Neighboring Islands
- April 30, 2017
- Angry games
Get on Steam“Neighboring Islands” – is an exciting graphic novel, key feature of which is an opportunity to take part in its events, directly influencing the development of the plot. Every decision of the player-reader can change the course of the narrative in one direction or another.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game offers a unique pirate-themed visual novel experience with bright and crisp visuals.
- It has an entertaining and deep story with various gruesome ways to die, which adds to the excitement.
- Despite being incomplete, the game has potential and has received positive feedback for its engaging gameplay.
- The game suffers from poor English translations and syntax issues, making it difficult to enjoy the narrative.
- Gameplay can feel repetitive, with limited choices leading to quick deaths, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Many characters are portrayed using outdated stereotypes, lacking depth and contributing to a disappointing representation.
- story19 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its initial promise and engaging choose-your-own-adventure format, while others criticize it for relying on clichéd tropes and underdeveloped characters, particularly in its portrayal of women. Many reviewers note that the narrative feels incomplete, lacking depth and resolution, which diminishes the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics and potential for an interesting storyline are acknowledged, the execution leaves much to be desired, leading to a sense of disappointment among players.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“Entertaining, deep story.”
“The artwork is great and even the story that you can find in 'pirate novel' but the result from what you choose 'the path' each time is so interesting.”
“Another issue I have is with the laziness of the use of story panels in telling the story.”
“But getting back to the story (warning, possible spoiler alerts), it felt like it had so much promise, before devolving into the same-old, same-old, 'here's a random white dude who will surely save us all!' schtick.”
“As much as I paid for it, it feels like that's about as much effort as the devs put into writing this story.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the bright and crisp visuals and nice artwork, while others criticize the overall execution, suggesting a lack of vibrancy and life. While the graphics are deemed decent for a choose-your-own-path narrative, they are often seen as compensating for a simplistic story. Overall, the art style is appreciated, but it fails to fully engage players.
“Some really nice artwork.”
“It seemed like it had an interesting storyline, decent graphics for a choose-your-own-path type of story, initially interesting characters.”
“Bright and crisp visuals.”
“Maybe it's translated from another language, but it's about as bad as leaving a color blind person in charge of graphics for a game.”
“After watching the Black Sails TV show, I kind of got into pirates, but the graphics feel like they're making up for the story, which is kind of simple.”
“The art style and what I would describe as assets aren't horrible to look at, but they don't show life.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it relaxing and decent, while others criticize it for being overly repetitive and irritating. Many users expressed frustration over the limited musical variety, with one even stating they would pay to avoid hearing it again. Overall, the soundtrack seems to detract from the gaming experience for a significant number of players.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“On the upside, the graphics and music are decent.”
“I would pay the full game price just so I wouldn't have to hear the brain-torture that is the musical score playing in my head for the next few hours.”
“Speaking of repetitive, holy #%($ing same 3 bars of music, Batman.”
“I mean in all seriousness, I would pay the full game price just so I wouldn't have to hear the brain-torture that is the musical score playing in my head for the next few hours... especially since, despite exiting the game, the background music has yet to stop.”
“On the upside, the graphics and music are decent; on the downside... everything else...”
- gameplay1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by a repetitive mechanic where players make choices that can lead to instant failure if the wrong option is selected, starting from the early chapters. While Chapter 1 is not deemed terrible, it sets the tone for a potentially monotonous experience.
“Chapter 1 wasn't horrible, but it started the clearly repetitive nature of the game mechanics—essentially, you pick a choice, and if it isn't the right one, you die.”
“The gameplay quickly becomes monotonous, with limited options that lead to the same outcomes, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging experience.”
“I found the mechanics frustratingly simplistic; the lack of depth in choices made the game feel more like a trial-and-error exercise than a meaningful adventure.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is inconsistent, with some moments eliciting laughter while others fall flat or are considered unfunny.
