Return to Shironagasu Island
- March 2, 2020
- HYOGO ONIMUSHI
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Return to Shironagasu Island" is a mystery adventure game and visual novel where players step into the shoes of detective Sen Ikeda, who receives a mysterious invitation to an isolated island from a millionaire. Together with his assistant Neneko Izumozaki, they explore the island, solve numerous murders and mysteries, and uncover the sinister secrets and hidden truth of Shironagasu Island. The game features captivating characters and a thrilling story, with a focus on survival as players try to escape the ominous island.
Reviews
- The story is engaging and keeps players hooked from start to finish, with well-timed music enhancing the immersive experience.
- The characters are interesting and have significant depth, with their decisions impacting the narrative weightfully.
- The game features a unique blend of horror and mystery elements, with effective timed decision events that add tension.
- There are logical inconsistencies in the plot, and some character interactions feel lacking, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs that disrupt gameplay and require frequent saving and reloading.
- The inclusion of suggestive content involving minors is uncomfortable and detracts from the game's serious themes.
- story289 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a mix of engaging mystery and horror elements, featuring a straightforward yet intriguing plot with various twists and character interactions that keep players invested. While some reviews highlight logical inconsistencies and pacing issues, many appreciate the charming characters and the immersive experience enhanced by music and sound design. However, certain themes and character portrayals have drawn criticism, particularly regarding their appropriateness and depth, leading to a mixed reception overall.
“The story is straightforward yet compelling, and the well-timed music enhances the immersive experience.”
“The story is great; it had me intrigued right from the beginning.”
“Superb voice acting, great story, really good character development and depth plus most of the characters are very interesting, good dialogue, and it has a very well-written plot for a mystery-detective visual novel.”
“The game, or at least the English version, is horribly plagued by bugs which change the core gameplay from 'figure out the correct choices based on the story' to 'save and reload a million times during every single conversation until you figure out the exact order of irrelevant dialogue options that won't crash the game.'”
“Maybe I should have expected it, but the fact that this game attempts to tackle a topic as heavy as child trafficking while also contriving one sexual moment after the other between its middle-aged protagonist and every underage girl in the story felt so gross and insulting to me that I couldn't keep going after a certain point.”
“The weakest point of the game is the story that it is trying to tell.”
- music47 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional depth, effectively complementing the narrative and character dynamics. Reviewers note that the soundtrack is diverse, ranging from calming to spine-chilling, and is well-timed to elevate suspense and immersion. Overall, the quality of the music contributes significantly to the game's charm and impact, making it a standout feature.
“The music can be very poignant and intense when needed and is overall pretty great.”
“This game has a very good soundtrack which fits the atmosphere entirely.”
“The great: awesome soundtrack - easily setting mood of scene to feel dreadful, urgent or sensual when necessary.”
“The music varies between suitable and odd.”
“Very hard to play due to the music; it's really scary.”
“I think jump scares are a poor way to frighten the player, especially here since this visual novel already does a great job making you feel unsettled with its soundtrack and backgrounds.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the visual novel is a mixed bag, featuring a combination of dialogue choices, point-and-click mechanics, and puzzles that can be frustrating due to bugs and unintuitive design. While some players appreciate the engaging story and character interactions, many criticize the repetitive exploration and inconsistent pacing, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game offers a unique blend of mystery elements that may appeal to fans of the genre, provided they can overlook the technical issues.
“The gameplay consists of investigating scenes (like point and click games) for clues and asking questions through clicking on dialog options.”
“The gameplay is very engaging without being super stressful, as this is more of a visual novel than a horror game.”
“Limited time events gave a great feeling of urgency and broke the monotony of normal gameplay - loved the moment of finding a solution for a certain situation in the radio room.”
“The game, or at least the English version, is horribly plagued by bugs which change the core gameplay from 'figure out the correct choices based on the story' to 'save and reload a million times during every single conversation until you figure out the exact order of irrelevant dialogue options that won't crash the game.'”
“This is exacerbated by the fact that the gameplay outside of the novel itself is really tedious and nonsensical.”
“The gameplay itself is not very good; you either make a decision in dialogue (which works fine) or click around an environment to make observations in a rather unintuitive and repetitive way.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the well-drawn characters and distinct art style, while others find the visuals to be simplistic or goofy at times. The character sprites are often described as cartoony, which contrasts with the higher quality artwork seen in promotional materials. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered decent and enjoyable, they may not meet the expectations set by the game's artwork.
“The storyline is very interesting and the artwork is well done.”
“The cast of characters are incredible, the storytelling is magnificent and the visuals are quite nice.”
