ISLAND

About

"ISLAND is a single-player mystery visual novel game with an intriguing story and beautiful visuals. As amnesiac Setsuna, you'll explore Urashima island and its inhabitants' pasts to uncover hidden secrets and protect what you value most. With multiple routes and endings, will you save Urashima from soot blight syndrome, or become lost in its complexities?"

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 188 reviews

story61 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

ISLAND features solid worldbuilding with a unique blend of time travel and slice-of-life elements, creating an engaging narrative.
The branching visual novel structure allows for multiple storylines and endings, enhancing replayability and player choice.
The character designs and voice acting are well-executed, contributing to an immersive experience that resonates emotionally with players.

The pacing can be extremely slow, particularly in the early parts of the game, which may deter some players from continuing.
There are inconsistencies in the time travel rules that can create confusion and disrupt the suspension of disbelief.
The protagonist's behavior, including crude humor and sexual harassment, may be off-putting to some players and detracts from the overall experience.

story
253 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
72%
4%
The story of the visual novel "Island" is a complex and engaging narrative that intertwines themes of time travel, self-discovery, and love, often featuring unexpected plot twists that keep players guessing. While some reviewers found the pacing uneven and certain character developments lacking, many praised the intricate world-building and the emotional depth of the characters. The branching narrative structure allows for multiple endings, enhancing the replayability and offering a rich experience for those willing to navigate its layered storytelling.
- “The storytelling is expertly woven, steadily peeling back layers of mystery with well-considered pacing.”
- “Island starts off slow, but quickly develops into a complex, mind-blowing story that puts Christopher Nolan to shame.”
- “Filled with plot twists and a story that I never saw coming, this is a visual novel I'd recommend to anyone who is looking for a new read.”
- “I found the story to be quite confusing as I watched each episode, having no idea what was happening.”
- “The story is extremely overwritten, repeating ideas and themes constantly.”
- “In the end, mixing and matching genres didn't do too much damage to the story, and does the key elements right, so I can confidently recommend this game to other readers.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
20%
10%
The music in the game is widely praised for its exceptional quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers calling the soundtrack one of their all-time favorites. It effectively complements the narrative, setting the mood for various scenes and immersing players in the game's atmosphere. Overall, the sound design, including voice acting and background music, is noted as superb, contributing significantly to the game's emotional impact and enjoyment.
- “The soundtrack is incredible—easily one of my all-time favorites.”
- “The cherry on top is this game's sound design; the OST and voice acting are superb, and all the audio work does a great job of immersing you in this world.”
- “Island's original soundtrack is wonderfully composed and truly delivers the perfect mood for the scenarios of the game.”
- “I didn't touch on the other aspects of the game like the art or music, but there's really not much to say.”
- “Just listen to the OST and you will know.”
- “Please release the OST as DLC soon - life isn't the same without them.”
emotional
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94%
6%
The emotional aspect of *island* is characterized by its ability to evoke a wide range of feelings, from laughter to deep sorrow, through heartfelt character interactions and a compelling narrative. While some players found the story to be a profound and immersive experience that lingers long after playing, others criticized it for moments of disconnection and controversial themes that detracted from the emotional impact. Overall, the game offers a mix of touching moments and comedic relief, making it a rollercoaster of emotions for those who connect with its characters and story.
- “Island is a sincere and touching story which is also surprisingly deep and rich and logically sound that I thoroughly enjoyed every second of.”
- “It made me laugh, made me cry, made me think deep, then made me smile when Setsuna finally won the happiness he had traveled so far to pursue.”
- “A full-on emotional rollercoaster that will send your heart for a real wild ride.”
- “Nothing remotely interesting happens, and I find myself just fast-clicking through the text because I just don't care about her or the boring story.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
8%
23%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning beauty and high quality, with many reviewers highlighting the gorgeous art style and immaculate character designs. The visuals are described as clean and visually pleasing, contributing significantly to the overall immersive experience of the game. Overall, the artwork is considered a standout feature, enhancing the storytelling and emotional impact of the visual novel.
- “I know I don't need to say because Steam's screenshots on the store page do it more than enough justice, but the visuals in this visual novel are so beautiful and everything about this game's art is just pleasing to the eyes.”
- “The art style is gorgeous, the character graphics are beautiful, and the soundtrack is seriously one of the best I’ve heard in general.”
- “Graphic: 40%”
- “Although the project mainly aims for the Chinese version of the visual novel, the artworks and the radio drama, Frontwing has announced that they will create the expected new visual novel story of the island if the crowdfunding reaches RMB 999,000 yuan (approximately 146k US dollars) before 23:59 on September 30th.”
- “That said, the production is high quality and the visuals (character art, CGs) are immaculate.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it genuinely funny and well-timed, while others criticize it for veering into crude and uncomfortable territory, particularly through the protagonist's behavior. While the game successfully balances moments of comedy with deeper emotional themes, it struggles with tonal inconsistency, leaving some players feeling that it fails to fully commit to any particular style of humor. Overall, the comedic elements can be entertaining but are marred by instances of inappropriate content.
- “The music is beautiful, the story is truly rich, and also with sprinkled comedy that's just so funny.”
- “This visual novel is filled with a lot of humor, some educational bits, and much of the story likes bringing up the folk tale of Urashima Taro.”
- “Moments of scientific thought get equally balanced out by moments of pure hilarious comedy that will keep you laughing for a good while, with a background music that's perfectly timed in every situation.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the character designs as cute but noting that they haven't aged well. Critics highlight a lack of depth in character arcs, with themes and consistent personalities often overshadowed by misleading plot twists, leading to a frustrating experience for players. Overall, while the art direction is appreciated, the character development feels underwhelming and inconsistent.
- “Themes, morals, foreshadowing, pacing, character development, consistent personalities, satisfying conclusion, reader’s enjoyment – all are thrown away one by one just to produce another red herring, then point a proverbial finger at you and say: 'ha, bet you fell for that'.”
- “Character designs are cute.”
- “I'm not quite a fan of her character design, but her route is rife with bad endings if you tread wrongly.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay features a standard decision-making mechanic typical of visual novels, enhanced by a flowchart system that allows players to revisit previous scenarios for missed details. While it offers some engaging game mechanics and lore, full enjoyment requires purchasing the game.
- “It's a basic decision-making mechanic that functions as expected.”
- “You get to dive into game mechanics and a bit of lore, but to enjoy it to the fullest, you need to purchase the game.”
- “The gameplay is just like any other visual novel except it has a flowchart system that lets you revisit scenarios you have already experienced, making it really convenient if you ever missed any details.”
- “You get to dabble in game mechanics and a bit of lore, but in order to enjoy it to the fullest, you need to purchase the game.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be lengthy and tedious, with some noting that while the journey can be monotonous, the emotional payoff at the end makes it worthwhile. Despite the occasional humor and engaging elements, the overall experience may feel laborious due to extensive plot exposition.
- “Personally, I just felt it was kind of tedious to go through even though there were many puns.”
- “A very long and tedious visual novel rollercoaster of emotions; the ending was really worth it though.”
- “Aside from a couple of tedious plot dumps, it's hard to find fault with the island.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of Reading Island is widely praised for its marvelous setting and soothing music, creating a relaxing and immersive experience for players.
- “Marvelous atmosphere.”
- “The setting and music make Reading Island an overall very atmospheric and relaxing experience at times.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report a stable experience with no noticeable lags or glitches, and the option to use a controller enhances gameplay without compromising performance.