ITORAH

66%
Game Brain Score Based on 172 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
ITORAH Game Cover
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"ITORAH is a single-player kids' platformer game with outstanding story, good mechanics, amazing visuals, and beautiful soundtrack. As the last human in a world of masked beings, Itorah embarks on a journey to discover her past and save the world from a major threat. The Save the World Edition supports indigenous people around the globe by donating 10% of the proceeds to Survival International."

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

66%
Audience ScoreBased on 172 reviews
story38 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning hand-drawn visuals and a vibrant art style that captures the Mesoamerican theme beautifully.
  • The platforming mechanics are enjoyable, with a decent variety of movement abilities that become more engaging as the game progresses.
  • The story, while simple, has charming characters and emotional moments that enhance the overall experience.
  • Combat feels repetitive and lacks depth, with many enemies being easily defeated and not posing a real challenge.
  • The game is quite linear, with little incentive for exploration or backtracking, making it feel less like a true Metroidvania.
  • Controls can be clunky and unresponsive at times, leading to frustrating moments during platforming sections.
  • story88 mentions

    The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it interesting and well-crafted, while others describe it as dull and lacking depth. Many appreciate the beautiful visuals and art style that enhance the narrative, but feel that the storytelling is often vague or poorly paced, with significant plot points revealed too late. Overall, while the story has its moments, it tends to be overshadowed by gameplay issues and a lack of engaging character development.

    • “The story itself is interesting enough to keep going and wanting to know the end, though in my opinion.”
    • “To my opinion, Itorah is a game that's crafted with the will to tell a good story, and this is mostly seen from the art overall (characters, worlds, items, animation, and music).”
    • “The story is one of the most interesting parts of the game, for me.”
    • “The story and characters in Itorah are incredibly dull, and cut-scenes are slow to go through.”
    • “The story is vague and uninspiring.”
    • “The story is dull, progresses slowly and predictably through an agonizingly simple map that has practically no secrets and constant backtracking through previously mentioned boring mobs.”
  • gameplay88 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its enjoyable platforming and combat mechanics, but criticizing its lack of challenge and linearity. While some found the controls and mechanics to be frustrating and poorly designed, others highlighted the beautiful visuals and engaging boss fights as redeeming qualities. Overall, the gameplay is seen as solid yet underwhelming, with a need for more depth and polish to elevate the experience.

    • “Overall, I think the game is more than recommended; the gameplay is fun, the length is decent, and even though it could use a little more challenge, with a few self-imposed handicaps (like no healing on boss fights), you can mitigate that feeling.”
    • “Gameplay is well-crafted, with thoughtful save point placement and mechanics that feel balanced throughout most of the experience.”
    • “The gameplay is solid, the visuals and music beautiful, the story fun, the characters lighthearted, and... the game is there for you to have a good time.”
    • “This is just bad design and a failure to properly communicate how game mechanics work.”
    • “Unfortunately, I feel that the game falls short in terms of programming and game design, with some mechanics, controls, enemies, and quality of life in general needing a little bit more experience, attention, or love.”
    • “The gameplay is very easy and boring in its first half.”
  • graphics76 mentions

    The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning visuals and beautiful art style, often described as vibrant and hand-drawn, which significantly enhances the overall atmosphere and storytelling. However, some players noted that while the visuals are impressive, they can sometimes blend with the background, making gameplay challenging. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered its strongest aspect, overshadowing some of its gameplay flaws.

    • “The graphics are excellent and help bring the story and world to life.”
    • “Itorah's absolutely strong point is the beautiful hand-drawn graphics and awesome sceneries you visit throughout her journey.”
    • “Gorgeous visuals, great animation, even a very pleasant soundtrack; in terms of aesthetics, it's undeniably top-notch stuff.”
    • “I saw this game's art style and was really excited to play, but what I got is clunky controls which are very frustrating at times and very hard to see where the ground is and where the background art is; it blends together way too much.”
    • “The hand-drawn graphics also come with some downsides.”
    • “I don't think the game overall plays terribly; it's competent enough for this kind of action platformer, and there's fun to be had here, but the real appeal of this ends up lying mostly in its aesthetics at the end of the day, and it's maybe a bit light on content to justify a $20 price tag.”
  • music54 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, while others find it bland or broken during critical moments, such as boss fights. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's variety and its fittingness to the game's visuals, though some note that it lacks memorable tracks. Overall, the music is often described as beautiful and well-integrated, contributing positively to the game's aesthetic, despite some criticisms regarding its repetitiveness or inconsistency.

