Silver Chains is an intriguing game set in a good old mansion haunted by ghosts and evil spirits. Its eerie atmosphere will keep you on the edge of your seat as you unravel the mysteries of this ancestral home and the madness that devoured it. Unfortunately, the experience is also marred by a framerate that frequently dips below 30 fps and bugs that will force you to load an earlier save state.

With a running time of five hours or less, Silver Chains provides an evening’s worth of entertainment for those seeking ample scares and little more. That is to say that it’s enjoyable, but not exactly rememberable. It stands out as one of the best indie-developed post-P.T. horrors, but as the credits roll you’ll still be lamenting the loss of Kojima’s potential horror masterpiece. At least Silver Chains is a complete game, however, available at a price that won’t send shivers down your spine.

This game is too derivative to shine among the huge competence. It offers some interesting ideas, but overall it's a mediocre product gameplay and technicals wise.

It took me around three hours to complete Silver Chains, and if you’re looking for a distraction for an evening you could do worse – but you could also do so, so much better.

The story is muddled and not engaging, which could be forgivable if the action was more involving. Using the monocle to see clues is a nice idea, but it’s underutilised and poorly implemented (though it’s possible some of this could be a porting error). The encounters with the Mother are successfully tense, and the (few) monster designs are good. It’s almost a shame you don’t see more of them. Silver Chains does achieve some solid jump scares and would be worth a run-through with friends if you can pick it up in a sale. Overall, though, it sadly lacks both substance and polish. [Issue#186, p.85]