Scéal
- October 26, 2016
- Joint Custody
Get on Steam"Scéal" is a single-player Fantasy Adventure game that excels in its emotional storytelling and beautiful art. With an interesting plot, haunting music, and a watercolor-style world, it leaves a lasting impact on players. Critics praise its simplistic gameplay, tragic story, and striking design, making it a gem that should not be missed.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a distinctive art style that resembles a watercolor masterpiece.
- The soundtrack is enchanting, featuring high-quality Irish folk music sung in Gaeilge, which enhances the overall experience.
- The story, while simple, is touching and offers multiple endings, providing a small amount of replayability.
- The gameplay is minimal, with some players feeling it lacks depth and is more of a visual novel than a traditional game.
- The game is quite short, leaving players wanting more content and a deeper exploration of the story.
- There are technical issues, such as glitches that can disrupt the experience, and some players found the story lacking in substance compared to other folklore-based games.
- story30 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story of "Scéal" is a simple yet touching narrative centered around a young girl named Iona on a quest to recover her memories, enhanced by beautiful watercolor artwork and enchanting Irish music. While some players appreciate its storybook aesthetic and emotional tone, many feel the narrative is too brief and lacks depth, making it more of an interactive experience than a fully fleshed-out story. Overall, it appeals primarily to those interested in Irish folklore, though some believe there are better representations available.
“The sad tone of the story combined with the Irish music reminded me of the film 'Song of the Sea.'”
“Sceal (Gaelic for 'story') is a wonderful, innocent game about Iona, a little girl, who goes on a quest to recover her last memories.”
“I love the point-and-click 2D handmade style, and the story was unique and touching!”
“There is almost no gameplay, which would be fine for a story game... but there's barely a story.”
“This would be completely fine if the story really pulled you in but it doesn't manage to do this.”
“Would have loved to see more chapters or a saga of the storyline continue.”
- music24 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful and haunting Irish folk soundtrack, which enhances the storytelling and evokes a strong emotional response. Many reviewers highlight the quality of the music, noting its distinctiveness and how it complements the game's visuals, although some mention that it can become repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, particularly for fans of Irish folk music.
“I would give this 5/5 alone for being playable in Gaeilge and for the beautiful music, also all sung in Gaeilge.”
“The real pleasures here are in the evocative visuals and especially in the beautiful Celtic music.”
“There’s an outstanding soundtrack featuring Irish folk singers such as Aislinn Duffy and Florence Glen.”
“The soundtrack, while good, got repetitive very quickly.”
“I do not recommend Scéal to anyone except those who are keen on Irish folk music.”
“The sad tone of the story combined with the Irish music reminded me of the film Song of the Sea.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are highly praised for their original storybook art style, featuring beautiful watercolor visuals that evoke a captivating atmosphere. The combination of enchanting artwork and complementary Celtic music enhances the overall aesthetic experience, making it a standout aspect of the game.
“The art style is great and original, and I like how the text is written in the format of manuscript pages.”
“Incredibly beautiful music and enchanting storybook artwork.”
“The visuals were very pretty, I can say that at least.”
“Designed to resemble a storybook, Scéal’s pages are filled with pretty watercolor artwork.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily centered around simple mechanics that support the narrative, such as painting and guiding a spirit on her quest for identity. However, many users feel that the gameplay is minimal and lacks depth, which detracts from the overall experience, especially given the limited story development. Overall, the game prioritizes storytelling over engaging gameplay elements.
“In scéal, there’s a simple and symbolic mechanic: wherever a heart goes, the soul must follow.”
“Main gameplay involves painting to progress the story.”
“There is almost no gameplay, which would be fine for a story game... but there's barely a story.”
“As you can see, the game is focused on its story rather than gameplay.”
“The mechanics are quite simple: you guide a little spirit on her quest to find out who she is and what became of her.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be a significant highlight, describing it as a heartfelt experience that evokes a range of feelings, from chaos to warmth. The unique storytelling and charming handmade visuals contribute to a deeply touching narrative that resonates with players.
“I'm basically an emotional rollercoaster, but in game form.”
“The crew starts singing together, creating a chaotic yet heartwarming chorus. The game continues, and Iron Cub keeps imitating Torgue, causing explosive noises in the virtual world.”
“I love the point-and-click 2D handmade style, and the story was unique and touching!”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by playful banter and cheeky interactions between characters, with players finding the dialogue amusing and entertaining. The inclusion of characters like Torgue adds a layer of comedic approval, enhancing the overall lighthearted tone.
“Zane: (laughing) you're a cheeky one, Deathtrap!”
“Torgue: (laughing) this game's got Torgue's seal of approval!”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users have reported occasional glitches that disrupt gameplay, requiring them to exit and restart the game to resolve issues with unresponsive actions.
“I encountered a few glitches where clicking on the next action just didn't work, and I had to exit the game and go back in for it to work again.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
“I experienced constant lag and freezing, which severely impacted my enjoyment of the game.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability with three distinct endings, encouraging players to revisit it, though many may prefer to take a break before doing so.
“The three separate endings provide a decent level of replayability, making it worth revisiting after some time.”
“With multiple choices affecting the storyline, I found myself eager to replay the game to explore different outcomes.”
“The variety of character builds and strategies encourages multiple playthroughs, keeping the experience fresh and engaging.”
“Three separate endings give it a small amount of replayability, but I'll probably wait at least a few months before playing again.”
“Once you've experienced the main story, there's little incentive to dive back in.”
“The lack of meaningful choices means that replaying the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
