Silent Paradise Anthology

Quite enjoyable. SPA is a collection of four games from a single developer, whose broad overarching stories feed into one another. "Snapshots along a timeline" is a useful way of relating it, and the anthology does a good job of portraying this through the log files you find throughout each game. Each of these games is reasonably accessible in difficulty, and all of them boast a very finely detailed map you can place "pins" on to assist in tracking those notable things you can't interact with or reach yet. All the games share a similar visual and musical style (reminder: sole developer), but they differ wildly in scale. The variance in scale suits the intended gameplay design of each game. The first seems heavily inspired by a series featuring a certain renowned female bounty hunter. For the familiar tone and a very comfortable movement scheme, it might be my favorite. The second strikes me as being heavily inspired by a certain nail-wielding bug. The shift from distance blasting to melee combat with knockback was somewhat jarring, but it's useful for minor sequence breaks here and there. The third... I regard as emulation of older "frustration platformers" (though thankfully it has been designed well, and shouldn't generate teeth marks on your controller). Perhaps the most demanding platformer of the three. Each of these games are rather distinct, and having effectively (and successfully) emulated each style, this sole developer decided they needed a bigger challenge. The fourth game takes every previous idea, and puts them all on the same playing field. I don't wish to spoil how this was done; merely relate how impressed I am that it works quite well. Though I must question whether or not it would, had I not been required to complete the other three before starting the fourth. Regardless, I can state with confidence: This was fun, and interesting to play.

Fin! At least, about as much as i probably will ATM * Good games * My personal ranking: Lost Paradise, Silent Paradise, Secret Paradise, Distant Paradise Silent, Lost, and Distant are the first three and the fourth, Secret, sort of brings them all together in a weird but cool way. interesting sci-fi freeware trilogy now upgraded to a Steamworthy quadrilogy. The games all control pretty well. Aesthetically Lost and Silent Paradise are the winners for me and (in aesthetic terms) the visuals are a high point. A few awkward interactions here and there but by and large solid work. Worldbuilding is of the 'collectibles you can skip the reading for' variety, but I recommend doing the reading; you'll find a fairly expansive interconnected story of humanity and its connections with other species with some mysteries I haven't quite gotten to solving yet, and some that might remain once I've got those down. Bosses aren't hard, but that's OK. Where the game shines is the worldbuilding and exploration aspect. Of note, unless I missed something, only one of these four games gives you a fast-travel option really early on, and it might be the only one that at all needs it. Movement is smooth enough and for the most part traversal solid enough that you can do without.

Huge fan of Dri's work, I have already played the first three (and a few other) Metroidvanias at his itch.io profile. Now I got to enjoy them again but with Cloud saves and some extra hidden secrets that unlock a final forth game. The final game has you switching between the three main protagonists from the first three games. Each character controls their own small area of the map and they find abilities in their realm for the other two characters. It's a very clever way to create a multi-character Metroidvania that I haven't seen before in the genre. Complete the map with all three and you unlock something even more... And then there is a fantastic secret that actually has you tracking back all the way to one of the first three games in order to unlock an additional ending!! Honestly couldn't have asked for anything more from this 4-in-1 combo package! Fantastic stuff - top notch exploration, great map design and interesting lore. If you're a fan of Metroidvanias, this is an easy recommendation. P.S. And if you're left wanting more after finishing the four games, make sure to check the author's itch.io page and try out The Lightkeeper and The Trespasser too - two phenomenal mini-MVs, some of my absolute favorites in the genre! (Or - if you're a Zelda fan - check out the two Legend of Aereven games: Lunar Wake and Sleeping Azure.)

You could call the graphics plain but it's a good game/s.

Super fun. I liked all the characters and for 5 bucks its a steal. took 4.5 hours to get all steam achievements. Definitely worth your time and money.

Really impressive for an entirely solo endeavor, although understandably lacking polish in some areas. It's also a bit strange that the first two games look similar but the 3rd one is different, which then becomes style used in the 4th game, it's a bit jarring, especially since the 3rd game is the shortest. My favorite art/setting was Silent, favorite story was Lost, and my favorite gameplay was Distant. Each entry having an aspect I really jived with was really nice and kept any particular entry from feeling like a dud. I was half expecting Secret Paradise to be phoned in and just reusing assets, but it's just as long if not longer than the others, and there's a lot of effort in combining the three titles, among other surprises. Well worth the price of admission alone (Which is good, since you can play the other three games for free on Itch)

Really fun with rewarding exploration. Absolute steal for the price!

Very fun collection. Having 4 smaller Metroidvania games instead of a big one was a refreshing experience and I like how the games are connected to create a complete experience and how each of them is different enough to stand on its own. The first, Silent Paradise, has a nice setting but it's imho the weakest gameplay-wise. It's not bad but it's quite simple, easy and doesn't have much that stands out compared to the rest. The second, Lost Paradise, is my favorite. You have much more freedom to explore, there are more diverse areas and the difficulty is more balanced. The third, Distant Paradise, introduces a new graphical style and more abilities. I like how each of the games have different combat: the first was about shooting, in the second you have a sword and here you dash through the enemies to damage them. The final game, Secret Paradise, is the most interesting one, as all the previous protagonists return, each has their own area and you have to keep switching between them at the save points to unlock their abilities. It is also the most linear though, since you mostly have to do things in a specific order and it's the easiest to get stuck if you miss something.

This game is a hidden gem if you like metroidvania games, which actually includes four different games in one, which are all connected by a common background story, but differ in their gameplay mechanics: The first game is a gun-shooting "metroid" style game, the second one is a melee attack "vania" style game, the third one is more focused on well-timed platforming and the fourth one combines all of them. The game is not on the same level as other modern metroidvania games, as it lacks variety in almost all aspects within each of the four sub-games and it does not innovate anything that you haven't already seen a dozen times before, but it is a solid game nevertheless. My biggest disappointment in this game is that it does not really have any cool boss fights; there are only some "mini-bosses", but the are almost identical and in many cases not even challenging. However, despite all of these minor downsides, I really enjoyed the game. Finally -- and I cannot believe that I am saying this about a game in 2026 -- I believe that this game is drastically underpriced: I paid less than 3€ during a sale and I almost feel guilty of theft because of that. Yes, the game is shorter than most other games of this genre and it offers less variety than other games, but it kept me entertained for almost 9 hours while I was playing to unlock 100% -- which is the whole point of playing a metroidvania game, of course -- and I didn't feel bored at any time. This game could easily cost 10€ and it would still be a great deal for anyone who enjoys metroidvania games.

It is very immersive and the stories between the different chapters are really engaging. I want to know more about the place the second I spawn it. The sound and visual atmospheres are great and have a good blend of mystery and cozyness.