“I’m rather fond of the simple but visually distinct artwork, which definitely stands out among many of the generic looking visual novels in my collection.”
“But the graphics aren't all that amazing.”
“The simple art style wasn't exactly bad, it just didn't have the impact it could have had if it was as good as the cards.”
“Not a huge fan of the art style either, just a personal preference.”
- humor17 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a blend of clever dialogue, funny character interactions, and situational comedy that effectively balances the emotional and suspenseful elements of the story. While some moments may feel immature or hit-or-miss, many players found themselves laughing out loud and appreciating the comedic timing throughout the narrative. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's engaging and roller-coaster-like experience.
“Also has some really funny moments, tons of emotional moments, some scary moments, etc. Basically, it will take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions.”
“The characters are so amazing and the sentimentality, action, humor, all of it was so well done.”
“Went into this completely blind and just about died laughing on numerous occasions.”
- atmosphere15 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its strong writing, effective sound design, and a compelling soundtrack that enhances the mood, particularly during suspenseful moments. While the initial sections establish a captivating tone, some reviewers note that the latter half becomes overly extravagant, challenging the player's suspension of disbelief. Overall, the game successfully creates a creepy and immersive environment that keeps players engaged and on edge.
“The game is incredibly atmospheric with an interesting cast of characters and great writing.”
“There were many things that Shironagasu Island nailed: it was atmospheric; it knew how to create suspense and keep you on the edge of your seat; it had buildup and it had proper payoff.”
“The atmosphere is great; I was creeped out a few times and jumped in my seat twice!”
“I expect visual novels to be a bit over the top, especially one that was apparently inspired by ryukishi07's work, but in the later half this one strapped on a jetpack with afterburners and ascended far enough into the atmosphere to suffer severe oxygen deprivation before exploding in a shockingly grisly display.”
“I didn’t hear anything memorable from the OST, but I do think the tracks did help in enhancing the mood of scenes and helped build atmosphere in particular scary moments.”
“There's also very solid atmosphere with the music, sound effects, and occasional jumpscares.”
- emotional13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers a roller-coaster of emotions, blending horror, humor, and heartfelt moments, with a surprisingly beautiful and touching story that captivates players. However, inconsistent pacing and a lack of genuine character reactions to dark themes diminish the emotional impact for some, leaving a mixed reception regarding its deeper messages. Overall, while it has its emotional highs, the execution can feel uneven, affecting the overall resonance of its themes.
“Also has some really funny moments, tons of emotional moments, some scary moments, etc. Basically, it will take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions.”
“This game is great; the ending got me kind of emotional.”
“Without revealing too much, I will say that the story is surprisingly beautiful and heartwarming, while also having twists that I never saw coming. It's easy to fall in love with the game and its characters.”
- character development8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the character development in the game is praised for its depth and engaging storytelling, with well-written dialogue and interesting characters. However, some players feel that certain characters, particularly after pivotal events, fail to evolve meaningfully, undermining the potential for growth. The character designs are noted for their aesthetic appeal, though they also draw criticism for being overly focused on a specific body type.
“Superb voice acting, great story, really good character development and depth plus most of the characters are very interesting, good dialogue, and it has a very well written plot for a mystery-detective visual novel.”
“Quite good character development and background.”
“Great character design and story.”
“After [spoiler] Giselle died [/spoiler] and told her to be nicer, yet she still acted like a jerk to everyone, which threw any hope of character development out the window.”
“While the game does touch on a number of very dark topics including [spoiler] child prostitution [/spoiler] and the character designs are fetishized to a point, there's actually no NSFW content whatsoever.”
“The character design was okay.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be particularly tedious and frustrating, with repetitive interactions and trial-and-error mechanics that detract from the overall experience. The necessity to engage with numerous objects before progressing leads to a sense of wasted time, overshadowing the enjoyment of the narrative and decision-making elements.
“I've played mystery visual novels before where I had to click around, but in this one it felt especially tedious.”
“The timed events are tedious, the fanservice is particularly cringeworthy, and every time you think the plot couldn't possibly get any more ridiculous, it one-ups itself.”
“However, the game won't allow you to proceed until you've interacted with all the other objects first, which makes these segments just a tedious waste of trial and error.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability due to its linear structure, with only a few avoidable bad endings; however, players find the engaging writing, characters, and overall experience justify the cost.
“Unfortunately, there isn't really any replay value since it's pretty linear outside of a few avoidable bad endings. However, the experience, witty writing, characters, and length are worth the price tag.”
“The game lacks significant replayability due to its linear structure, making multiple playthroughs feel redundant.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back, as the choices don't lead to vastly different outcomes.”
