Minute of Islands

Minutes of Islands is truly an impressive game, both visually and narratively. While its slow-burn nature might deter some players from experiencing what it has to offer, it's hard not to admit that it does what it does well.

76%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

gameplay, grinding

94% User Score Based on 291 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 11 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $0.37

Buy NowGet on Steam$3.99

Buy NowGet on Xbox Games Store

About

Minute of Islands follows the journey of Mo, a clever engineer tasked with saving her island home from a looming, ancient disaster. Players explore, solve puzzles, and interact with Mo's world, meeting fascinating characters and gaining powerful sea-song abilities. The game delves into themes of hope, isolation, and the human spirit's capacity for resilience, creating a memorable, atmospheric adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+11

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 302 reviews

story131 positive mentions

gameplay19 negative mentions

Stunning hand-drawn art style that creates a unique and immersive world.
Emotionally impactful story that explores themes of trauma, isolation, and self-discovery.
Beautiful soundtrack and narration that enhance the overall experience.

Gameplay is slow and often tedious, with minimal challenge and repetitive mechanics.
Limited player agency, as the game is heavily linear and lacks meaningful choices.
Some technical issues, including bugs and unresponsive controls, detract from the experience.

story
311 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
56%
2%
The story of "Minute of Islands" is widely praised for its emotional depth and beautiful presentation, with many reviewers highlighting its touching themes and stunning art style. While some found the narrative compelling and immersive, others criticized its linearity and pacing, feeling that it lacked sufficient resolution or complexity. Overall, the game is recommended for those who appreciate story-driven experiences, despite its simplistic gameplay mechanics.
- “The emotional storyline and the gorgeous art style pulled me in, and I'm so glad it did.”
- “A beautiful game with an amazing story that kept me immersed within the world!”
- “The narrative storytelling and breathtaking artwork and music pulled on my heartstrings throughout the entire game and made me tear up in so many places.”
- “The story I find wholly unconvincing.”
- “The story makes it look like there are places where there should be choices; however, the storywriter decided that it has to be only one way and railroaded the development into a linear experience.”
- “The story is also really, really predictable, and all of the main plot points are overly hinted at to the point that nothing succeeds at catching you off guard or at the bare minimum, invoking an emotional reaction.”
graphics
135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
40%
2%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn art style, vibrant colors, and atmospheric design, which create an immersive experience. Many reviewers highlight the emotional impact of the visuals, often comparing them to children's storybooks or animated series like "Adventure Time." However, some players note issues with optimization and gameplay mechanics, suggesting that while the art is exceptional, it may not fully compensate for the game's shortcomings in other areas.
- “Incredible visuals, exceptional color work, atmospheric and very immersive music, and a game full of talent with an emotional finale.”
- “The emotional storyline and the gorgeous art style pulled me in, and I'm so glad it did.”
- “The artwork is so endearing and unique, and it carries the emotional journey so well along with the music.”
- “Be warned that the game's art style is... disturbing.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is poorly optimized and the graphics stutter on my system -- one that has no problems with other high-performance games.”
- “While this game is very pretty, and I generally love the art style, as a game it is terribly designed.”
gameplay
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
74%
18%
The gameplay in this game is largely criticized for being simplistic, repetitive, and slow-paced, often feeling more like an interactive cutscene than an engaging experience. While some players appreciate the narrative focus and artistic visuals, many find the mechanics clunky and lacking in variety, leading to a tedious experience overall. Overall, the game is better suited for those seeking a story-driven experience rather than complex gameplay.
- “The gameplay is very simple and the overall flow is not going to be up to everyone’s taste - it’s not an energetic-fun kind of game, but a relaxing and reflective experience.”
- “In terms of gameplay, it's a pretty standard walk and interact narrative adventure, which I think is the best gameplay that would fit; too much going on would take attention away from the narrative, which is the central point of the game.”
- “What minute of islands lacks in gameplay, it makes up for with its beautiful world and in-depth storytelling.”
- “The gameplay was so unbelievably repetitive, it made me lose my patience.”
- “But be aware that this completely fails on the side of the gameplay and is extremely clunky.”
- “The gameplay is minimal and is almost the most basic variation of a walking simulator.”
music
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
48%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the emotional depth of the story and visuals. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke feelings and match the game's tone, although some experienced technical issues with overlapping tracks that disrupted immersion. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's aesthetic and narrative experience.
- “The narrative storytelling and breathtaking artwork and music pulled on my heartstrings throughout the entire game and made me tear up in so many places.”
- “The art and the music just makes the story more moving and emotional.”
