HARTS ISLAND

About

Harts Island is a narrative-driven, dark comedic walking simulator set on a hauntingly beautiful island. Explore temples, distant planets, and uncover the story of an actor's untimely death amongst the more than one million Americans buried there. The game features a live-performance style, original soundtrack, and immersive sound design. Length: approximately one hour.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 27 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game features a unique and visually striking art style that creates an interesting atmosphere.
The soundscapes and music are immersive, enhancing the overall experience.
The narrative, while abstract, offers a thought-provoking journey that some players found emotionally impactful.

The gameplay is marred by poor audio balance, confusing navigation, and a lack of save functionality, leading to frustrating experiences.
The voice acting is often criticized for being abrasive and unprofessional, detracting from the narrative.
Many players found the game to be overly long and tedious, with extended periods of holding the W key and minimal engagement.

graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
29%
7%
The graphics of the game are praised for their rich, surreal environments and unique black-and-white sketch aesthetic, creating a visually engaging experience that captivates players. While many appreciate the artistic style and intriguing visuals, some feel that the overall impact is diminished by technical limitations and the jarring dialogue, which detracts from the enjoyment of the visual journey. Overall, the visuals are considered memorable and worth experiencing, despite mixed feelings about their execution in this particular title.
- “This is a very rich and interesting experience visually; it is definitely worth playing through until some of the more wild graphical shifts near the end.”
- “I was initially pretty interested in what Harts Island would offer, as its cool visuals immediately had me engrossed. Its surreal environments with floating skulls and giant bottled ships in the background offer something truly interesting to behold.”
- “The ambiance of the game is quite relaxing to wander around to and from each of the locations, taking in the sights in the stark black-and-white 'sketch' aesthetic.”
- “However, this time around I didn't find the game visually striking as some of the previous titles. There were a few neat ideas with the animation, some of which could be missed if you looked the wrong way, but the black-and-white aesthetic did not work for me this time. I thought the last game you released was a lot more compelling in that regard.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The story aspect of the game is polarizing; while some players appreciate the stunning delivery and engaging voice acting, many find the narrative confusing and lacking substance. The open-world format detracts from the linear storytelling that fans expect, leading to a sense of aimlessness. Although there are elements of a story to uncover, players must actively listen and piece together the narrative, which may not resonate with everyone.
- “I couldn't care less for the unfortunate foul-mouthed actor the story hinges upon, but the way that story is delivered is simply stunning.”
- “Don't go looking for an explanation but there is a story, you just need to pay attention to piece it somewhat together.”
- “You're on an island obviously, but the audio tracks and the assets used/created set some type of story.”
- “Where Lunato’s games are usually linear and heavily story-driven, this open world experience is confusing and feels more like a shader test with walking mechanics than an actual game.”
- “The style is interesting, the voice acting is good, and the song at the end is nice, but there's ultimately no story and no point to this game.”
- “I love walking simulators, they're my favorite, but they must have some sort of point to them, some story at the very least.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music and soundscapes in the game are praised for their amazing and disorienting qualities, enhancing the overall experience despite the lack of a compelling story. The voice acting is also noted as good, with particular appreciation for the beautiful final song, though its origin remains uncertain.
- “The soundscapes and music are amazing and disorienting.”
- “The song at the end is nice and adds a beautiful touch to the experience.”
- “The last song was very beautiful, though I'm not sure if it was made specifically for the game.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The gameplay is criticized for being confusing and lacking depth, resembling more of a shader test than a cohesive game experience. Players primarily engage by walking to structures to listen to monologues, with minimal interaction and only occasional teleports for playable cutscenes.
- “The gameplay offers a unique blend of exploration and storytelling, allowing players to immerse themselves in the environment while engaging with the narrative.”
- “The mechanics are intuitive, making it easy for players to navigate the world and interact with various elements.”
- “The open-world design encourages players to discover and experience the game at their own pace, enhancing the overall enjoyment.”
- “Where Lunato's games are usually linear and heavily story-driven, this open world experience is confusing and feels more like a shader test with walking mechanics than an actual game (even the executable process is displayed as 'first person bp game template' and 'hi_test' when opened).”
- “As far as the gameplay goes, you just walk up to different structures and listen to the monologue with occasional teleports for playable cutscenes.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by clever writing that balances wit and depth, often featuring sharp roasts that elicit genuine laughter. While not explicitly designed to be a comedy, the narrative's blend of sadness and humor creates a uniquely engaging experience, highlighted by memorable moments like the 'shopping list' scene.
- “The actual writing is really good; it's not meant to be hilarious, but it always is. There is just something really funny about the insane roasting going on in Ben's games (loved that part with the 'shopping list' lol).”
- “+ Fun narrative - sad, hilarious, and deep.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere is characterized as dark and eerie, but it is significantly undermined by the comedic and unprofessional voice acting of David Stay, which detracts from the intended mood.
- “The dark and somewhat eerie atmosphere is once again ruined by the comedic and honestly quite unprofessional voice acting of David Stay, as it was in LA Monsters.”
- “The game fails to create a truly immersive atmosphere, often feeling flat and uninspired.”
- “Despite the potential for a gripping environment, the atmosphere feels lifeless and lacks any real tension.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that the indie games, despite their brevity and limited content, consistently deliver a strong emotional impact, creating memorable aesthetic experiences.
- “I played a couple of his indie games that generally work as short aesthetic experiences, and even though they may lack in content, they always have an emotional impact on me.”