Return to Shironagasu Island

91%
Game Brain Score Based on 351 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Return to Shironagasu Island Game Cover
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"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.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

91%
Audience ScoreBased on 351 reviews
story129 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • Engaging and well-paced story with intriguing twists and turns.
  • Strong character development, particularly for the main duo, Ikeda and Neneko.
  • Atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • Repetitive point-and-click mechanics that can be tedious and frustrating.
  • Some dialogue and character interactions feel stiff and lack depth.
  • The ending feels rushed and introduces convoluted plot elements that detract from the overall narrative.
  • story363 mentions

    The story of the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it engaging and filled with intriguing twists, while others criticize its pacing and logical inconsistencies. Some appreciate the blend of mystery, horror, and humor, noting that the characters and plot keep them hooked, though the execution can feel rushed or convoluted at times. The extra story content is often seen as a fun addition, but opinions vary on its quality and relevance to the main narrative.

    • “The story is straightforward yet compelling, and the well-timed music enhances the immersive experience.”
    • “The story is amazing and not too long where you start to lose interest.”
    • “The characters are well written, the story is gripping and immersive... this is one of those visual novels that really goes out of its way to give you a good story, almost like a campfire ghost story.”
    • “The ending of the main story is not interesting.”
    • “Main complaint I have is a few logical inconsistencies in plot and lack of character interactions.”
    • “The weakest point of the game is the story that it is trying to tell.”
  • music58 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and immerse players in the story, with many noting its fitting and varied soundtrack that complements the game's themes of mystery and horror. While some tracks may feel repetitive or less memorable, the overall quality and emotional impact of the music are highlighted as significant strengths, contributing to a compelling and engaging experience. The soundtrack's ability to shift from calm to intense moments is particularly appreciated, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The story is straightforward yet compelling, and the well-timed music enhances the immersive experience.”
    • “This game has a very good soundtrack which fits the atmosphere entirely.”
    • “The great soundtrack easily sets the mood of the scene to feel dreadful, urgent, or sensual when necessary.”
    • “The music varies between suitable and odd.”
    • “It does suffer the problem of some tracks getting a bit repetitive in some places, and the ending music is pretty unfitting, but it doesn't completely tarnish the experience.”
    • “Very hard to play due to the music; it's really scary.”
  • gameplay44 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding the point-and-click mechanics tedious and frustrating, often hampered by bugs and a janky interface. While the story and character interactions can be engaging, the gameplay is criticized for its inconsistency, lack of depth, and repetitive nature, making it feel more like a chore than an immersive experience. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the detective elements and the urgency of time-sensitive challenges, suggesting that the game may still appeal to those who enjoy visual novels with light adventure mechanics.

    • “Its gameplay and puzzles can be hit or miss for some but definitely worth checking out.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.'”
    • “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
    • “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.”
  • graphics31 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the art style and character designs as visually appealing, while others find them simplistic or inconsistent. Some users appreciate the unique and well-drawn characters, though a few note that certain visuals can appear goofy or lack impact compared to promotional artwork. Overall, the visuals are generally considered decent, especially given the game's low price, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The storyline is very interesting and the artwork is well done.”
    • “Considering the low price and mentioning the great artwork, you can't go wrong trying out this game.”
    • “The cast of characters are incredible, the storytelling is magnificent and the visuals are quite nice.”
    • “But the graphics aren't all that amazing.”
    • “There's no options to change the resolution for the e-book or customize the graphics settings.”
    • “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.”
  • humor23 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its effectiveness, with many players highlighting its ability to evoke genuine laughter through witty dialogue and amusing character interactions. While the humor often balances out darker themes and emotional moments, some found it to be a bit immature or inconsistent at times. Overall, the blend of humor with suspense and horror contributes to a captivating and engaging experience.

    • “After reaching the true ending, make sure to play its extra chapter - so funny I laughed my head off - thumbs up!!”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere20 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its strong sound design, effective use of music, and ability to create suspense and immersion. While the initial sections establish a compelling tone, some reviewers note that the latter parts become overly extravagant, challenging the player's suspension of disbelief. Overall, the game is described as atmospheric, with a blend of creepy moments, engaging character writing, and a well-crafted ambiance that enhances the storytelling experience.

    • “I admit, the majority of the game is pretty atmospheric, thanks to the sound design.”
    • “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 knew how to keep the pace up; 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.”
    • “Edit2: Okay... I think I need more, it's not just reading, the atmosphere, the feeling, I need more.”
  • emotional15 mentions

    The game offers a roller-coaster of emotions, blending horror, humor, and heartfelt moments, with some players finding the story beautiful and touching despite its pacing issues. While it tackles dark themes, the emotional impact is often undermined by inconsistent character reactions, leading to mixed feelings about its depth. Overall, it succeeds in delivering emotional highs and lows, though some players felt that the potential for deeper connections was not fully realized.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “You are solving a spooky mystery that progresses into horror and finishes with a very touching ending.”
  • character development9 mentions

    Overall, the game features strong character development and depth, with engaging dialogue and a well-crafted plot that enhances the mystery-detective experience. However, some players felt that certain characters, particularly after pivotal events, failed to evolve meaningfully, undermining the potential for growth. The character designs are praised for their quality, though some critiques highlight a tendency towards fetishization, particularly of very slender characters.

    • “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.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with repetitive point-and-click mechanics that hinder enjoyment. The requirement to interact with every object before progressing leads to frustrating trial-and-error gameplay, detracting from the overall experience and making it feel unnecessarily drawn out.

    • “I couldn’t even last half an hour with this tedious point-and-click nonsense.”
    • “I've played mystery visual novels before where I had to click around, but in this one it felt especially tedious.”
    • “Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best... imagine the best novel you ever read, but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game offers limited replayability due to its linear structure, with only a few avoidable bad endings; however, the engaging writing, memorable characters, and overall experience make it a worthwhile purchase.

    • “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.”
    • “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back. The story doesn't change much, and the linearity makes it feel like a one-time experience.”
    • “The lack of meaningful choices means that replaying the game feels redundant. After the first playthrough, there's not much left to discover.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    Users note that while the read-only mode could enhance performance, the point-and-click mechanics, essential for the game's narrative, can be frustrating and detract from the overall experience.

    • “The performance is lacking; a read-only mode could be interesting, but the point-and-click mechanics are frustrating and detract from the overall experience.”
    • “The optimization is poor, leading to frequent lag and unresponsive controls that hinder gameplay.”
    • “The game struggles with performance issues, making it difficult to fully enjoy the story and mechanics.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

7hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
4-8hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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