Ghost on the Shore

About

Ghost on the Shore is a single player action game with a mystery theme. It was developed by like Charlie and was released on February 24, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

In "Ghost on the Shore," you play as a ghostly figure named Charlie, who has the power to possess and control other characters. The game is a narrative-driven, supernatural adventure that explores themes of memory, identity, and loss. With a unique blend of puzzle-solving and exploration, players will uncover the mysteries of a remote fishing town while navigating Charlie's own complex past.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 144 reviews

story67 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game features beautiful artwork and a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in the story.
The narrative is emotional and well-crafted, with choices that genuinely affect the outcome and character relationships.
The voice acting is top-notch, enhancing the overall experience and making the characters feel real and relatable.

The pacing can feel slow, which may lead to moments of disengagement for players looking for more action or faster progression.
Some players found the story predictable and lacking in surprises, which could diminish the overall impact of the narrative.
The lack of manual save options and the need for multiple playthroughs to see all endings can be frustrating for achievement hunters.

story
204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
4%
The story in "Ghost on the Shore" is a central focus, offering an emotional and immersive narrative that explores themes of loss, redemption, and the human need for connection. While many players appreciate the depth and beauty of the storytelling, some find it predictable and slow-paced, with a few noting that the dialogue can be repetitive. Overall, the game is praised for its captivating atmosphere and well-developed characters, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven games, despite some criticisms regarding pacing and plot twists.
- “The storytelling is masterfully woven, pulling me deeper with every conversation, every secret uncovered, and every painful memory that surfaced.”
- “The game masterfully uses environmental storytelling to immerse you in its world, allowing you to piece together the lives of the island’s inhabitants and the events that shaped their fates.”
- “It’s not just a ghost story—it’s a story about the weight of the past, the longing for redemption, and the human need to be remembered.”
- “The story is not engaging at all.”
- “The story is shallow and never really gripped me; there is zero surprise to the story, it is as linear as the way you move.”
- “The story was predictable to me in areas, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment at all.”
graphics
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
53%
4%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising its unique, hand-painted art style and vibrant visuals that create an immersive atmosphere reminiscent of a watercolor painting. However, others criticize the graphics for appearing outdated, likening them to those from the PlayStation 3 era, and note technical issues such as pixelation on larger screens and performance lag. Overall, while the artistic direction is appreciated by many, the execution and technical quality leave room for improvement.
- “The visuals are breathtaking, capturing the wild beauty of the islands with a painterly aesthetic that feels both ethereal and grounded.”
- “The hand-painted art style and atmospheric environment made me feel like I was walking through a dream—one tinged with both sorrow and hope.”
- “Absolutely a treasure of a game, amazing story, beautiful graphics, and a journey I'll never forget.”
- “Unfortunately, the graphics/art style here look like something out of the PlayStation 3 era, and not in a good way.”
- “The visuals are bland and the conversations themselves seemed irrational and unnatural half of the time.”
- “Bizarrely, changing the graphical settings such as going from high to low quality and reducing resolution down from 1440p to 1080p didn't seem to make a difference.”
music
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
8%
The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting and evocative quality, perfectly complementing the narrative and enhancing emotional resonance without being overpowering. Players appreciate the well-crafted soundtrack, which includes memorable original songs and atmospheric tracks that enrich the gaming experience. Overall, the audio design, including voice acting and music, contributes significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere, making it a standout feature.
- “The soundtrack was equally haunting, perfectly complementing the weight of the narrative.”
- “The music and sound design are equally evocative, enhancing the game’s emotional resonance without ever overpowering the experience.”
- “To complement this incredible narrative and visual experience, the soundtrack is a heartfelt collection of melodies that enhance the emotional weight of the story, perfectly setting the tone for each moment.”
- “I did buy the soundtrack, but there's only a few songs I may listen to on the semi-regular; the rest is atmospheric, and maybe something to put on while I read or do chores.”
- “Can't say enough about the audio because normally the first thing I change in any game is to turn off music.”
- “The music isn't constant and fits very well along with the professional voice acting.”
emotional
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Ghost on the Shore" is widely praised, with players noting its profound storytelling, beautifully crafted characters, and evocative art and music that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers reported feeling deeply moved, with some even crying at the game's conclusion, highlighting its ability to create an intense emotional journey despite its relatively short playtime. While most found the emotional depth compelling, a few noted that their personal engagement varied, indicating a subjective experience of the game's emotional impact.
- “Ghost on the Shore took me on an emotional journey that I never expected, and I’m still processing everything it made me feel.”
- “The bond between these two characters grows organically as you explore the islands, and their dialogue is as heartfelt as it is beautifully written.”
