Being a somewhat ‘older gamer’, I am drawn to old-school and retro games. Quite often, the older the better. Full Quiet, from developer Retrotainment Games and publisher 8 Bit Legit is a full-on love letter to the NES in every sense.

“In this open-world game of survival, mystery and adventure you must learn how Pap and his radio buddies maintained their radio grid, protected the lands they now walk and silenced the forest in order to find your missing son.”

Right from the off, Full Quiet absolutely nails the NES aesthetic and style. The graphics, the animation, the colour palate, the sound and best of all, the gameplay. If I didn’t know any better, I would happily argue that this was a NES game released around 1988 and not a title released in 2023. Along with the looks and style comes the old-school difficulty.

Full Quiet, much like games back in the day, does not hold your hand like modern games do. Outside of a basic plot for backstory, you are left to discover exactly what the game offers up as you play. There is no tutorial and no direct instructions on what to do or how to do it. Just like back in the NES era, you have to play and learn.

The basic plot sees you dropped into a pretty huge and fairly open map looking for your son. Then, you are left to your own devices to explore and work out exactly what to do, but there is a lot of playing around with radios. Even for an indie game by today’s standards, Full Quiet is massive. A lot of NES games could be finished in an hour or so, even the original The Legend of Zelda could be finished in a couple of hours, if you know what you’re doing. With Full Quiet, you’re looking at around 20 hours at the very least, especially if you want to try for 100%

While crammed with action, this is more like an in-depth RPG and a game where you really need to pay attention. It is crammed with puzzles, pixel-perfect platforming, upgrades and equipment. Mix the original Metal Gear with the original Zelda and throw in a touch of Metroid and you’ll have a pretty decent idea of what Full Quiet is. There is a lot of trial-and-error gameplay as you’ll have to learn as you play. You’re not even told that there is an equipment/inventory menu and how to use items, you have to learn of of this for yourself.

Exploration is key here and there are secrets aplenty to discover. Morse code plays an integral part in Full Quiet and a pen and paper to make notes is a must if you want to make any progress. As you do progress, you’ll soon find yourself with plenty of weapons and equipment that will aid you in the search for your missing son.

Priced at around £8 and is currently available on everything, even the NES. Full Quiet is a title that many may not enjoy as it is very, very old school. If you are used to modern games holding your hand every step of the way and spelling out exactly what you need to do, then you’re going to have a bad time with this. However, if like me, you’re an avid retro gaming fan, then this could be one of the best games of the year for you. Full Quiet is a game that will require your full and undivided attention as you really need to take in exactly what is going on all the time.