Quiet Place created an apex predator that instills fear, which translates shockingly well to video game form.
How does A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead fit into this story?
On the surface, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a standalone story set in the same world as the movies, but with little connection to the current three films.
Canonically, the video game takes place before the events of the original movie, but after the story of Day One. By this point, according to the prequel film’s events, humanity understands its enemy and their weakness—namely water—along with how to skirt around them using sound or a lack thereof.
Like the first two films, the game is set in upstate New York, a decision made to allow a few flashback segments that correspond with the films’ storylines.
Do I need to have seen the A Quiet Place movies to enjoy this game?
Not at all, surprisingly. Kotaku’s own Zack Zwiezen hadn’t watched any of the films, and had a thoroughly good time with the game. Of course, if you have, you’ll pick up on a few details that might otherwise fly over your head, but nothing crucial or scene-setting.
Will playing A Quiet Place spoil the movies if I want to watch them after?
Again, no! The game features different characters at a different time, but using the central premise of the franchise. So the fates of no movie characters are given away here.
How does A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead play?
Sound of course plays a significant role, and as someone accustomed to running and gunning in horror games, facing enemies head-on, I found myself surprisingly quickly altering my usual style to suit the quiet world. I took my time, walked everywhere, and checked my surroundings for potential noise sources.
To help you navigate the environment, the game provides a phonometer early on that measures sound within the environment, and the sound you make. You’re golden if you ensure the latter is quieter than the former. You can walk up to a Death Angel, crouch, and completely melt into the environment. It’s a little too easy in spots, and the game’s overall difficulty spikes feel artificial, but the tension and immersion are second to none!
Before diving into A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead yourself, you should know that a setting allows the creature to hear your mic in-game. You’ll want to be wary of screaming too loud!
.
