SILENCE RINGS LOUDEST

Producer’s Letter #1

“Words” are truly amazing. They possess the power even to change the world. This is undeniable. For me personally, words are as precious as they are valuable. That said, I believe we as humans are capable of connections that transcend words – for example, an infant need only to look into his mother’s eyes to know he is safe and loved. And in a world that overflows with cascades of words taken for granted, I can’t help but think it’s often difficult to realize such connections exist.

Words shape consciousness; indeed, some even say that “words are life.” But what if we were to cast aside such a life? What if somehow, we were able to understand one another through connections formed heart to heart, soul to soul, and could once again look into one another’s eyes and form a bond so pure? This concept lies at the core of THE QUIET MAN. Feelings that remain after words are abandoned, feelings that can be conveyed even without words – aren’t these feelings what are truly important in this life?

Square Enix Co., Ltd.

“THE QUIET MAN” Producer
Kensei Fujinaga

Message from the Producer #2

THE QUIET MAN is an extremely indie style title, of the kind that we did not have before in our Square Enix brands.

I sometimes feel that games often repeat the same things within a narrow area of what has been proven to work.

At the same time, lots of titles from small indie developers have emerged in recent years. Many of these challenge the status quo, and it is hugely stimulating to see how they make new propositions towards the very concept of what digital entertainment in the form of a video game can be, displaying wonderful freedom and purity,
I personally love the big games that are commonly referred to as “triple A”, and there are many major series that I always eagerly await the next installment of. Releasing even one game on that scale cannot be done without an uncommon level of effort. However, it does not follow that all games need to be triple A productions. I sometimes ask myself “Hey, why couldn’t a game be like that?”, wanting to provide new forms for games to take, even if it is on a smaller scale, and not being afraid to take on new challenges. You could probably call THE QUIET MAN a crystallization of that whole indie ethos.

In addition to its somewhat reckless concept of rejecting sounds and words completely, THE QUIET MAN is also a game that strives to find new kinds of balance. The price of £11.99 is based on the standards for selling films, with graphical quality that is way above what one would usually expect from that price, the extremely compact play time of around 3 hours that we determined was needed to realize such high quality and the bold balancing between “watching” and “tactile experience” that pivots around savoring and unraveling the game’s story… these were the new challenges we took on, with the full understanding that others may well laugh them off as stupid.

THE QUIET MAN is a very small game. However you look at it, it will never be an opulent and ornate treasure box, sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow. However, if this tiny, tiny stone that represents a frankly disproportionate level of challenge and experimentation from my modest team, can shine brightly like a diamond in the hearts of our players out there, I would safely say that there could be no greater joy for us than that.

THE QUIET MAN　Producer
Fujinaga Kensei

PRODUCER’S LETTER #3

What really happened on that fated night…

If the truth is indeed that which remains after words are thrown away,
then can we resist the powers of the reality that is spun from these words?

I want to find what is truly important, without being misled by these overflowing words.
And with only that, do I want to honestly, look at it carefully.
That wish has driven me to make a story without words.

However, when creating this theme, that just wasn’t enough.
Yes, it really felt like “half” was missing.

Approximately one week after release, via a free patch update,
THE QUIET MAN will be reborn.

A second version with sound and words, titled:
THE QUIET MAN
―ANSWERED―

The story will bring light to the truth,
and maybe even uproot the mystery that was thought to have been solved
as if to say, “I knew nothing at all…”

The first version, that threw words away.
The second version, that brought words back in.
A story dramatically transformed.
This is the completed experience.

And so, with everyone, I want to ask this.

Can we really be strong to say we do not need words, even if we have them?

In a world overflowing with words, can we really find something beyond them?

Square Enix Co., Ltd.

“THE QUIET MAN” Producer
Kensei Fujinaga