    • “You might ask then why am I recommending this game; it is for the people that place big importance on atmosphere. The music and visuals of this game are great, the animations are smooth, the game is very colorful, and the soundtrack is varied but generally sticks to atmospheric music that builds the tone of the places you visit very well.”
    • “The art is fantastic, the music is even better, and it is enjoyable from start to finish.”
    • “Itorah's visuals, music, and gameplay interweave in a wonderful harmony that creates an experience that is more than the sum of its parts.”
    • “At the final boss fight, the music was very broken as each attack the boss hit made the music worse.”
    • “The game started out alright, but it quickly became annoying and frustrating to play through. The music was so bland that I played another game's soundtrack in the background.”
    • “The soundtrack is very fitting, but unfortunately not too remarkable.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game received mixed reviews, with some players finding the story and characters bland and unengaging, leading to a lack of investment in the narrative. However, others noted that the game contained touching moments and emotional beats, particularly towards the end, which left a positive impact despite initial disinterest. Overall, while some players felt disconnected, others experienced a heartfelt journey that resonated with them.

    • “As the game progressed, a heartwarming feeling overtook me.”
    • “Touching story, really nice and pleasant visuals.”
    • “I was surprised how emotionally impacted I felt by the end of the game.”
    • “Boring story.”
    • “Empty levels with a painfully boring story.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, as killing enemies yields no experience and minimal rewards, leading to tedious farming for upgrades. The levels are described as long and predictable, with excessive backtracking and sluggish controls that detract from the overall enjoyment of combat, making the grind feel pointless.

    • “Killing enemies grants no experience, no level grinding, making combat pointless.”
    • “I've killed every enemy in my path, found lots of bonus money in chests, and in the end, you still don't have enough money without a lot of farming to upgrade everything.”
    • “The levels are predictable, tedious, and long, and the enemies are simply not fun to confront (besides bosses). All this is compounded by the sluggish controls and a camera that zooms in and out uncontrollably.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is primarily focused on a system that enhances health, stamina, and healing item effectiveness, while the visually striking art and character designs, particularly those inspired by Mesoamerican culture, stand out as a highlight. However, the enemy designs are noted to be less imaginative, often falling into generic categories. Overall, the character development mechanics are functional but overshadowed by the game's impressive visual presentation.

    • “The character development system consists of health, stamina (required for some, but not all, attacks and actions, such as sprinting), the number and the potency of the healing items.”
    • “The world and art design are the best part of the game, with beautiful areas and expressive character designs.”
    • “The character development system consists of health, stamina (required for some, but not all, attacks and actions, such as sprinting), and the number and potency of the healing items.”
    • “The visuals are the aspect that caught my attention the most, especially the character design.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    Overall, the game suffers from low replayability due to its linear structure, lack of engaging story and characters, and minimal exploration opportunities. Players express disappointment over the absence of branching storylines, difficulty options, and meaningful content to revisit, with achievements being the only incentive for a second playthrough.

    • “The replayability is pretty limited, with achievements being the only real reason to try again.”
    • “Little to no replayability as there are no branching storylines or challenging optional content.”
    • “There's no difficulty options, nor is there much to explore, really, so the replayability is pretty limited, achievements being the only real reason to try again.”
    • “The story and characters and world are so bland I skipped some of the cutscenes because they were uninteresting to me most of the time. Maybe if there was some thought put into this gameplay and replayability, I would be putting hours into this.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its vibrant visuals, smooth animations, and a varied yet cohesive soundtrack that effectively enhances the tone of each location. Reviewers emphasize the importance of these elements, noting that they contribute significantly to the overall experience, with one rating it a strong 9/10 for atmosphere.

    • “This game is for people who place great importance on atmosphere. The music and visuals are fantastic, the animations are smooth, and the game is very colorful. The soundtrack is varied but generally sticks to atmospheric music that builds the tone of the places you visit very well.”
    • “Atmosphere: 9/10”
    • “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
    • “While the visuals are decent, the overall atmosphere fails to evoke any real emotion or connection to the environment.”
    • “The game tries to create a haunting atmosphere, but it ends up feeling more like a missed opportunity than an engaging experience.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game is highly optimized, consistently running at a solid 60fps at 1080p without any significant performance issues, crashes, or stuttering, even on mid-range hardware like a 3700x and GTX 1060. Reviewers noted the absence of major bugs or design flaws, contributing to a smooth gameplay experience.

    • “The performance is excellent, maintaining a solid 60fps at 1080p.”
    • “The game runs smoothly with no noticeable lag, making for an enjoyable experience.”
    • “I appreciate the optimization efforts; it really enhances the overall gameplay.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is marked by minor graphical glitches and occasional bugs, such as enemies hitting players post-mortem and out-of-bounds issues. While these problems can disrupt gameplay, they may also offer unique opportunities for speedrunning.

    • “Game is a bit buggy at times - charging bull enemies can hit you after their death, you can go out of bounds in certain spots, using air dash and air up swing at once sends you flying, potentially great for speedruns I guess.”
    • “There are some very minor graphical glitches in most areas.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a self-deprecating tone, often poking fun at the player's expectations and the game's own absurdity. This creates a unique comedic experience that challenges conventional storytelling and player engagement.

    • “The game is laughing at you for thinking there's anything in this world.”
    • “The humor is so clever and unexpected; it keeps you on your toes!”
    • “I found myself chuckling at the witty dialogue and absurd situations throughout the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

Buy ITORAH

Play time

12hMedian play time
12hAverage play time
12-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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