Seers Isle
- September 18, 2018
- Nova-box
- 15h median play time
Get on Steam"Seers Isle is a single-player, fantasy visual novel game with an intriguing story and spectacular visuals. As a group of shaman apprentices on a sacred island, your choices impact the fate of the characters and their relationships, with each playthrough offering a novel-sized adventure and slice of the hundreds of hand-drawn images."
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features stunning artwork and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the immersive experience.
- There are multiple endings and choices that can significantly impact the story, encouraging replayability.
- The characters are diverse and well-written, with interesting backstories that unfold throughout the game.
- Many choices feel meaningless, leading to a sense of frustration as the story often feels predetermined.
- The pacing of the story can be erratic, with some sections dragging on while others feel rushed, making it hard to stay engaged.
- The endings are often unsatisfying and can leave players feeling disappointed, as they tend to be more tragic than rewarding.
- story208 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its immersive and atmospheric qualities, as well as the beautiful art and music that enhance the narrative experience. However, many expressed disappointment in the execution, citing a lack of meaningful choices that impact the plot, leading to a feeling of predetermined outcomes and frustration with the character arcs. Overall, while the game offers intriguing elements and replay value, it struggles to fully engage players in its storytelling.
“The art is gorgeous (many scenes are illustrated in a beautifully hand-painted style), the story and characters are compelling, and there's plenty of replay value as well.”
“The story is captivating.”
“A beautifully drawn game & great adventure story with multiple playthrough options to see the fates of all the characters.”
“Unfortunately, I was so frustrated by the story and how the choices played out that by the ending, I was skipping through dialogue just to get to the ending.”
“The story leaves the player so mercilessly in the dark that any choice loses sense.”
“For most of the story, I had no clue who I am, what I should want, who those other characters are, what they want, and who is good or bad, on my side or against me.”
- music72 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its beauty and atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall immersive experience. Reviewers noted that the soundtrack is well-composed, fitting the narrative and setting perfectly, often evoking a sense of intrigue and emotion. While some found the music not to their personal taste, the general consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's artistic and storytelling elements.
“The music is calming and very fitting to the story, making the visual novel feel immersive. I loved the mix of intrigue, curiosity, and confusion I felt while trying to discover the truth, especially during the first run through.”
“The art and music are gorgeous and used to full effect to convey the atmosphere of each scene.”
“Seers Isle is a spectacular text adventure with beautiful illustrations, atmospheric music, and an original story.”
“Along the Edge had the same issue with when there was silence while one was playing the game and I expected to hear either music or sound effects somewhere since the game was mostly outside and usually there is always some noise happening outside.”
“It's not the kind of songs I’d put into my mp3 player afterwards and listen over and over again.”
“The soundtrack is already somewhat neutral, but it’s a matter of everyone’s taste.”
- graphics50 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Seers Isle" are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn artwork and unique art style, which significantly enhance the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Reviewers highlight the ethereal visuals and the impressive variety of scenes, noting that the artwork is a standout feature that keeps players engaged. Overall, the game's graphics are considered its greatest asset, contributing to a captivating and immersive experience.
“The artwork is beautiful, made even more impressive by the sheer volume of different scenes you get to experience as the story evolves; it's clear a lot of dedication has gone into it.”
“Ethereal graphics and a killer story.”
“Dear Nova-Box, your watercolor artwork is a masterpiece!”
“Along the edge I consider massively superior VN in everything to Seers Isle with the exception of graphics.”
“The only thing that kept me playing Seers Isle was the artwork and the promise of multiple endings.”
“I really liked the art style and music, characters were well written (Erik perhaps is a bit one note).”
- atmosphere20 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its beautiful artwork and atmospheric music, which effectively enhance the overall experience. While the visuals and sound contribute to a captivating setting, some players feel that the lack of depth in the story and character development detracts from their emotional investment. Overall, the game creates a striking and immersive ambiance, though it may leave some players wanting more in terms of narrative engagement.
“The setting is atmospheric and the story is intriguing.”
“Seers Isle is a spectacular text adventure with beautiful illustrations, atmospheric music, and an original story.”
“The art and music are gorgeous and used to full effect to convey the atmosphere of each scene.”
“Now, if what you are looking for is a game with a sad atmosphere that gives you no reward, then this is your game.”
“It helps to build atmosphere and it 'fits' the art style of Seers Isle.”
“Though all in all it is a pleasure to read with the music enhancing the atmosphere of the scenes.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game offers exceptional replayability, with players noting the vast number of endings and diverse storylines influenced by choices. Its compelling characters, beautiful hand-painted art, and engaging narrative encourage multiple playthroughs, making it a standout in the visual novel genre. Many users report playing through the game several times without exhausting its content.
“The art is gorgeous (many scenes are illustrated in a beautifully hand-painted style), the story and characters are compelling, and there's plenty of replay value as well.”
“Based on choice-consequence, it has a good replayability as different storylines can be experienced.”
“And such amazing replay value that I just sat down, played the whole thing through four times in a row, and still haven't even encountered everything.”
“Good bite-sized gaming and has quite a few endings, so relatively replayable from a visual novel standpoint.”
“A cool story in a Celtic setting with a lot of replay value.”
“And for a visual novel, the replayability is vast.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily centered around a choice mechanic that influences the narrative, with players encouraged to focus on the story during their first playthrough. While the mechanics may seem simple, they offer depth and complexity, revealing more about character arcs and outcomes upon subsequent playthroughs. Overall, the gameplay is less about traditional mechanics and more about engaging with a richly written story through dialogue choices.
“The game uses a choice mechanic in which you build up certain 'stats'; this is mainly used to select the route the later chapters will take.”
“While the gameplay might be considered simple, I feel the game has a great deal of depth, and the stories of the characters are extremely well written.”
“No real gameplay, besides dialog choices... but a bit more complex than this: once you complete your first playthrough, it'll become much clearer that one playthrough isn't enough to understand the game.”
“I'd recommend on the first play to ignore the mechanical elements and just let the plot evolve through choices.”
“If you find the story compelling enough to search for other outcomes and character arcs, that will be the time to better understand the mechanical side of navigating the plot paths.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as the branching paths lack the impact they had in the previous installment, making exploration feel less rewarding and more laborious. This has led to frustration among users who desire to experience different possibilities but feel hindered by the game's structure.
“Only this time the branches don't seem to be as impactful as they were in their previous game, so it's even more tedious to wade through the game again to try and explore.”
“I want to see the different possibilities, but the way this game is set up makes it so tedious to really explore.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional investment in the game, with some feeling compelled to replay it. However, there are also significant frustrations, with feelings of helplessness and being cheated, which detracts from the overall emotional experience for certain users.
“It really made me feel invested and drove me to replay it.”
