Ayasa: Shadows of Silence – The Indie Platformer You Can’t Miss
Every so often, an indie game appears out of the ether that just gets it. It’s not about flashy graphics or a billion-dollar budget, but about heart, soul, and a haunting atmosphere that sticks with you long after you’ve put the controller down. Ayasa: Shadows of Silence, the new 2.5D narrative platformer from Aya Games, is exactly that kind of game. It’s a beautiful, dark, and utterly captivating experience that feels like a playable Tim Burton film decided to have a baby with a Studio Ghibli masterpiece.
Launched on November 28, 2025, for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Ayasa has quietly become a breakout hit, and for good reason. It’s a surreal fairy tale wrapped in noir melancholy, a game that trusts its players to feel the story rather than just be told it. And it works. Wonderfully.
What is Ayasa: Shadows of Silence?
At its core, Ayasa is a narrative platformer that blends quests, horror, and puzzles into one cohesive, spooky package. You play as Ayasa, a lone figure tasked with a monumental quest: to restore harmony to the Inverted World. This once-balanced realm is now a chaotic mess, consumed by darkness after a great war. Armed with the last bits of light from a divine being named Tas, Ayasa must journey through corrupted lands that represent abstract concepts like Greed, Betrayal, and Indifference.
The goal? To find the remnants of Tas’s light hidden within the realms of Love, Faith, and Hope. It’s a classic light-versus-dark story, but with a twist. The game features no dialogue whatsoever. The entire narrative unfolds through pantomime, haunting music, and stunning, symbolic visuals. It’s a bold choice that pays off, creating an immersive atmosphere that lets your imagination fill in the gaps.
Gameplay: More Than Just a Pretty Picture
While the art style is what initially grabs you, the gameplay is what will keep you hooked. Ayasa isn’t just a walking simulator with pretty backgrounds. You’ll be navigating treacherous terrain, sneaking past lurking horrors, and solving some genuinely clever environmental puzzles. To do this, Ayasa has a few tricks up her sleeve, including time control, invisibility, and energy manipulation. These abilities aren’t just for show; they are essential for unlocking new paths and surviving the dangers that await.
Your choices matter, too. The game features two distinct endings based on your actions. Will you guide Ayasa toward redemption and restore balance to the world, or will your choices lead her down a path of tyranny, becoming the very darkness she sought to destroy? It adds a layer of weight to every decision, making the journey feel personal and impactful.
What Are People Saying?
The game has already garnered positive buzz. Lauren Bergin from PCGAMESN was immediately drawn in, saying, “For me, it was an immediate wishlist based purely on its aesthetic alone.” And she’s not wrong. The game is gorgeous.
Alex Gibson from Nerd Stash made the inevitable but accurate comparison, noting, “If you’re hankering for an indie horror experience akin to Little Nightmares, I think I’ve found it.” While it definitely shares some DNA with games like Little Nightmares and Limbo, Ayasa manages to carve out its own unique identity. As Mike Wilson from Bloody Disgusting put it, “Ayasa, Shadows of Silence has a creepiness of its own, combined with its own brand of gameplay.”
On Steam, the game holds a “Mostly Positive” rating, with players praising its atmosphere, art direction, and emotionally resonant story. It’s a testament to the fact that you don’t need words to tell a powerful story.
Ayasa: Shadows of Silence is currently available on PC for $24.99, with a 20% launch discount bringing it down to a very reasonable $19.99. If you’re a fan of atmospheric platformers with a dark twist and a whole lot of heart, do yourself a favor and check this one out. You won’t regret it.
