Rising Islands

56%
Game Brain Score Based on 61 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Rising Islands Game Cover
Starting at $3.17Buy now
Get on Steam

In "Rising Islands" , play as Hairo, who can shift between dimensions, to save the world from evil. Traverse 13 levels across various landscapes, discover secrets, and engage in fast-paced boss battles. Use your unique ability to run on walls, dash over chasms, and fly through the air to restore peace and balance.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

56%
Audience ScoreBased on 61 reviews
gameplay14 positive mentions
story5 negative mentions
  • The game features fun and engaging platforming mechanics, particularly with the dimension-switching ability.
  • The audio and visuals, while not perfect, provide a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic PS2 games.
  • The game is enjoyable for speedrunning and offers a satisfying experience despite its short length.
  • The controls and camera are often clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that detract from the overall enjoyment.
  • With only 13 levels and a lack of depth in the story, many players feel the game is not worth its full price.
  • gameplay35 mentions

    The gameplay of "Rising Islands" is characterized by its focus on fast-paced 3D platforming and dimension-switching mechanics, which offer a solid challenge and enjoyable mechanics for speedrunning. However, the experience is marred by technical issues, bugs, and a lack of polish, leading to frustration despite the game's fun premise and engaging puzzles. Overall, while the gameplay has potential and is enjoyable in parts, it suffers from execution flaws that detract from the overall experience.

    • “Rising Islands is a 3D platformer focused on fast gameplay optimized for speedrunning.”
    • “Simple parkour mechanics are quick to learn but also continue to offer a challenge at a steady pace.”
    • “Great platforming gameplay with challenging puzzles.”
    • “Really nice baseline idea of gameplay, absolutely poor execution.”
    • “If you look at the trailers for the game closely, there is very limited actual gameplay shown; I think this is because the lack of polish would begin to show relatively quickly.”
    • “Sadly, those mechanics are executed at a subpar level with too many bugs.”
  • graphics32 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users describing them as mediocre or dated, often comparing them unfavorably to older titles. While some appreciate the art style and certain visual elements, others criticize the overall quality, including janky animations and numerous graphical glitches. Additionally, performance issues have been noted, with high GPU usage and limited graphical options detracting from the experience.

    • “I loved the artworks and the environment of the game; it was interesting and all that.”
    • “If you like fast-paced games, nice visuals (warning: nice PC required for best visuals) and a fun puzzle platformer, this is worth a buy.”
    • “Rising Islands' premise is great with an interesting art style and set of mechanics.”
    • “The movement is rather janky, the graphics are meh, and the animations are very mediocre.”
    • “The environments are boring, the graphics are simply bad overall.”
    • “Some graphics look rather dated, and there are lots of geometry intersection issues.”
  • story21 mentions

    The story in the game is widely criticized as shallow, nonsensical, and poorly executed, with many reviewers noting it feels like an afterthought in a platformer primarily focused on gameplay. While some acknowledge a basic narrative framework involving rescuing crystals from an antagonist, the overall presentation is deemed lackluster, with minimal investment in character development or plot depth. Ultimately, players agree that the game is best enjoyed for its mechanics rather than its story.

    • “I have seen many reviews criticize the story, and I have to say that is probably the dumbest criticism ever levied against a game like this.”
    • “There isn't a big story, but there is kind of a story which tells you the reason why you're doing all this.”
    • “As for the story elements, they aren't too bad; there are definitely spelling errors here and there, but you get the point the game is making. It's obvious the developers' native language isn't English, and to be fair, it's not a bad thing. The game elements themselves stand out enough to warrant this game a look.”
    • “Short platformer with minimal variety and annoyingly sloppy controls, poor camera positioning, and an awful story.”
    • “Story: 1/5 - boring and uninteresting.”
    • “The story isn't great either; all you have to do is rescue crystals and relics from some evil guy, and the ending is a complete cop-out.”
  • music13 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its nice oriental theme and enjoyable quality, but criticism arises due to the repetitive nature of the soundtrack, which can become grating after a short time. While some players appreciate the music's aesthetic appeal, others find the lack of variety and absence of music during cutscenes detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as standard, with a score averaging around 3 to 9 out of 10 depending on individual preferences.

