HARTS ISLAND
- June 3, 2020
- ben lunato
Get on SteamHarts 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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique and visually striking art style, with a surreal environment that captivates players.
- The sound design and music create an immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
- Despite its flaws, the game offers a memorable and original narrative that encourages personal interpretation.
- The gameplay is excessively slow-paced, leading to long stretches of boredom with minimal engagement.
- The voice acting is often abrasive and poorly delivered, detracting from the narrative and overall enjoyment.
- Technical issues such as glitches and a lack of save functionality can lead to frustrating experiences for players.
- graphics8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -12 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
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. However, some reviewers felt that the stunning visuals were overshadowed by the disruptive dialogue, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game. Despite this, the artistic style remains a highlight, making it a memorable experience.
“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.”
“The graphics are outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games, making the overall experience feel less immersive.”
“The character models are poorly designed and lack any real depth, which detracts from the overall visual appeal of the game.”
- story6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being confusing and lacking substance, with some reviewers noting that it feels more like a technical demo than a cohesive narrative experience. While the delivery, voice acting, and style are praised, many feel that the absence of a meaningful story detracts from the overall experience, leaving players wanting more depth and purpose.
“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.”
“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.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music and soundscapes in the game are praised for their amazing and disorienting qualities, enhancing the overall experience. While the voice acting and the final song received positive remarks, some players felt that the lack of a coherent story diminished the impact of the audio elements.
“The soundscapes and music are amazing and disorienting.”
“The style is interesting, the voice acting is good, and the song at the end is nice.”
- gameplay1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Lunato's latest title is criticized for its confusing open-world design, which deviates from the linear, story-driven approach of previous games. Reviewers liken the experience to a rudimentary test rather than a polished game, noting the presence of placeholder elements in the executable process.
“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.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
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.”
