Schell Games

[{"content":{"text":" Hail to you, Slayer. With the release of Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire \u00ae on SteamVR and the Meta Quest stores, there are more budding vampire slayers than ever looking to end the clan of Zar. Lest your life force is drained immediately upon infiltration, we've developed this primer to the vampire slaying, coffin-cracking VR action, complete with our favorite quotes on each subject from The Book. Plus, we've included more lore, gorgeous illustrations from the pages of The Book itself and Silent Slayer tips and tricks to help you rank among your forebears like Van Helsing, Buffy Summers, and, of course, Abraham Lincoln. Are you ready for the challenge? Study up, Slayer; the stakes have never been higher. Spoiler Warning: The following contains mild spoilers of gameplay elements of Silent Slayer. "},"id":"d1aa2d43-64ce-461b-8673-24b2391165f1","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"web","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=03aVRDoaThU","video":[],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"false","muted":"true","loop":"false","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"f2c9d60c-15fa-420d-884d-825c56bf397f","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Castle Zar","customid":""},"id":"771ee787-fe22-45aa-b623-bb446fa773d3","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"Enter at dawn \u2014 not one moment before or after.","citation":"The Book"},"id":"2eb2af90-e106-4eed-8176-4e6d2bd478ff","isHidden":false,"type":"quoteBlock"},{"content":{"text":" Castle Zar, built for dark rituals, is where the Elder vampire Zar and his court await their rise to ultimate power. But on the day before their ritual ends, they are vulnerable. You must infiltrate the castle at dawn and slay the vampires before their transformation is complete\u2014this brief window is your only chance. Yes, you're under a time crunch, but try to enjoy all of the little details packed into your environments. Opulent throne rooms, sadistic torture chambers and inviting libraries are yours to cast a wary glance at...just don't get too distracted from your actual target. This map gives off major platformer\/Metroidvania vibes, clearly showing your progression from the unadorned depths of Zar where you begin to the exquisite final lair. Eat your heart out, Simon's Quest . Meta Quest Exclusive: Turn on passthrough mode (only available if you purchased through the Meta store and if your VR device supports it) and you can actually strip away all of the environments besides the coffin and your table of tools. Can you decorate your own Silent Slayer level? We'd love to see what spooky creations you come up with! "},"id":"5ed5dfe2-44cc-4507-a618-5ec32b346287","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/7Tdu1NCr4LqyJUYQ"],"src":"","alt":"","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"5a5d159f-937e-4d25-b673-34d089183cc0","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"The Book","customid":""},"id":"c3be4543-bdc6-4179-8b6f-799b1930f903","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"We both want them destroyed. I will put my knowledge and all my magical devices at your disposal to this end.","citation":"The Book"},"id":"a98de961-39f6-4292-a6a2-aa8b0eac7994","isHidden":false,"type":"quoteBlock"},{"content":{"text":" This mystical book is your most trusted guide. Within its pages lie the secrets of the vampires\u2014who they were, how they lived, and most importantly, how they can be killed. The presence of arcane books in the horror genre takes many forms, from eye-emblazoned spellbook in Hocus Pocus and kids-book styled illustrations in The Babadook to the many iterations of the bound-in-flesh Necronomicon in the Evil Dead franchise, among many others. In our tale, books contain much more than written knowledge. In Grandmaster Loreto's lair, it is revealed that after feasting on a victim, their mind and spirit remains and must be dealt with. Books become the new vessel for this unwanted accompaniment to the vampire's meal, and the remains are bound to each one. So keep note of all the books you see throughout your playthrough and let you mind wonder at the lives cut short within each. The power in the vessel is small individually, but in great numbers\u2026 Well, just consider this castle! "},"id":"1b217583-ab48-4ace-8fed-9d0d56441541","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/AENGfIcV5zxXzmTQ"],"src":"","alt":"The Book Binder ","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"22cafa4d-cbe8-487c-a811-e5003f8704c7","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"The Bindstone","customid":""},"id":"6614c114-12f2-4627-a56b-c584e2f1f4a1","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"When a Slayer assembles a Bindstone, its power to subvert the barrier transfers to them.","citation":"The Book"},"id":"9cc4390c-9ffb-481b-8348-4fda6b1befba","isHidden":false,"type":"quoteBlock"},{"content":{"text":" A Slayer cannot pierce a vampire's barrier without the Bindstone. The vampires of Castle Zar guard themselves with ritualistic shields that can only be broken by assembling this ancient artifact. As you fuse its pieces together, its power infuses into you. But the barriers grow stronger with every vampire you face\u2026 Cozy gamers, this is the most stress-free puzzle of Silent Slayer , and you can take your time assembling each Bindstone, or just pausing to enjoy the scenery or flip through a few more pages of lore on your next target. If you really want to dig deep, here's a fun fact: that vampiric alphabet you see is a substitution cipher, so you can technically translate anything you see in game and discover even more secrets...once you crack the code. Tip: Think of completing a regular 2D puzzles but in a VR space. Start by looking for corners, interesting break patterns, etc. and set them out separately. This makes solving the entire puzzle much easier! "},"id":"02eb9631-d496-4a23-9424-7eb968957186","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/tqP68ffb4wTDytXu"],"src":"","alt":"Bindstone