A Dream To Follow

Across the desolate wastes of Azra wanders a bard, lost amidst the cracks and crevices of the land. He has traveled long and far, searching for a place to call home. His needs are simple: shelter, good food, good drink, and most importantly, good folks to enjoy his music.

Perhaps somewhere like... the fabled City of Id.

'80s Retro Gameplay

In Silence Waits is a graphical, horror-themed adventure game following up on the dark fantasy setting established in The Aching. Still driven by a combination of arrow keys and parser input, In Silence Waits continues the retro 16 color graphics aesthetic with minimalist sound, using command line-based interactivity. Press the arrow keys move the Bard to where he needs to be and simply type in what you want him to do.

The Story So Far

Having been dropped off before a forgotten landmark in the midst of a sheltered canyon, you'll guide the Bard through dangers untold as he searches for a passage to this rare city of peace. You'll meet several creatures along the way, both friendly and fearsome: some looking for kinship, others for a quick meal. So be wary, traveler! Aid comes in all shapes and sizes, but so does danger.

And remember: the solution to a situation presented might not be in the same scene, so if you get stuck explore the regions you can reach and be sure to "look at" everything you can see. Never shy away from experimentation, and if you need to know if a word is supported by the interpreter, just review the valid verbs listing accessible through the main menu.

Above all else, don't fear the reaper!

Technical Information

The engine behind In Silence Waits, first developed for The Aching, is 100% backwards compatible with PCs all the way back to the original IBM 5160 and the Tandy 1000, with optional support for CGA 4-color graphics, VGA 256 color graphics, and a variety of era appropriate audio devices including the Roland MT-32, General MIDI, and even the Sound Blaster and Adlib sound cards.

On modern Windows and Linux systems, the DOS environment is seamlessly emulated, offering greater accessibility and features like achievements.