    • “But given the way it is, it has nice optics, enjoyable music, and a character that resembles Katara from ATLA (yes, that's what sold me, fight me) to recommend it.”
    • “The music is nice.”
    • “Music is great, with a nice oriental theme, but there seems to only be one track through most of the game (and title screen), so it wears thin after a while.”
    • “Some other reasons the game isn't good is that the character's movement feels sluggish, the second to last level has a dead end unless you get lucky with the platforms, and the music starts piercing your brain after the first loop.”
    • “The cutscenes are really boring because there is no music and also no voice acting.”
    • “It's hard to recommend this game as any Prince of Persia costs a similar amount and is made with more polish, such as character models or music - the same music track repeats often in this game.”
  • stability11 mentions

    The game's stability is frequently criticized due to numerous bugs, glitches, and unreliable controls, which significantly impact the overall experience. Players report issues such as a buggy camera, precision challenges, and graphical problems, leading to frustration despite some enjoyment of the gameplay. While some users found the game enjoyable, the pervasive technical issues detract from its potential.

    • “To make it short: I'd like to play this game, but the amount of precision needed to simply complete the levels is too high while the camera and movement controls are too buggy.”
    • “A nice effort just isn't enough to offset unreliable controls, wonky camera, glitches like falling through cracks, a finishing time with all achievements in under two hours, and really bad grammar.”
    • “And while I like the art style and graphical feel of the game, a severe lack of graphical options and settings does pull it down a bit, though not as much as the tons of graphical glitches, bugs, and collision detection issues.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is criticized for being poor, with reports of freezing and potential hardware damage. However, some users note that it performs adequately on newer gaming machines, with only minor issues on older systems, particularly in the context of a fast-paced platformer.

    • “Rising Islands is a 3D platformer focused on fast gameplay optimized for speedrunning.”
    • “Tl;dr: The game is unoptimized, can freeze your computer, and potentially damage your hardware.”
    • “I can run Black Desert Online with everything maxed in remastered mode at 60 fps, and that one's known for being unoptimized.”
    • “I encountered a few minor performance issues on some levels on an old gaming laptop, but any new gaming machine should cope very well.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game offers moderate replayability, primarily through time trials and speedrunning challenges, which encourage players to improve their personal bests. While the story mode lacks significant replay value, the inclusion of Steam achievements and hidden collectibles adds some incentive for players to revisit the game. Overall, it rates a 3/5 for replay value.

    • “The game includes Steam achievements that you'll gain by carefully completing the game (with one requiring the collection of every hidden crystal), and also includes a time trial mode to increase replayability.”
    • “Not much replay value in story mode, but the time trials are great for a few attempts at beating your personal best.”
    • “Replay value: 3/5 - speedrunning challenges.”
    • “The game includes Steam achievements that you'll gain by carefully completing the game, with one requiring the collection of every hidden crystal. It also includes a time trial mode to increase replayability.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    While the animations for the main character, such as her flips and hand-touching during wall runs, are praised for their fluidity, some players feel that the overall emotional engagement in "Rising Islands" is lacking, especially when compared to titles like "Prince of Persia" (2008). This contrast highlights a sense of superficiality that detracts from the player's emotional investment in the game.

    • “The animations for the main character are captivating, especially the flips and the hand-touching as she runs across walls.”
    • “Unlike other games, Rising Islands truly engages the player on an emotional level, creating a deep connection with the story and characters.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The game is noted for its brief yet effective humor, with players finding amusement even in frustrating moments, such as failing challenges. This blend of lightheartedness and relatability contributes to an enjoyable experience.

    • “I think it's a short, but funny game.”
    • “The funny thing about failing a challenge is that, while it can be frustrating as hell, it doesn’t have to be.”
  • character development1 mentions

    The character development is enhanced by an Oriental-influenced soundtrack and design, which adds depth and cultural richness to the characters, making them more engaging and memorable.

  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is positively received, with users expressing enjoyment and appreciation for its immersive qualities.

    • “I loved the atmosphere of the game; it really drew me in!”
    • “The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive and captivating.”
    • “The hauntingly beautiful atmosphere kept me on the edge of my seat.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

48% average critic score

Buy Rising Islands

Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games