Albatroz

About

Albatroz is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Among Giants and was released on November 1, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Albatroz is a backpacking adventure RPG that will take you through majestic landscapes in search of your lost sibling. A tale about knowing when to let go and start over. Follow Isla’s journey through the Forbidden Lands, a breathtaking, otherworldly realm where two worlds converge. Once trapped in a numbing, monotonous life, Isla is now driven to embark on a quest to find the one true connect…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews

story6 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a beautiful artistic aesthetic that enhances the exploration experience.
The developers are highly responsive to player feedback, implementing fixes and updates quickly, which shows their commitment to improving the game.
The Exploration Mode allows players to enjoy the world without the stress of survival mechanics, making it more accessible and enjoyable.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including poor controls, awkward camera movements, and frustrating mechanics that detract from the overall experience.
Many players find the gameplay repetitive and tedious, with a lack of meaningful progression and confusing navigation that can lead to frustration.
The survival mechanics feel unnecessary and detract from the exploration aspect, making it difficult for players to fully enjoy the beautiful world.

gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
Gameplay in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the unique hiking mechanics and atmospheric exploration, while others find the survival elements and controls frustrating and tedious. Technical issues, such as bugs and an awkward save system, detract from the overall experience, leading to a sense of unfinished quality. Despite these drawbacks, the game offers engaging narrative moments and innovative gameplay features that can be enjoyable for those willing to overlook its quirks.
- “Since I never seen a developer answering and implementing fixes or player feedback as quickly as I've seen this small team do, it's only fair I update my review to an absolute recommendation. Now the game features an exploration mode, completely removing RPG mechanics like hunger and thirst and letting you simply enjoy the wonderful world created by a team as small as you can imagine.”
- “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.”
- “Everything else including control, input layouts, camera movements, physics, mechanics, and story can be inconvenient, annoying, or straight up frustrating.”
- “The RPG systems feel pointless, stamina is meaningless, the save system is atrocious, and the camping mechanics are more frustrating than immersive.”
- “The biggest reason I can't recommend this game is because some of the mechanics are just plain annoying.”
story
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
64%
12%
The story is generally described as solid and engaging, with a focus on themes of loss, family relationships, and personal growth, particularly through the journey of the protagonist, Isla, as she searches for her missing brother. While some players appreciate the depth and atmosphere of the narrative, others find it overshadowed by technical issues and frustrating gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the story is seen as a highlight, though it may not resonate with everyone due to its pacing and execution.
- “The story starts out pretty simple but adds depth as you progress.”
- “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.”
- “The story, however, didn’t grab me at all.”
- “It loads me into story scenes behind invisible walls, so I can't proceed forward without reloading the game or dying if the environment allows it.”
- “While there are no real issues with storytelling or pacing, there are some technical issues.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for its diversity and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its fantastic quality and emotional impact. While some players noted occasional overlapping tracks, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that complements the game's scenic visuals and storytelling. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the immersive experience, making it a highlight for many players.
- “The soundtrack is diverse and nicely done.”
- “The world is gorgeous, loving the music and atmosphere.”
- “Also, for some reason, sometimes songs overlap, and you will get two different tracks playing at the same time.”
- “And the music?”
- “The soundtrack further enhances this by using the folk genre to effectively set the scene for Isla and the other backpackers' journey.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
12%
25%
The game features stunning and vibrant graphics, particularly in its artistic nature aesthetic and initial visuals, which many players find captivating. However, the quality diminishes upon closer inspection, especially with NPC designs that feel outdated, revealing some technical shortcomings that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game's breathtaking visuals and creative ideas maintain its appeal.
- “Let me explain: this game is everything I’ve ever wanted; an open-world backpacking experience with gorgeous graphics.”
- “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.”
- “They nailed the artistic, vibrant nature aesthetic while driving, but when you start hiking and paying attention to details, the game feels poorly polished.”
- “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.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is reported to be quite buggy, with issues primarily arising from loading saved games, leading to glitches and poor controls. While there are some minor performance and texture problems, the development team is actively engaging with the community to resolve these stability issues. Overall, the game feels experimental and may not be fully polished.
- “It's buggy, the controls are bad.”
- “It seems that loading from a saved game was related to most of the glitches I encountered.”
- “It's buggy, and it is quite experimental, in case 'Brazilian JRPG about backpacking' didn't give that away.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its calming and cozy vibes, complemented by beautiful visuals and music. However, players note that enjoyment may be hindered by gameplay quirks, including bugs and frustrating controls, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “It’s calming and suits the overall atmosphere well.”
- “The game has a unique atmosphere and gives off cozy vibes, but one should be highly psychologically resistant to gameplay quirks in order to enjoy it.”
- “The world is gorgeous, loving the music and atmosphere.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with players noting frame drops during camera movements and minor texture glitches. Despite these performance issues and some clunkiness, the development team is actively engaging with the community to address concerns, allowing many players to still enjoy the experience.
- “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.”
- “Performance is also rough, with turning the camera dropping my frames.”
- “Of course, the game has some issues like performance and some clunkiness here and there, but it hasn't stopped me from enjoying the ride.”
- “I get 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.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the quirky, non-voice acted characters who produce amusing sounds, adding a lighthearted and entertaining element that resonates with players.
- “The characters that weren't voice acted made super silly sounds that had me chuckling.”
- “The humor in this game is spot on, with clever jokes and witty dialogue that kept me laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game uses absurd situations and playful puns to create a lighthearted atmosphere.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, citing issues such as annoying bugs, difficult controls, and unskippable content. The quest navigation and map readability are also criticized, making the grinding experience feel excessively time-consuming and unenjoyable. Overall, many feel that it requires an unreasonable amount of time investment.
- “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
2 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 evoke strong feelings, making it a memorable experience.
- “This question, which pokes at everyone's brain, defines the deeply emotional experience of Albatroz, a project by the Brazilian studio Among Giants.”
- “The narrative is rich with emotional depth, making it a journey that players can truly connect with.”