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Illusion Carnival

97%Game Brain Score
graphics, story
stability, optimization
97% User Score Based on 1,922 reviews

Platforms

Mac OSMac OSPCPCWindowsWindows

About

"Illusion Carnival" is a 2.5D role-playing adventure game where players navigate through carnival-themed levels filled with puzzles and bullet hell elements. As a lost soul transformed into a paper boat, players embark on a journey through a whimsical yet eerie amusement park, interacting with characters of distinct personalities and becoming engrossed in a dark fairy-tale-like narrative with hints of psychological horror. Communication with the developers is encouraged for bug reports and updates on development.

Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
Illusion Carnival screenshot
+1

97%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,922 reviews
graphics318 positive mentions
stability8 negative mentions

  • The art style and visuals are stunning, creating a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • The characters are well-designed and memorable, each with unique personalities that draw players into the story.
  • The game offers a unique blend of psychological horror and whimsical elements, keeping players engaged and eager for more content.
  • The gameplay can feel basic and lacks complexity, with some puzzles being overly cryptic or frustrating.
  • The English translation has several awkward phrases and grammatical issues that can disrupt immersion.
  • Some players may find the fast-paced dialogue and auto-scrolling text difficult to follow, leading to missed story elements.
  • graphics
    556 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning and unique art style, often described as vibrant, whimsical, and reminiscent of works like "Madoka Magica." Players appreciate the intricate character designs and the overall aesthetic, which effectively combines cute and eerie elements, enhancing the immersive experience. While the visuals are praised as a standout feature, some users noted that the gameplay could be improved to match the high quality of the graphics.

    • “The visuals are absolutely stunning, breathtaking, heartstopping, pure magic.”
    • “The art style is a feast for the eyes, adding to the overall immersive experience.”
    • “Incredible visuals, unique and charming art style, the atmosphere was incredibly done, the writing and story is fantastic.”
    • “Camera and room exterior visuals could work better.”
    • “While the art style and OST clearly have a lot of effort put into them, the gameplay, writing, and pacing left a lot to be desired.”
    • “Game gives an 'ADHD' feel of stuff constantly being bombarded at you, whether it's visuals, text, or new characters that you don't really get a feel for before a new one storms in.”
  • story
    362 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story has received mixed feedback, with many players praising its intriguing and engaging narrative, unique characters, and beautiful art style. However, some found the plot confusing or hard to follow, particularly due to its episodic nature and the limited information available in the first chapter. Overall, while the story captivates many, it also leaves room for improvement and further development in future installments.

    • “Beautiful illustrations with an intriguing story, worth every single second of gameplay.”
    • “The overall feel and mystery of the story are very interesting and drew me in.”
    • “The story, while very much just getting started, has me extremely excited to see what is next to come.”
    • “The story is hard to follow.”
    • “I think one other critique I have is that the story was confusing.”
    • “The dialogue and storytelling are rough around the edges.”
  • music
    204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its captivating and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a fitting soundtrack that complements the visuals and story. Many players noted its ability to evoke emotions and set the tone for various scenes, with some describing it as whimsical and reminiscent of a carnival vibe. While some critiques mentioned occasional shortcomings in horror elements, the majority found the music to be a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's charm and immersion.

    • “The atmosphere, character design, music is so so so much fun.”
    • “Amazing music matched with a wonderfully whimsical art style.”
    • “The music also pairs very well with what is currently happening in-game and remains consistent with the overall aesthetic across the various mood changes of the game.”
    • “I do not like how I could remember each music.”
    • “While the art style and OST clearly have a lot of effort put into them, the gameplay, writing, and pacing left a lot to be desired.”
    • “The music composition for the specific environment fits its theme well, but on some occasions, the horror sound and music don't hit well for me or lack something that makes me shiver to the edge.”
  • gameplay
    204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay has received mixed feedback, with many praising its fun and engaging mechanics, unique art style, and challenging puzzles, while others find it somewhat basic and in need of more complexity and depth. Players appreciate the blend of bullet hell and puzzle elements, though some have noted issues with clunky controls and repetitive gameplay. Overall, while the gameplay is enjoyable and visually appealing, there is a consensus that it could benefit from further refinement and expansion in future updates.

    • “Beautiful illustrations with an intriguing story, worth every single second of gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay is fun, challenging both your mind and reflexes.”
    • “The visuals, art style, and character designs are incredible; the gameplay is a good mix of many different things - as you'll be solving puzzles one second, and then playing a bullet hell the next.”
    • “While the art style and OST clearly have a lot of effort put into them, the gameplay, writing, and pacing left a lot to be desired.”
    • “About the actual gameplay - I'm going to be honest, it's kind of mid.”
    • “The gameplay itself consists of dodging stuff with shift and using E to do an AoE around you to hit some enemies with, which works, but is quite basic.”
  • character development
    80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development in the game is widely praised for its stunning design, unique art style, and vibrant visuals, which many players find captivating and integral to the overall experience. Reviewers consistently highlight the creativity and expressiveness of the character designs, noting that they enhance the storytelling and gameplay. Overall, the character design is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and enjoyment.

