Father´s Island
- June 20, 2016
- Homegrown Games
Get on Steam"Father's Island" is a mystical, surreal visual novel set in a 3D open world where players must solve the mystery of their wrongful conviction. Explore an abandoned island filled with buildings, structures, and relics while being haunted by memories from the past. The game features a dynamic soundtrack, multiple endings, and hours of engaging storytelling.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and quirky experience, with multiple endings that encourage exploration.
- Despite its flaws, the story has a certain charm and can provide some laughs, especially for fans of absurd humor.
- The atmosphere is engaging, with a mix of interesting visuals and a decent soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- The game is plagued by numerous technical issues, including long loading times, bugs, and poor optimization that detract from the gameplay experience.
- Graphics and sound design are subpar, with many players noting rough visuals and overlapping audio that disrupt immersion.
- The gameplay is often described as tedious and lacking direction, with repetitive key-hunting mechanics and minimal interaction.
- story31 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mix of absurdity and dark themes, often described as a convoluted yet intriguing narrative that draws on Cold War paranoia and features elements of humor and horror. While some players appreciate the unique storytelling and atmospheric depth, others criticize the execution, noting technical issues and a lack of direction that can detract from the experience. Overall, the story is seen as a surprising highlight, with moments of both genuine interest and unintentional comedy.
“One thing that I really appreciated in Father's Island is the inclusion of propaganda material in a tasteful way that offered some much-needed insight into the convoluted storyline.”
“The story is really cool to follow and the voice acting is superb; also, the colors are amazing and really unique!”
“You can tell that Ertlov has put his heart into the work behind the scenes; the story is very creative, the placement of objects and terrain is very well done, and it's obvious a lot of care and attention to detail has been made here.”
“It's basically a nonsensical story about Cold War paranoia and secret programs in a walking simulator.”
“The story is supremely stupid and the acting is fair to middling, but it's one of those games where, in my humble opinion, you can get some laughs out of it.”
“It's a little too 'open' in parts; there are quite a few areas where you can bypass mechanics completely. In a story-driven game, your character needs to be directed by the story and the map a little more; sometimes it's not clear where to go, and you can end up going around in circles.”
- music12 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the diverse and calming soundtrack, which includes relaxing tracks and effective voice acting that enhances the experience. However, issues such as overly loud default volume, poor synchronization with gameplay, and abrupt transitions between tracks have been noted, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Despite these drawbacks, the music effectively sets the mood and contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
“The soundtrack and voice acting is one such positive note, which tips the scales in favor of Father's Island.”
“You can listen to anything from relaxing music that reminded me of Buddha Bar, piano tracks, and even a military march.”
“The music itself is very nice and calm.”
“The default music volume was too loud, and the soundtrack would start at the wrong time, overlapping some voice-overs and causing you to miss some important information.”
“The music within the title is also jarring, as it splices in and out of different tracks depending on where you're positioned.”
“Can't set music off or low, which is bad for video creators.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including low frame rates (30-45 fps) even on high-end hardware. Despite some improvements noted in recent sessions, persistent technical problems, such as loading failures and graphical glitches, continue to detract from the overall experience.
“The performance has been improved now and I can say I got 25+ fps at least.”
“You can see the mountains and other items being built in the background as you walk (poorly optimized).”
“While Father's Island has that corny B-grade quality and style to it, its atrocious optimization and performance problems are its biggest hindrance.”
“As of writing, the most recent 'optimization update' was on September 27, 2016, but the game still runs between 30-45 fps at best on a GTX 1080 and i7 6700k combo; for non-techies, that's extremely top-of-the-line gear.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of exploration and backtracking, with players navigating between various locations while engaging with cutscenes and audio clips. However, the mechanics can feel overly open, allowing players to bypass challenges like key hunts, which can lead to confusion about objectives and direction. Overall, while the experience is described as relaxing and filled with intriguing narratives, it suffers from a lack of structured gameplay elements.
“As for the gameplay, you’ll spend a lot of time going back and forth from one island location to another.”
“Fortunately for me, years of gameplay grinding in some games have allowed me to view backtracking as a necessary evil, in order to extend an otherwise short trip from point A to B.”
“A relatively short game in which you can look forward to an evening full of weird tales, odd characters, insanity, and strangely relaxing gameplay.”
