True to the spirit of the Quiet Place films, it’s an emotional, character-led narrative. So, if you’re hankering for a wall-to-wall bloodbath — replete with non-stop action and an excessive body count — then let’s just say there are other horror games out there that might better tickle your fancy. Outside of some minor injury detail and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it violence, there’s hardly any explicit content here whatsoever.

To be clear, that doesn’t mean the title is completely bereft of tension or creature-feature thrills, (on the contrary, there are some electrifying set pieces) but it is a slower-paced affair when compared to the likes of, say, Outlast. Indeed, it has more in common with this year’s contemplative Still Wakes the Deep than it does the relentless gorefest that is Dead Space or even the more sober of Resident Evil instalments.

Understatement is the name of the game here and the human drama can be fairly moving as a result. It’s hard not to feel pangs of sympathy, for example, as Alex and Laura try to reconcile their differences for the sake of a baby they both cherish, and the deceased loved one they both mourn...

But perhaps even more heart-rending than the main plot are the epistolary notes that you’ll discover strewn around the environments. In-game documents are nothing new to the survival horror genre by any stretch of the imagination, but The Road Ahead’s feel especially well-written and authentic.

From coy, back-and-forth flirtations penned by awkward tweens at a summer camp, to the devastating journal entries of a bereaved parent who’s sheltering an orphan; there are some properly engaging mini-stories here. If you’re anything like me, you’ll actively go out of your way (and even put the expectant mother you’re controlling in jeopardy) just to find the next note in a given series. Clinging to the vain hope that one of these tales might have a happier resolution than your own. Spoiler alert: few of them do.

Despite the lack of upbeat endings, though, there is a prevailing sense of optimism with these logs. Across the board, they depict people coming together and exhibiting remarkable selflessness in the face of dire circumstances. For instance, another text recounts how a pair of blue-collar workers went above and beyond the call of duty to keep a pump station operating post alien arrival, for no other reason than to be Good Samaritans."                                                 
                                                                       -Harrison Abbott, Bloody Disgusting