Illustration Silent Slayer","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"bd2e0fb2-983a-4f3b-89b9-8492c266afad","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Your Tools","customid":""},"id":"65ffc9b7-da88-436a-9f95-0e885861858e","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"For Cennet's coffin, I give you this hook. Its claw is the bone of a vampire.","citation":"The Book"},"id":"6cbcae23-2310-41b6-9cb3-cb7c8666881b","isHidden":false,"type":"quoteBlock"},{"content":{"text":" A pry bar, clippers, and a hook made from a finger bone are among the many tools within reach, but a stake through the heart is the only way to end it. Each tool Slayers uncover adds a new layer of complexity to the vampire they are trying to vanquish, each with their own intricacies. Yes, time is precious, but spend some time getting comfortable with each tool to maximize your efficiencies. For instance, I find it much easier to pry out nails one at a time with my left hand and remove them using my right, but I've seen other players who pry out all of the nails first, then remove them. Find what works for you! Take special note of the color differences between your tools and the vampire's defenses. Our art team took special care to show both types of magics at work in the Castle Zar, with red typically signifying the magic of the castle itself and blue the magic of the tools the Slayer is using. Tip: It's all about the angles. Going straight on with the wire clippers is a recipe for disaster, whereas a slight tilt to the side and down makes the same task much easier to line up a reduces the risk of accidentally triggering a trap. "},"id":"1d539528-9e4d-4574-b1cc-a3d54b5dab1e","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/d33nUsRPbC1HwvnH"],"src":"","alt":"Silent Slayer Hook Tool","caption":"Illustration of the hook tool","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"ba6817a6-7397-4baa-8aa0-730449134273","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"The Relic Heart","customid":""},"id":"4cfa1235-5322-484c-8c24-d9f201919a67","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"This relic heart serves as a detector. Pick it up.","citation":"The Book"},"id":"72585453-dcb9-43ef-a2b8-f51a1976845f","isHidden":false,"type":"quoteBlock"},{"content":{"text":" Vampires hide their hearts, shifting them within their bodies to avoid destruction. The Relic Heart\u2014a powerful tool of the Slayer\u2014erases this advantage. Easily one of the most brutal and memorable items in the game, the relic heart began as a simple stethoscope design and slowly evolved to the design you see in-game: a grey, mummified heart clad in runes that transforms into the glowing, pulsating heart that signifies you have found the right spot. It's the perfect blend of a design with wow factor and perfect player feedback, making this item a striking addition to vampire lore that we hope lives on well after this game releases. Tip: It is possible to get too close to the vampire using this tool, as I unfortunately found out. Mind your distance as you search for the heart. "},"id":"bafdf7fe-8f4e-473f-baff-8051c2fe4847","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/j226sWOhkvshGUDY"],"src":"","alt":"Relic Heart illustration in Silent Slayer","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"adc9ae47-0b5b-4f33-b064-eb3fda70cf0c","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Beware of Traps","customid":""},"id":"6fb4fb5d-c124-4661-bee5-2e4d21e0a987","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"Wires of midnight steel are strung inside many coffins. The slightest touch causes them to sing out in alarm.","citation":"The Book"},"id":"3ad532b8-b4bd-4f19-a900-9e4b0f4c521d","isHidden":false,"type":"quoteBlock"},{"content":{"text":" The vampires are shielded by formidable protective traps that must be disarmed in silence. Midnight steel wires, shackles, and rods guard their coffins, while sinister relics like the Waking Idol\u2014a small poppet that slumbers and awakens\u2014add to the danger. Move carelessly while the Idol is awake, and it will alert its master. Because the vampires you meet along your quest are (hopefully) slumbering, the traps of each encounter convey much about the personality of your foe within the coffin. Sometimes these are obvious, like the torture-loving Princess Viktoriya. Her coffin is surrounded by hanging cages full of skeletons, and her nefarious vocation is evident in every mechanism of her coffin via interlocking rods and shackles that remind her of the pain she so loves to inflict even while she slumbers. Don't tell that vampires I told you this, but sometimes even subconscious things can be revealed through their placement and selection of traps. Note the concentration of wires around the face and neck of Duke Ottomar as you open his coffin. While on the battlefield the Duke pretends at glory, his slumber reveals the true cowardice and fear that course through him. The traps and intricate coffin design of every encounter tells a full story of each vampire, letting Slayers form their own mental picture of the horrors inflicted by that particular fiend, that goes beyond the text and words from The Book in a completely innovative way of atmospheric storytelling. "},"id":"570ccf43-f4f1-40e9-b0c3-e063d36c5c5f","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/xUFu9l89661eW6gF"],"src":"","alt":"Hanging Doll Silent Slayer","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"cc512def-7a40-41c9-a4e0-f3aa0c7a0735","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":" Tread carefully, Slayer\u2026 Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire is available on SteamVR and the Meta Quest stores. "},"id":"a2c84c45-dab1-47b9-babe-b3628ade424c","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"link":"https:\/\/silentslayer.schellgames.com\/","text":"Uncover More","class":"","id":""},"id":"42ed6d80-d535-4c59-aafd-3911a9a8051b","isHidden":false,"type":"buttonBlock"}]

Your Guide to Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire

October 22, 2024 · insights

Let's work together.