“The core gameplay is walking between assorted houses while cutscenes and audio clips play, often layering over each other if you move too fast.”
“Many of the mechanics can simply be bypassed by climbing hills or skirting around awkwardly placed fences and trees, and generally you'll just be set out to find keys anyway.”
“It's a little too open in parts; there are quite a few areas where you can bypass mechanics completely. In a story-driven game, your character needs to be directed by the story and the map a little more, as sometimes it's not clear where to go and you can end up going around in circles.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some users noting rough and unimpressive visuals, minor bugs, and a lack of cohesion between the art style and other elements like voice acting. While a few appreciate the pleasant 2D art style, overall, the graphics are often described as amateurish and lacking polish.
“The graphics are pleasant.”
“The 2D art style is visually appealing.”
“Despite some minor graphic bugs, the overall visual presentation is engaging.”
“This game has rough graphics, bad sound design, bad pacing, poor gameplay, bugs, and overall is an amateur effort.”
“Some minor graphic bugs.”
“Awful graphics.”
- humor7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as quirky and absurd, appealing to those who appreciate Ivan's unique comedic style, which blends dark themes with lighthearted moments. While some find the humor hit-or-miss, many enjoy the absurdity and clever details that enhance the storytelling, making for a fun experience if you have a taste for unconventional comedy. Overall, it offers a mix of hilarity and depth, catering to players with a "warped sense of humor."
“It's almost nonsense, and it takes itself just serious enough to be really funny.”
“Not really sure if I'm supposed to laugh or be scared, the acting is hilarious but hey, I enjoy it. The game has an in-depth story to it, and you can clearly tell they're a dedicated bunch who spent time rendering the game to look as good as it does, especially with those popups, hahaha.”
“Dark and moody, with plenty of story, some moments that would normally be a part of the story you can turn for amusement (yes, I repeated that bit and died a lot laughing). Good fun with some funny moments gets a thumbs up here :)”
“If that's supposed to be part of the humor in this game, it's not funny.”
“The jokes feel forced and fall flat, lacking any real wit.”
“I expected clever humor, but instead, it was just cringeworthy.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its captivating and calming qualities, featuring a striking red sky and a beautiful piano soundtrack that enhances the experience. Players appreciate the attention to detail and the option to customize the visual elements, contributing to an immersive storytelling environment. Overall, the atmosphere is described as exceptional, inviting players to relax and explore.
“Great and exceptional game full of atmosphere and excellent storytelling.”
“First thing I noticed was the very calm and nice atmosphere.”
“Here you can just relax and pace on, look at every detail, and get a nice atmospheric feel with great piano soundtrack too.”
“Father Island is a game that oozes atmosphere!”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real immersion.”
“Despite its potential, the game fails to create a compelling atmosphere that draws players in.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that significantly detract from the overall experience. Many describe it as a "mess," indicating a lack of polish and reliability.
“Buggy nonsensical game guru mess.”
“Extremely buggy.”
“Buggy.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that players are frustrated with the game's monetization approach, feeling it detracts from essential updates and patch notes. There is a sentiment that the focus on advertising overshadows the need for improvements and transparency in the game's development.
“In case you didn't know, this is not a marketing space; this is for patch notes, something this game needs a whole lot more than amateur advertising.”
“I go crazy for high-res posters of printed brainwashing, since I shall always find the darker side of advertising (as if the rest is any better) to be fascinating.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game boasts multiple endings, significantly enhancing its replayability and encouraging players to explore different choices and outcomes.
“The game features multiple endings, making it incredibly replayable.”
“With various choices and outcomes, you'll find yourself coming back for more.”
“Each playthrough offers a unique experience, ensuring high replay value.”
“Has multiple endings, and because of it, is replayable as heck.”
“Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
“The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players generally perceive grinding as a necessary aspect of gameplay, often viewing it as a means to extend the experience and enhance progression, despite it sometimes feeling tedious.
“Grinding feels more like a chore than an enjoyable part of the game, making me dread the repetitive tasks ahead.”
“The endless grinding for resources takes away from the overall enjoyment, turning what could be an exciting adventure into a tedious slog.”
“I find myself spending more time grinding than actually experiencing the story, which is frustrating and disappointing.”
