Return to Mysterious Island
- March 6, 2014
- Kheops Studio
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam"Return to Mysterious Island" is a survival adventure game where players control Mina, a castaway stranded on an uncharted island. The game is a sequel to Jules Verne's novel "The Mysterious Island". Players must explore the island, gather resources, and solve puzzles to uncover its secrets and find a way back home. The game features stunning visuals, a compelling story, and a variety of challenges to keep players engaged.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience with a captivating storyline and well-designed puzzles that encourage creative problem-solving.
- The crafting system allows for multiple solutions to puzzles, enhancing replayability and providing a satisfying sense of accomplishment.
- Beautiful visuals and excellent voice acting contribute to an immersive atmosphere, making it a delightful adventure for fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including frequent crashes and compatibility problems on modern systems, which can hinder the overall experience.
- Some puzzles can be convoluted or lack clear logic, leading to frustration and reliance on walkthroughs to progress.
- The story is relatively short and may feel underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more depth and complexity.
- story58 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of the game is primarily inspired by Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island," featuring a straightforward narrative where players navigate as a castaway encountering elements from the novel. While some players find the story engaging and immersive, others feel it lacks depth and complexity, with a mix of puzzle-solving and exploration that can be both enjoyable and frustrating. Overall, the narrative is appreciated for its references to classic literature, but many reviewers express a desire for a more compelling and unique storyline.
“The game is based on Jules Verne's classic novel 'The Mysterious Island' and follows the story of Mina, a young woman stranded on a mysterious island after a shipwreck.”
“Return to Mysterious Island is a delightful adventure game that offers a captivating storyline and a unique gameplay experience.”
“The story is incredibly fascinating to me and it has room for you to do your own thing and just explore, obviously with a set island adventure storyline about great adventures and Captain Nemo.”
“There really isn't much in the way of story - it's mainly the main character moving across the island and encountering things from the aforementioned novel.”
“The story is a bit of a letdown, especially the ending.”
“Trying to tie her fate together with the Jules Verne story also makes for a very bland and forgettable storyline.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful artwork, immersive 360-degree views, and overall aesthetic quality, particularly for its time. However, some players find the visuals dated and reminiscent of older educational games, noting that while they hold up reasonably well, certain elements like the interface feel outdated. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's charm and storytelling, despite some criticisms.
“Lovely point-and-click adventure game with a good storyline, beautiful artwork, and good voice acting.”
“This game has a good aesthetic, and the 360-degree view allows you to fully explore it in detail.”
“With its captivating storyline, immersive gameplay, and stunning visuals and soundtrack, it's a standout title that's sure to leave a lasting impression.”
“Graphics are awful.”
“Graphics are out-dated and it sort of reminds me of those magic school bus educational games from 20 years ago.”
“Some of the reviews call the graphics and interface 'dated', which technically they are.”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of classic adventure mechanics and innovative crafting systems that encourage logical problem-solving. While the user interface poses challenges, the game offers a rich experience with multiple paths and satisfying inventory puzzles, reminiscent of titles like Zork and Myst. Overall, it provides an engaging and immersive adventure, despite some dated graphics and minor criticisms regarding hidden object elements.
“An adventure game with somewhat novel and interesting gameplay ideas, and a relatively simple story that nonetheless references classic literature in cool ways.”
“On the inventory side of things, there's a sort of crafting system that extends beyond the traditional adventure game 'combine objects' gameplay, in that there are formulas that call for a certain type of object, rather than a specific object itself (use porcupine quills or acacia thorns to craft something).”
“One of the game's most impressive features is its immersive gameplay.”
“Gameplay is fine, but the UI (user interface) is impossible to play with; therefore, you cannot progress.”
“Gameplay-wise, there's nothing to say about it; it is just a simple, good point-and-click game.”
“Really like it, but it could use some improvement on gameplay.”
- music10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as sparse yet effective, enhancing the atmospheric experience of survival and exploration. While some players note a lack of a robust soundtrack and limited voice lines, others appreciate the haunting melodies that complement the game's themes and visuals. Overall, the sound design is considered decent, with a few standout moments that contribute positively to the gameplay experience.
“The environment is beautiful, and the music and story are nice.”
“The haunting and atmospheric music perfectly complements the game's themes of survival and exploration, and further immerses players in the island's mysterious world.”
“There is not much of a soundtrack and voice lines are scarce, but they are okay in English.”
“The music is sparse, but effective, and a joy to listen to.”
“Sound and music are decent.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers a moderate level of replayability, primarily due to its complex scoring system and multiple task completion methods, which encourage players to explore different strategies and improve their scores. However, some users feel that the late-game confusion and lack of clear replay incentives may limit the overall replay value. While there are opportunities to revisit and optimize previous runs, opinions on the game's replayability are mixed.
“Can get confusing in the late game due to the many different ways to complete singular tasks, but this adds to its replayability.”
“However, more complex solutions give you a higher score, which is meant to increase the replayability of the game.”
“The score system adds some replayability, which is really clever since the genre typically doesn't offer much in that regard.”
“I'm not sure it really provides replayability though.”
“I haven't played back through, so I can't comment on the replayability value.”
“The score system adds some replayability, which is really clever since the genre dictates there to be none.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Return to Mysterious Island" is richly immersive, enhanced by effective lighting, weather effects, and haunting music that evoke a sense of danger and mystery. The classic point-and-click adventure style, combined with multiple puzzle-solving approaches, contributes to a captivating exploration experience. Overall, players are drawn into a compelling world that balances fun and intrigue.
“Atmosphere and immersion are both present in copious quantities, but I'd prefer not to say much about what's going on story-wise.”
“Return to Mysterious Island is a very fun, albeit short, 3D point-and-click adventure title with a nice classic atmosphere and multiple ways to solve the puzzles.”
“The game's use of lighting and weather effects adds to the atmosphere, creating a sense of danger and mystery as players explore the island.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Many users find the grinding aspect of the game to be outdated and tedious, often describing the experience of searching for elusive items as a frustrating waste of time.
“Too dated and tedious for my liking.”
“Wandering around the level and looking for non-existent items is a pretty tedious waste of time for me.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches reported across different computers, rendering it unplayable for many users. Despite previous enjoyment, players find that the game's bugs have persisted or worsened over time.
“I tried playing this on several different computers, and the game is full of glitches that make it unplayable. I loved the game when I owned it several years ago, but it was buggy back then, and putting it on a new machine just makes it unplayable.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, as users report no performance issues while running it on a Windows 8.1 laptop.
“No performance issues were encountered - running on a Windows 8.1 laptop.”
“The game runs smoothly even on lower-end hardware, showcasing excellent optimization.”
“I was impressed by how well the game utilizes system resources, providing a seamless experience.”
