Bermuda
- March 17, 2015
- InvertMouse
- 2h median play time
"Bermuda" is a single-player Science Fiction Visual Novel game, where players uncover an intriguing story of Edward and his friends, who are abducted by aliens and face an uncertain fate. The game features full voice acting from veteran actors, with the option for individual voice toggling. Consisting of episodic content around an hour long, each episode includes bonus conversations to deepen players' connection with the cast, all within a concise and manageable schedule.
Reviews
- The game features impressive voice acting from legendary actors, adding depth to the experience.
- The art style is appealing, with some scenes showcasing strong visuals.
- The story has interesting elements and potential, particularly in its exploration of alien abduction themes.
- The story is poorly written and lacks coherence, making it difficult to engage with the characters or plot.
- The gameplay includes tedious stealth mini-games that feel unnecessary and disrupt the flow of the narrative.
- The game is very short, with a playtime of around an hour, leaving little room for character development or meaningful choices.
- story155 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it intriguing and enjoyable, while others criticize it for being predictable, shallow, and poorly executed. It follows the abduction of three humans by aliens, presented in a kinetic novel format with no player choices, leading to a short playtime of about one to two hours. While some appreciate the art, music, and voice acting, many feel the characters lack depth and the narrative fails to evoke strong emotions, resulting in an overall experience that is often described as mediocre.
“The story is really interesting.”
“Highly enjoyable story with some nice twists and turns.”
“Bermuda is a short, really short, visual novel with a little stealth minigame inside that tells the story of Edward and Paul as they've been abducted by what seems to be an alien submarine and their attempt to escape and go back to their lives, while in the meantime introducing us to the background story of the abductors, the so-called aliens.”
“The story is odd and does not flow well.”
“None of the characters were likable or had their motivations explained enough to form a connection with the player, so the story events failed to evoke any emotion.”
“The story was weak and not engaging, the art style was quite simple and plain, and the voices were fairly bad with no real emotion behind them.”
- gameplay28 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this title is largely viewed as a secondary element, with many players finding it simplistic and lacking depth. While some appreciate the inclusion of mini-games and puzzles, they often feel disconnected from the main narrative, leading to a perception of the gameplay as filler rather than a meaningful component. Overall, the focus remains on the story, with gameplay described as easy, short, and not particularly engaging.
“Great story and great diversity in gameplay.”
“The gameplay itself is pretty good for such a cheap game; I got it in a bundle though.”
“To be fair, not many visual novels have a gameplay aspect, so the fact that this one does makes it a tad more interesting for having one.”
“I appreciate the dev's effort to put in some gameplay with the stealth levels, but I got completely stuck on the 3rd one and had to skip it after about 5 tries.”
“The gameplay is just a filler, too easy to complete.”
“However, 'Bermuda's' gameplay finds a way to be simple, boring, and pathetically easy.”
- music21 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its decent quality and contextual relevance, while others find it repetitive and forgettable. Although it complements the art and voice acting well, many reviewers feel it lacks the emotional depth expected from a visual novel, leading to an overall impression of mediocrity. Some users expressed a desire for a downloadable soundtrack, indicating that while the music is appreciated, it could be more memorable.
“I enjoyed the art, music, voice acting, and the simply told story.”
“The sound design is fairly good; there are a lot of music assets that match the context.”
“However, the story, music, and voice acting are all absolutely superb.”
“The soundtrack is okay but can be repetitive.”
“This section will be short because, to be frank, the music is pretty forgettable.”
“With 'Bermuda,' the music felt static.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the anime-inspired art style and clean design, while others criticize the inconsistency in quality and lack of polish in certain scenes. Many users note the absence of graphics options and static character designs during dialogue, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while there are moments of decent artwork, the execution is often seen as lacking, leading to a "meh" impression.
“I found the story rather interesting, the art style is good (the only thing that bothered me was the lack of different facial expressions, but that’s a pet peeve of mine)… BGM was really good, it fits the story nicely.”
“I'm not sure if I can pinpoint why I like Bermuda's graphics so much, but the clean design with a minimalistic color palette and heavy use of blue together with black backgrounds is somehow just so relaxing to watch.”
“Cute art style, and has voice acting.”