    • “The character designs are amazing and the art is unlike any game I've ever played.”
    • “Possibly my favorite Steam game of all time, as I love the character designs, the art style, the gameplay and mechanics; it is a very fun and interesting game!”
    • “The character designs are definitely my favorite part of the whole game.”
    • “The default keyboard controls feel a little weird in more intense sections and the game only has a single chapter, but the art and character designs shine bright and left me wanting more at the end.”
    • “The character designs are neatly designed, all well expressed and delivered/presented greatly.”
    • “With its character design, world building, visuals, story, just everything.”
  • atmosphere
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its vibrant visuals, unique art style, and immersive music, which together create a whimsical yet eerie experience reminiscent of a carnival gone wrong. Reviewers highlight the dynamic camera movements and the attention to detail in both the graphics and sound design, contributing to an engaging and captivating environment. Overall, the atmosphere is described as enchanting and memorable, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “With an incredible paper cut-out art style to match the creepy-fun atmosphere of the carnival and characters that are immediately lovable, Illusion Carnival feels like an instant genre-defining classic.”
    • “You can feel the love and care and passion put into this game, the art and atmosphere are interesting and look great.”
    • “The visuals, the music, the atmosphere - it's impossible to describe.”
    • “The atmosphere in the game never ends.”
    • “The game’s visuals are vibrant and captivating, perfectly capturing the whimsical yet eerie atmosphere of a carnival gone wrong.”
  • humor
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game effectively balances humor and horror, featuring witty jokes, engaging characters, and memorable one-liners that enhance the experience. Players appreciate the funny fourth wall breaks and the absurdity of certain moments, contributing to a unique and enjoyable atmosphere. However, some find parts of the story to be confusing or lacking in humor, indicating a mixed reception in that regard.

    • “The game is really good at being spooky when it wants to be but being funny when it doesn't need to be.”
    • “Yello people wishing to download this absolute fever dream of a game, it's great and slightly scary psycho horror with funny fourth wall breaks and a lot of witty jokes, while keeping the seriousness; it's just a bunch of fun, and you get to see a junior high student die pretty soon :D.”
    • “Also the line 'no time to explain get on top of my head' made me laugh so hard.”
  • stability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players find it engaging and entertaining despite its bugs, others note that it is still in development and can be somewhat glitchy. Overall, the experience is described as enjoyable if players can overlook the occasional technical issues.

    • “The game is completely bug-free.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any bugs.”
    • “I haven't encountered any bugs while playing.”
    • “The game is still a little buggy and in development, but if you can look past this, it is a good time.”
    • “The characters are very cute, made creepy by the numerous glitches you encounter throughout the story.”
    • “So far, this game is one of the most interesting titles I have played to date; it was the perfect mix of somewhat spooky glitches.”
  • optimization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game showcases a unique art style and impressive performance effects, but users report notable performance issues, including significant graphical stuttering even on high-end hardware like the RTX 2080 Super. Additionally, long loading times, particularly during the final battle, detract from the overall experience.

    • “Quite a wonderful repertoire performance, the unique art style has already moved me at the beginning of the game. Built on the unique art is the amazing performance effect, and the excellent soundtrack makes the repertoire richer and more immersive, with a beautiful fairy tale shell rendering psychological fear.”
    • “With the amount of time the final battle takes to load (which I'm very thankful the game warns you about in the loading screen), I was surprised I was still getting significant graphical stuttering on my RTX 2080 Super during the fight.”
    • “There are some performance issues, I guess.”
  • emotional
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    While the game features stunning visuals, great music, and a heartfelt storyline that adds vibrancy, early chapters lack significant emotional depth, which may hinder players' connections to the characters. However, the attention to detail and the overall charm of the game contribute to a sense of enjoyment and affection from players.

    • “Amazing visuals, great music, silly characters, and a great heartfelt storyline.”
    • “It really gave the game a lot of life and made me feel like I wasn't just stuck doing one thing to progress the story. Those little details show that the team put a lot of love into the game, which is so fun to see and makes the player love it as well.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious rather than challenging, with battles and puzzles often feeling repetitive. While the art style and character design receive praise, the gameplay mechanics, particularly the controls, can detract from the overall experience, leading to a reliance on spamming moves that further contributes to the tedium.

    • “Both the battles and puzzles were more tedious than challenging.”
    • “I just defaulted to spamming the dodge move, which gets tedious and takes me a bit out of the game.”
    • “The controls are a little tedious.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers decent replayability, primarily through the pursuit of achievements and the discovery of hidden secrets, making it enjoyable for several hours.

    • “Overall, a super solid game that can pass the time for a couple of hours and offers some replay value from hunting achievements and finding secrets.”

Buy Illusion Carnival

8h Median play time
8h Average play time
7-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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