Among the Innocent: A Stricken Tale

About

"Among the Innocent: A Stricken Tale" is a narrative-driven game that follows the story of a writer, Peter York, who becomes trapped on a remote farmstead in South Africa. The game is the first in the "Stricken" series, which explores the stages of grief and loss through rich storytelling and challenging puzzles. Players can expect a blend of classic point-and-click gameplay and modern first-person exploration, set on 12 acres of hand-crafted locations, with an original soundtrack. Dark themes and mature storylines make this game a thought-provoking and immersive experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Among the Innocent: A Stricken Tale screenshot

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 62 reviews

story14 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features an unexpected and intriguing ending that surprises players.
The atmosphere and graphics are well-crafted, providing an immersive experience.
Puzzles are challenging and require creative thinking, making for an engaging gameplay experience.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can halt progression.
Many players found the puzzles to be unintuitive and lacking clear guidance, leading to frustration.
The story feels incomplete and disjointed, leaving players with unanswered questions and a sense of dissatisfaction.

story
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
71%
5%
The story of the game presents an intriguing premise centered around the character Pete and his mysterious motorbike ride, but it ultimately feels incomplete and disjointed, with many plot elements left unexplored. While the atmosphere and eerie undertones engage players, the narrative lacks depth and resolution, leading to an unsatisfying conclusion that suggests a larger story yet to be told. Overall, the storytelling is a mix of interesting ideas and frustrating gaps, leaving players curious but ultimately wanting more coherence and development.
- “The world is beautifully rendered, and the story is pleasantly told.”
- “The story is interesting; it's definitely got that eerie feeling of 'what actually happened here, I want to know more!' and as many others have said, these parts of the game really hold it together with the interesting puzzles and locations in the limited but yet open area.”
- “Exploring and uncovering the mysterious story of the place while finding documents, notes with hints, and objects to use to progress was actually really fun.”
- “Earlier in the game, there are hints at a bigger story behind the site - ancient writings and a mysterious stone dial - but the buildup of suspense is shattered when all you find is a mine.”
- “Among the Innocent is not totally complete - more like a chapter 1 to a longer story that never got finished.”
- “However, while it might have some nice ideas and twists, it feels like this was somebody's first attempt at writing a story where they wanted to put everything they could think of and mash it all together.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its thoughtful design, blending beauty with a sense of decay and mystery that invites exploration and curiosity. Players appreciate the immersive environment and the way it enhances the storytelling, although some feel that the final act disrupts this atmosphere with overly confusing puzzles. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The atmosphere of the game was really well thought out.”
- “Loved the atmosphere and pretty surroundings!”
- “Fantastic atmosphere, a real sense of exploration and wonder, an excellent union of beauty with a sense of the decrepit, and an implied mystery left entirely to your own imagination -- you'll most likely start to ask yourself, 'what the hell happened here?' Answering that question is arguably the main plot, but is left entirely to the player.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The graphics of the game are generally described as decent but not groundbreaking, fitting for a low-budget title. While some players appreciate the beautiful visuals and consistent style, others note that the graphics lack the charm and polish of AAA games. Overall, the visuals are complemented by a fitting soundtrack, though the absence of voiceovers for the main character is a noted drawback.
- “The game has beautiful graphics but partial background music and voiceovers.”
- “Graphics are amazing and I love the level of interaction you could have with items.”
- “While the graphics might not be AAA quality, the look and style is consistent, which I think is more important than the fidelity of assets.”
- “The graphics won't charm you, but the story might, at least to an extent.”
- “Graphics: not earth-shattering (indeed often merely adequate), but decent for a low-budget game.”
- “While the graphics might not be AAA quality, the look and style are consistent, which I think is more important than the fidelity of assets.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The gameplay is generally considered decent and enjoyable, featuring typical mechanics like key-and-lock puzzles and item collection. However, players frequently encounter frustrating roadblocks due to unintuitive and opaque puzzles, with some essential mechanics, such as jumping, not being adequately explained. This lack of clarity can lead to prolonged playthroughs and frequent reliance on external help to progress.
- “Gameplay: generally decent and of the find key-open lock variety, as you simultaneously collect inventory items for puzzles, letters and notes to fill in the plot, and weird alphabet collectibles which have nothing to do with anything.”
- “Anyway, the fact that by the end I was tabbing out of the game every 10 or 15 minutes to figure out what to do next is not just an indictment of my intelligence and problem-solving skills (although it surely is that as well) but also an indictment of obtuse and arcane gameplay element/puzzle/plot progression arrangement.”
- “Making my playthrough twice the length of what it should have been, I also got stuck in the first area because the game itself never tells you that you can jump. You were supposed to read instructions to figure that out, which was a weird choice as the game will explain a bunch of its mechanics, but not crucial stuff like that.”
- “Gameplay: while most of the gameplay is decent enough and even enjoyable, there were too many roadblocks in the form of unintuitive and/or completely opaque puzzles and objectives.”
- “Anyway, the fact that by the end I was tabbing out of the game every 10 or 15 minutes to figure out what the heck to do next is not just an indictment of my intelligence and problem-solving skills (although it surely is that as well) but also an indictment of obtuse and arcane gameplay element/puzzle/plot progression arrangement.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to a challenging nail puzzle that requires excessive trial and error without clear guidance. The lack of engaging tasks and exploration contributes to a sense of boredom, leading some to seek external help to progress. Overall, the grinding elements are seen as annoying and lacking meaningful purpose.
- “There isn't actually much to do and not many places to explore, and the tasks are tedious and annoying with no real point to any of it.”
- “The nail puzzle was so tedious I got bored and looked up an image online, as the 'clue' was so hard for me to decipher; it was just frustrating.”
- “But there is also a really tedious nails puzzle that I am not sure can be solved without using a lot of trials and errors, especially when having no idea what we are supposed to do.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's soundtrack is praised for being well-suited to the visuals, enhancing the overall experience. However, many players feel that the absence of voiced monologues for the main character detracts from the immersion, suggesting that the developer may have hesitated to provide this feature. Overall, while the music complements the beautiful graphics, the lack of full voiceovers is noted as a missed opportunity.
- “It has good visuals and the soundtrack is actually quite spot on.”
- “The game has beautiful graphics but partial background music and voiceovers.”
- “The game has beautiful graphics but lacks consistent background music and voiceovers.”
- “The game has beautiful graphics but the background music and voiceovers are only partially present.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The stability of the game is widely criticized, with multiple users reporting it as a "buggy mess," indicating significant issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “The game is a buggy mess.”
- “The game is a buggy mess.”
- “The game is a buggy mess.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The emotional aspect of "Among the Innocent" is centered around the protagonist's journey of self-reflection following a conflict with his girlfriend, though his character is described as emotionally immature and unlikable. The game lacks voice acting, relying instead on printed dialogue options, which may detract from the emotional depth intended in the narrative. Overall, while it attempts to explore themes of emotional turmoil, the execution leaves much to be desired.
- “Among the Innocent is a first-person puzzle game/walking simulator that explores the emotional journey of a hot-headed, emotionally immature character. After a fight with his girlfriend, he sets off to clear his head, only to find himself trapped in a strange house within a secluded valley, forcing him to confront his feelings and find a way out.”
- “The game effectively captures the protagonist's emotional turmoil as he navigates through his internal struggles while solving puzzles and exploring the environment.”
- “Through its unique storytelling and immersive atmosphere, Among the Innocent allows players to experience the depth of the character's emotions, making for a compelling and relatable journey.”