- “The game has beautiful art, and a soundtrack that contributes to the emotional overtone of the story.”
- “I did encounter one almost-unforgivable flaw which would have prompted me to quit and leave a bad review, had I not found the solution very quickly in the discussions section here: a bug where an uplifting music theme keeps playing on loop and over other music and sounds, creating a cacophony and totally breaking immersion.”
- “This bug involved background music from a certain cut-scene playing on loop for nearly the entire duration of the game.”
- “- music overlapping/one piece of the OST playing over another (I've received personal confirmation from the devs that this issue is being worked on): this is hands down my biggest pet peeve, since it ruined some of the grander moments for me.”
emotional
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its touching narrative, stunning visuals, and immersive soundtrack, which together create a heartfelt experience that resonates deeply with players. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke strong feelings, with some describing it as a bittersweet journey that explores complex themes of sadness and personal struggle. However, a few critiques mention that certain predictable plot points and gameplay elements may detract from the overall emotional impact.
- “Incredible visuals, exceptional color work, atmospheric and very immersive music, and a game full of talent with an emotional finale.”
- “The emotional storyline and the gorgeous art style pulled me in, and I am so glad it did.”
- “Beautiful art style, haunting music, an emotional story, and fantastic narration.”
atmosphere
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
19%
12%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, exceptional sound design, and immersive world-building, creating a somber yet beautiful experience. Many reviewers highlight the emotional depth and eerie quality of the environment, which enhances the storytelling and overall engagement. While some note issues with gameplay pacing and unanswered questions, the game's focus on atmosphere and artistic expression resonates strongly with players.
- “Incredible visuals, exceptional color work, atmospheric and very immersive music, and a game full of talent with an emotional finale.”
- “The worldbuilding and atmosphere are masterfully crafted.”
- “Through art work, sound design and its slow pace, the game creates a very unique atmosphere.”
- “With all this said, consider Minute of Islands as an interesting experiment that may or may not be worth the deal depending on what you're looking for; if you put visuals, atmosphere, and untold lore above all else, you might just love it.”
- “Somewhat shallow gameplay, but atmosphere, visuals, and story are impeccable.”
- “The main point of this game is the plot and the way the atmosphere as a whole makes you feel.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight a pervasive sense of tedium in the game's grinding mechanics, with players noting sluggish movement, clunky platforming, and excessive backtracking that disrupts immersion. While some appreciate the game's visual and narrative elements, many find the gameplay frustratingly slow and tedious, often leading to boredom and reliance on walkthroughs to progress. Overall, the game's design is criticized for prioritizing narrative over engaging gameplay, resulting in a laborious experience.
- “On one hand, it has extremely tedious gameplay, clunky platforming, and it's difficult to even identify what the core gameplay loop is.”
- “What really made me not like this game is that it just feels very sluggish, having to wait a few seconds before doing something (for example, crawling felt super slow and tedious).”
- “The gameplay of Minute of Islands is some of the slowest and most tedious I have encountered in quite a while, on top of the game being quite buggy.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for numerous visual glitches, including issues with asset layering and animation, which can disrupt gameplay and require reloading saves. Players have also reported problems with jump mechanics and ledge hit boxes, contributing to a perception of the game as buggy and tedious, particularly during scripted sequences. Overall, the stability issues detract from the overall experience.
- “Only criticisms I have right now are minor visual glitches with asset layering. The 'visions' felt very slightly tedious even on the first run, and on the second run, I had issues with the jump mechanics and ledge hit boxes acting up.”
- “There are also some glitches with the shimmying animation, one of which made me reload a save to fix.”
- “The gameplay of Minute of Islands is some of the slowest and most tedious I have encountered in quite a while, on top of the game being quite buggy.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is criticized for poor optimization, leading to issues such as constant stuttering, graphical glitches, and awkward character movement, even on high-performance systems. However, it performs well on the Steam Deck, suggesting that optimization may vary across platforms.
- “As an aside, the Steam Deck performance is great.”
- “[A gorgeously realized world, excellent writing, a touching depiction of sensitive issues, amazing performance by the narrator].”
- “It's a shame that the game suffers from constant stuttering, objects being in front of other objects when they're actually behind, and finicky character movement.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is poorly optimized and the graphics stutter on my system -- one that has no problems with other high-performance games.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is highlighted by its appealing and cute character design, particularly for characters Mo and Miri, which is complemented by a unique art style. However, while the aesthetic is praised, the overall depth of character development is seen as lacking, with a contrast between the charming visuals and the darker themes of the story.
- “Very good character design and overall pleasing to look at.”
- “Character design is cute for Mo and Miri.”
- “Also, don't be fooled by the 'cute' art character design; this game gets pretty dark.”