The Silent Swan is a first-person open world narrative experience across a monolithic, derelict world. Mixing both the walking simulator and open world genres together, the game brings the meaning of openness to urban areas for the first time to this scale.
Story
The story follows Mirov Kavrazyma as he enters The Land Beyond the Walls in pursuit of Selene, his deaf-mute wife, who has vanished without a trail—except for a series of four-winged paper swans. These swans contain writings left behind by Selene, in the seeming intentions of being found and tracked by Mirov.
Throughout the game Mirov will gradually near the bed of the calamity that struck his home and get closer to the truths he is determined to unearth, while a strange uneasiness warns him he best walk back.
Mirov and Selene, the neighbouring cities of Urzhum and Sernur, timelessness and progress, will all be key themes of the story contained within The Silent Swan.
Gameplay
Gameplay-wise, The Silent Swan follows the open world formula of exploration and collection of items but with a narrative twist, being the letters and stories of those who walked the abandoned land the items to be found, and these same letters serving as guide and tool to further acquire more stories.
The massive overworld defined by the walls have sparsely located urban areas to them. These urban areas are all connected by landbridges—terrestrial bridges rising above the ground—which the player navigates on quicycles. These sections of the game will be mostly environmental, with the occasional stop inbetween.
The levels themselves are monolithic urban areas, with the peculiarity that every building, every floor, every walkway, will be completely traversable. This will serve both a purely environmental and artistic purpose, as well as a tool that will compel the player to read letters and dialogues that guide the way on.
