Parents' Guide to Fated: The Silent Oath

Some adventures leave players to their own devices, setting them loose to do whatever they choose, while others lead players by the hand. Fated: The Silent Oath doesn't so much lead players by the hand as it shoves them from behind. The story is pretty engaging, and it's easy to feel connected to the characters. But it doesn't feel like much of a game. Outside of a short hunting sequence and a handful of simple puzzles, there's never much to do other than nod or shake your head when asked a question. Even then, other than a line or two of dialogue being different, it feels like your decisions don't make any kind of impact on the story. Instead, it feels like the "gameplay" is just the cue to move to the next scene, like the beep on an old-school filmstrip projector cueing the next image.

While Fated: The Silent Oath may not feel like much in the way of a traditional game, it's actually surprisingly well done as an interactive story. You may not have much control over the events happening around you, but you're still a part of those events. As the story unfolds, you genuinely start to feel like you exist in this tale. You can't help but start to care for the people around you, especially your wife and daughter. You feel a real bond and a desire to keep them safe. Of course, it's right about the time you feel closest to them that the rug gets pulled out from under you. As an episodic adventure, the game only clocks in at about two hours or so. Worst of all, it leaves things with a massive cliffhanger that's sure to knock the wind out of your sails and leave you almost screaming as the credits roll. In the end, you're left with a sort of aching for more resolution. It's more like you just spent your time and money on a VR demo of something greater to come.