Albatroz

About

"Albatroz" is a backpacking adventure RPG following Isla, who seeks her lost brother in the mystical "Forbidden Lands." Traverse breathtaking landscapes, from scorching coasts to freezing mountains, to uncover secrets and experience a captivating soundtrack in this tale of letting go and starting over.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a beautiful atmosphere that enhances the exploration experience.
The narrative is rich and emotionally engaging, focusing on themes of family, relationships, and self-discovery.
The developers are actively working on updates and patches, showing dedication to improving the game based on community feedback.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including bugs, poor collision detection, and frustrating controls that can hinder gameplay.
Navigation can be confusing due to unclear directions and an inverted map system, making it easy to get lost.
The lack of controller rebinding and a clunky user interface detracts from the overall experience, especially for PC players.

gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
17%
The gameplay offers a unique and atmospheric experience centered around exploration and hiking mechanics, though it is marred by significant technical issues such as bugs, unresponsive controls, and frustrating mechanics, particularly in the later stages. While the game is not a survival title and features simple inventory management, it provides engaging narrative moments and innovative gameplay that can be enjoyable for those willing to overlook its quirks. Overall, the combination of beautiful visuals, original music, and a focus on storytelling contributes to a satisfying journey, despite the gameplay's inconsistencies.
- “Despite suffering from technical problems, the journey is satisfying and delivers good narrative moments with gameplay that is as innovative as it is engaging.”
- “The unique gameplay of Albatroz is sure to intrigue and excite players.”
- “Exploration is the focus as you keep traveling towards your ultimate goal, and that is where the bulk of remaining gameplay mechanics factor in.”
- “Some parts are nearly unplayable due to bugs, levels not loading or performing properly, crashes to desktop, and corrupted saves. In the last third of the game, the mechanics to fuel and repair the car also started to break, requiring multiple attempts to fuel the car, which is essential in some parts of the game.”
- “Very atmospheric with good vibes, but plagued by annoying bugs, tedious and frustrating controls and mechanics, an annoying car camera, unskippable content, unintuitive quest target locations, and hard-to-read maps.”
- “It is not a survival game, because all the survival mechanics are pointless annoyances.”
story
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
66%
8%
The game's story is praised for its emotional depth, exploring themes of loss, family relationships, and personal growth through the journey of Isla as she searches for her missing brother, Kai. Players appreciate the engaging narrative, strong character development, and excellent voice acting, although some express frustration with gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Despite technical issues, the story's charm and atmosphere resonate well with many players, making it a significant aspect of the game.
- “The story follows Isla, whose brother Kai, a well-respected hiker, has vanished while searching for the fabled Albatroz (the walking mountain).”
- “At first, it seems like a superficial goal, but throughout Isla's story, the plot shows the fragility of family relationships and how banal situations turn into real tragedies.”
- “Ultimately, I found this game to be both charming and engaging, with excellent world and lore building, a cool story that keeps you moving forward, excellent voice acting and dialogue, and just overall cool vibes.”
- “While there are no real issues with storytelling or pacing, there are some technical issues.”
- “People who are looking for a relaxing story and chill vibes... I have to say look elsewhere. You will get frustrated.”
- “Very atmospheric, good vibes, but lots of annoying bugs, tedious and frustrating controls and mechanics, annoying car camera, unskippable content, unintuitive quest target locations, hard to read maps.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
46%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised for its diversity and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its folk influences and original compositions that evoke strong emotional responses. However, some players noted issues with overlapping tracks, which can detract from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's immersive vibe.
- “The soundtrack is diverse and nicely done.”
- “The world is gorgeous, loving the music and atmosphere.”
- “It adds so much to the experience; if you're a fan of that scene in Red Dead where you're heading to Mexico and the soundtrack pops in, then you'll love this game. This game is that scene but the entire game.”
- “Also, for some reason, sometimes songs overlap, and you will get two different tracks playing at the same time.”
- “It adds so much to the experience, if you're a fan of that scene in Red Dead where you're heading to Mexico and the soundtrack pops in, then you'll love this game. This game is that scene but the entire game.”
- “The soundtrack further enhances this by using the folk genre to effectively set the scene for Isla and the other backpackers' journey.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
25%
8%
The game's graphics are praised for their magnificent art style and vibrant settings, creating a visually stunning experience. However, the NPC designs appear outdated, reminiscent of previous generation graphics, which detracts from the overall visual quality. Despite some technical issues, the game's breathtaking visuals and creative execution maintain its appeal.
- “The art style is magnificent.”
- “With its breathtaking visuals, unusual gameplay, and creative, well-executed ideas, the game suffers from some technical issues but doesn't lose its luster.”
- “The visuals are great in the beginning.”
- “In addition, while the settings' visuals are exuberant, the NPCs' design gives the impression that the characters' faces and frames have come straight from the previous generation.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its unique and cozy atmosphere, complemented by beautiful visuals and music that create a pleasant vibe. However, players note that enjoyment may be hindered by various gameplay issues, including bugs, frustrating controls, and unintuitive mechanics, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “The game has a unique atmosphere and gives off cozy vibes.”
- “The world is gorgeous; I'm loving the music and atmosphere.”
- “Very atmospheric with good vibes.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with players noting occasional performance issues and minor texture glitches. However, the development team is actively engaging with the community to resolve these problems, which has not significantly hindered the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “I understand that there may be a few issues here and there, like some performance bumps and minor texture glitches, but the team has been actively working with the community to address these.”
- “The game suffers from significant performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
- “There are frequent frame drops and stuttering that make gameplay frustrating at times.”
- “The optimization feels rushed, leading to a lot of graphical glitches and inconsistent performance.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some stability issues, including performance bumps and minor texture glitches, which are typical of its experimental nature. However, the development team is actively engaging with the community to resolve these bugs.
- “It's buggy, and it is quite experimental, in case 'Brazilian JRPG about backpacking' didn't give that away.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often hindered by bugs, poor controls, and an unintuitive interface. The atmosphere is appreciated, but the overall experience is marred by unskippable content and difficult navigation, leading many to feel that extensive grinding is a daunting task.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Very atmospheric, good vibes, but lots of annoying bugs, tedious and frustrating controls and mechanics, annoying car camera, unskippable content, unintuitive quest target locations, hard to read maps.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "albatroz" is highlighted by its rich narrative that resonates deeply with players, creating a profound and relatable journey. Users emphasize the game's ability to provoke thought and evoke strong feelings, making it a memorable experience.
- “The narrative is rich with emotional depth, making it a journey that players can truly connect with.”
- “This question, which pokes at everyone's brain, defines the deeply emotional experience of Albatroz, a project by the Brazilian studio Among Giants.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky, non-voice acted characters who communicate through amusing sounds, eliciting genuine laughter from players. This playful approach adds a lighthearted charm to the overall experience.
- “The characters that weren't voice acted made super silly sounds that had me chuckling.”