“The art style for some scenes is strong, but then you look at other scenes and it looks like there was a rush to finish polishing it.”
“The game has no graphics options at all.”
“During most dialogue scenes, character graphics are static even when events occur that they are reacting to with voice.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is polarizing; while some find it heartwarming with a poignant ending and commendable voice acting from Christina Vee, others criticize it for lacking depth and coherence, feeling that it prioritizes emotional moments over a cohesive narrative. Overall, the emotional impact varies significantly among players, with some feeling disappointed by the execution.
“It has nice music, simple characters, a simple, heartwarming story.”
“Good story with a heart-wrenching ending.”
“Well, except Christina Vee, who sounds very good and emotional.”
“The story was boring and unimaginative, leaving me feeling disappointed by the lack of emotional depth.”
“The voice acting was disappointing and failed to convey the emotional weight of the narrative.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues and bugs that detract from the overall experience. Many feel that the game's performance is subpar, suggesting that the underlying materials or development choices may be to blame.
“The game's performance is horrible.”
“Bad optimization.”
“There's something off with these performances.”
- humor4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often described as mismatched and out of place, with alien characters delivering jokes that feel disconnected from the narrative. While the game begins with a lighthearted tone, it ultimately shifts to darker themes, leaving players feeling that the humor fails to enhance the overall experience and instead contributes to an unenjoyable atmosphere.
“The game is a short visual novel with a few simple stealth sections thrown in; it starts in a pretty light and funny way but isn't afraid to show violence and death in its final acts.”
“The humor in the game feels forced and often falls flat, with jokes that seem disconnected from the main storyline.”
“Conversations with random characters on the ship are meant to be funny, but they often come off as awkward and irrelevant.”
“The attempts at humor between acts are more distracting than entertaining, leaving me wondering if they were even necessary.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a tedious interruption, often feeling like a mechanical minigame that detracts from the overall narrative experience. While it may not be overly challenging, it is viewed as an unnecessary hurdle that disrupts the flow of the story.
“Tedious rubbish.”
“It just felt like a tedious stopgap between story segments.”
“It's not a tedious hassle to go through it, and one can finish it without much effort - the problem is that you have to spend time out of the story and into some mechanic-laden minigame.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally viewed as good, with effective storytelling, though some players note that the narrative is not particularly lengthy, which may limit the depth of character arcs. However, there are also criticisms regarding poor character development, indicating a mixed reception overall.
“The character development and storytelling were good, but keep in mind that it may not be the longest read or story you've ever encountered, so character development and plot have their limits.”
“The depth of character development really drew me in, making each character feel unique and relatable.”
“I was impressed by how the characters evolved throughout the game, with their backstories and motivations adding layers to the overall narrative.”
“Character development is lacking and feels superficial.”
“The characters don't evolve in a meaningful way throughout the game.”
“I found the character arcs to be predictable and unengaging.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is noted for its potential, with comparisons to other visual novels like Shen Gui and Unhack, which effectively create immersive environments. However, reviewers suggest that enhancing sound effects could significantly improve the overall atmospheric experience, particularly in conveying the game's settings more vividly.
“If you're interested in a similarly short visual novel, I can recommend Shen Gui, which has a really good atmosphere.”
“Instead, focus on the sound effects that convey atmosphere and environment (e.g., a lightsaber used by one of the main characters, or deep ocean atmosphere) - that would have polished the reading experience for this game.”
“The sound effects are the only elements that convey atmosphere and environment, like the lightsaber used by one of the main characters or the deep ocean ambiance. This aspect could have greatly enhanced the overall experience of the game.”
“The atmosphere feels lacking; it doesn't immerse you in the world as much as it should. The environments are bland and fail to evoke any real emotion.”
“While the game has potential, the atmosphere is underwhelming and fails to create a captivating experience. It feels more like a series of disconnected scenes rather than a cohesive world.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game lacks replayability, with users indicating that once completed, there is little incentive to play again, although they recommend exploring other titles from Invert Mouse Studio.
“There is no replayability for this title.”
“The game lacks any incentive to play through again.”
“Once you've completed it, there's little reason to return.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a high level of stability, with no crashes or noticeable glitches, contributing to a smooth gaming experience.