The Quiet Collection review for PS Vita, Wii U

Ah, PlayStation Mobile: an extremely niche idea on a fairly niche platform. Even for someone as dedicated to the Vita as I am, I can’t say I spent too much time browsing its storefront — though in my defense, it was awfully easy to miss, tucked away as it was in a little corner of the handheld’s PlayStation Store. And now it’s gone, only to be remembered by people who were able to snag a few games before it quietly closed its e-doors a few months ago.

While PSM’s selection was generally lacking, there were still some pretty fun games to be found. Just off the top of my head, Pop Bug Zap was ridiculously addictive, Passing Time offered a neat twist on soccer, Haunt the House: Terrortown was adorably scary and Life of Pixel did “hard-as-nails retro platformer” better than most other games of that ilk.

There was one series of games that I never touched, though: the Quiet games from Nostatic Software. Every single time one of them would pop up on the new release list, I’d overlook them in favour of…well, not quite something flashier (PSM was, after all, mostly lacking in that department), but in favour of games that promised a little more than they did.

Now that I’ve actually played them all — since they handily come in one package via The Quiet Collection — I’m wishing I’d had the opportunity to send a few dollars Nostatic Software’s way back when they were PlayStation Mobile-only. These four games (Quiet Please, Quiet Christmas, Vacation Vexation and Candy Please) are the embodiment of everything PlayStation Mobile could’ve/should’ve been: fun little experiences on par with the some of the better games you’d find on other mobile platforms, only with the added benefit of buttons.

Not that The Quiet Collection really calls for buttons, mind you. All four titles are pretty straightforward adventure games, which means you’ll spend most of your time with them walking to Point A, picking up an item that will help you access Point B, and then using whatever you find there to take you on to Point C. All four games are about helping a teenage girl achieve fairly simple objectives (first she wants a quiet house, then she wants her house to be ready for Christmas, then she’s preparing for Halloween, then she’s on vacation). It takes a little bit of brain power, for sure, but as far as controls go, it’s not exactly the sort of thing that demands you play with a thumbstick and the circle-square-triangle-x configuration. I’m glad I can, since I’ve never been too fond of touchscreen-only gaming, but it’s not essential.

Then again, neither are the games that make up The Quiet Collection. They’re good for what they are, don’t get me wrong, but it’s important you don’t go in expecting them to be anything other than bite-sized experiences you should be able to hurry through in a single commute. Admittedly, that may depend on the length of your commute when it comes to Candy Please and Vacation Vexation, since they’re geared towards a slightly longer sitting, but they’re still the kind of games you should be able to beat without devoting too much time to them.

Should you, though? Well…sure, why not? The Quiet Collection costs less than $5, and for that price you get a couple of hours of worthwhile adventure gaming. It won’t change your life, but it will help a few commutes and/or break times pass by a little more enjoyably.