- “What begins as a walking simulator where you explore the ruins of a small island community develops into a genuinely emotional journey as you uncover the island's dark secrets.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The gameplay is primarily characterized as a walking simulator, which some players find lacking in mechanics and engagement, leading to a slow-paced experience that can feel tedious. While the game offers minimal interactive elements, it compensates with an engaging story and beautiful visuals, making exploration enjoyable for some. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some praising the narrative and aesthetic while others criticize the gameplay mechanics and pacing.
- “As the game begins, the choice of a brief rock song snippet paired with the excitement of starting a new adventure and the tension of immediate stormy weather is a harbinger of the well-crafted soundtrack to the gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is as you would expect from a game like this, with a very beautiful setting to lose a bunch of time exploring.”
- “It offers captivating, intertwining stories, a mesmerizing aesthetic, and satisfying exploratory gameplay as well as replayability.”
- “However, there are some serious faults with the mechanics of the game.”
- “There is almost no gameplay.”
- “Mechanically, the 'run' speed should have been default to help with the slog pace and not having a dedicated jump/step up made the terrain quarrelsome.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
11%
18%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its hand-painted art style, atmospheric sounds, and immersive environments that evoke feelings of both sorrow and hope. Players appreciate the blend of mystery and relationship-building within a beautifully crafted setting, which enhances the storytelling experience. While some find the atmosphere captivating and relaxing, others feel it lacks resonance, highlighting a varied reception among players.
- “The hand-painted art style and atmospheric environment made me feel like I was walking through a dream—one tinged with both sorrow and hope.”
- “The story invites you to explore themes of loss and connection, creating a compelling atmosphere that resonates long after you've put the game down.”
- “The sounds, the setting, the beautiful scenery... all together create a compelling atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere did not resonate with me at all.”
- “Ghost on the shore took a little while to suck me in - I'm not a big 'walking sim' fan but the atmosphere and characters kept me engaged initially and I found the island's history interesting.”
- “The very first items you find on the island gently introduce mysterious aspects of the island and its former inhabitants - some can be very easy to miss if you don't take the time to stop and look around your environment (which I'd encourage you to do anyway based on the atmosphere alone) but in this way you get out of the story's progression what you put in.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with users reporting significant performance issues such as lag, stuttering, and frame drops, even on capable hardware like the GeForce 1050 Ti. While some players experienced no performance problems on Linux, others noted that lowering graphic settings did not alleviate the lag, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. Additionally, certain design choices, like invisible walls that slow movement, contributed to the overall dissatisfaction with optimization.
- “Also, no performance issues, even running it on Linux via Proton.”
- “There are optimization issues; normally my GeForce 1050 Ti should be more than enough to play a game like this one, but here, even when lowering the graphic settings, it still lagged and dragged quite often.”
- “Other problems: you can't run when the spirit speaks to you, and the cursor also vanishes, so you can't know if there's something interactive around until the conversation ends; the invisible walls have a 'slow you down' mechanic where you progressively get slower until you can't go any further in that direction, which may sound like a good idea, but it can actually become quite annoying and also breaks your running; there are optimization issues; normally my GeForce 1050 Ti should be more than enough to play a game like this one, but here, even when lowering the graphic settings, it still lagged and dragged quite often.”
- “The performance for me was very poor at times; lots of stuttering and frame drops, and even when Steam was telling me I had anywhere between 90-120 fps, it just didn't feel like it.”
- “Not only did it not fix the performance issues, it didn't even seem to alter the look of the game all that much.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game offers significant replayability due to multiple endings and the impact of player choices on the narrative. While some players may wait until their memory of the story fades before replaying, the intertwining stories and achievements provide a compelling reason to revisit the game. Overall, it is considered a fair value for the content and replay potential it delivers.
- “There's also great replay value once you've finished, as certain clues hit differently when you know all the twists, and it is nice that it does feel like your choices throughout the game have an impact on the final result.”
- “- Replayability: there are several different endings, but because of the mystery that gets solved the first time around, I probably wouldn't replay it until my memory of the story fades a little.”
- “- In my opinion, the game is absolutely a fair price for the amount of content and replayability it offers.”
- “It offers captivating, intertwining stories, a mesmerizing aesthetic, and satisfying exploratory gameplay as well as replayability.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when trying to achieve all endings and unlock achievements. While the branching dialogues are appreciated, the repetitive nature of walking and clicking to ensure nothing is missed detracts from the overall experience.
- “I like the branching dialogues for endings, but it was very tedious to get them.”
- “It was quite tedious getting all achievements as I needed to figure out a couple of things myself, but up until the last bit, it was still good.”
- “Doing it again just becomes tedious, walking and clicking on things, trying to make sure you do what you need to not miss something.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development is perceived as somewhat lacking in organic progression, though it is generally considered acceptable and forgivable by players.
- “The character development didn’t quite feel organic to me, but it was fine and forgivable in the main.”
- “The characters lacked depth, making it hard to connect with their journeys.”
- “I found the character arcs predictable and uninspired, which diminished my overall engagement with the story.”