In our little town of Phada: let’s talk about Soundless: a modern Salem in a remote era

I’ve had my eye on milk+’s Soundless for a little while now and was just waiting for the art update to be completed before reading it.

Right out of the bat, the UI reminded me a lot of some 2000’s vns, mainly Higurashi (I also toggled on the old art to compare it with the new one at times, much like I did when I read Higurashi).

The story hooked me in immediately; the beginning builds up the setting and doesn’t hesitate to jump straight into violence—interspersing it with sweet, heartfelt bonding moments—and keeps a general air of mystery and suspense before descending into the chaotic madness of the latter half of the story.

The ending, although very fitting and impactful, leaves several questions unanswered, most of which are explained through the computer logs in the epilogue. I enjoyed reading through them, even if they felt a bit detached from the main story.

After the epilogue, there’s an extra chapter, Adiaphoron. Everything in the main story goes down pretty quickly after a certain point, so the slow pace was a welcome change, giving the characters a chance to talk to each other and make themselves known to the audience— specially Nina, who proved herself a delightful character once she was given the spotlight. It leaves the story in a much cheerier and more hopeful place than the main story, and even though I loved that ending, I think the overall product is better for Adiaphoron’s inclusion.

All in all, it's a very nice read, and definitely one of my favorite OELvns ever. I can’t wait to reread it some years from now.