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Sinking Island

Sinking Island Game Cover
69%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, emotional
69% User Score Based on 133 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Sinking Island Game Cover

About

Sinking Island is a single player arcade puzzle game with a mystery theme. It was developed by White Birds Productions and was released on December 5, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Sinking Island" is a detective adventure game where players must solve the mystery of a wealthy man's death on a sinking island. As the island's water level rises, players must race against time to gather clues, interview suspects, and uncover the truth behind the murder. With a unique setting and challenging puzzles, "Sinking Island" offers a compelling and immersive gaming experience.

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Sinking Island screenshot
Sinking Island screenshot
Sinking Island screenshot
Sinking Island screenshot
Sinking Island screenshot
Sinking Island screenshot
Sinking Island screenshot
Sinking Island screenshot
Sinking Island screenshot
Sinking Island screenshot
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69%
Audience ScoreBased on 133 reviews
story51 positive mentions
grinding19 negative mentions
  • The game features a captivating atmosphere with beautiful art deco visuals and a haunting soundtrack that immerses players in the setting.
  • The detective mechanics are engaging, allowing players to gather clues and piece together evidence in a unique way, enhancing the mystery-solving experience.
  • The story is intriguing with well-developed characters, keeping players guessing until the end.
  • The gameplay is often tedious due to slow character movement, excessive backtracking, and long, repetitive dialogues that cannot be skipped.
  • There are significant issues with pixel hunting, as key items are often hidden in hard-to-find locations, making progress frustrating without a guide.
  • Technical problems, such as the lack of lip-syncing during dialogues and occasional bugs, detract from the overall experience.
  • story
    94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Sinking Island" is generally regarded as intriguing and well-constructed, featuring a captivating murder mystery set against a beautifully rendered backdrop. While many players appreciate the engaging plot twists and character depth, some criticize the pacing and excessive dialogue that can detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game is praised for its atmospheric storytelling and the challenge of piecing together clues, appealing particularly to fans of classic detective narratives.

    • “The story is interesting and keeps you guessing until the very end.”
    • “Sinking Island has a lot going for it: a very good story with a tight, sensible plotline that unfolds naturally, and realistic, intriguing characters.”
    • “The story itself is quite interesting; it captured my attention and didn't let go until the very end.”
    • “The dialogues are excessively long, and most of what’s said doesn’t really advance the story.”
    • “Boring story with unlikeable characters.”
    • “The story is boring and the gameplay is tedious.”
  • graphics
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive a generally positive reception, with many reviewers praising the impressive artwork and atmospheric design, particularly the decaying art deco aesthetic. While some note that the visuals are a mixed bag, especially in terms of 3D elements, they are considered good for the game's release period (2007) and effectively contribute to the overall mood. However, there are criticisms regarding the lack of character mouth movement during dialogue and some tedious navigation through empty spaces.

    • “The graphics are amazing.”
    • “Impressive artwork.”
    • “This game is a true piece of art, with a wonderful storyline and absolutely amazing artwork, something I really like about Benoit Sokal's games.”
    • “However, as is often the case in Sokal's graphical adventures, these environments can become tedious to navigate, with long empty spaces that players are forced to traverse repeatedly.”
    • “It would be a mixed rating, but Steam only allows positive or negative reviews... positive about this game is the case you try to solve, the location, the amount of interactions with objects you have (not too many), the gameplay itself (solving mandates, comparing evidence), the graphics and the music and voice actors (although the mouths of the characters were not moving when speaking).”
    • “The graphics are also a mixed bag, but by now I've considered the formula of '2D graphics good, 3D graphics bad' to be all but standard in the sub-genre that is old point-and-click adventures.”
  • gameplay
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of classic point-and-click mechanics and unique features, such as investigative tools in *Sinking Island*, which offer a fresh experience despite some outdated and tedious elements. While some players appreciate the atmospheric level design and detective mechanics, others criticize the lack of engaging gameplay, poor mechanics, and frustrating bugs that hinder progress. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a blend of intriguing concepts and execution flaws, appealing primarily to fans of the genre.

    • “While the story may follow some familiar tropes, Sinking Island manages to execute it masterfully throughout the gameplay, keeping players engaged and intrigued.”
    • “Sinking Island gets the mechanics of a detective story right, offering you a fairly robust set of investigative tools which allow you to piece together clues and keep track of suspects with a great deal of freedom.”
    • “The mechanic of collecting and identifying the right clues to fill in specific story points in succession is also cool, although sometimes figuring out what clues the game wants is obscure.”
    • “The level design is annoying and it is obvious it was made this way to prolong gameplay in an artificial way, which makes things boring (i.e. getting from one place to another).”
    • “The lack of the hotspot mechanic hurts the game as I often missed vital clues, and the traveling distance on the island is a huge pain.”
    • “This game is actually well made, but the gameplay is deeply outdated and tedious.”
  • atmosphere
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its immersive and visually appealing environments, with many reviewers noting its strong cinematic feel and attention to detail. However, some players feel that while the initial charm is captivating, it can become repetitive over time, and it may not reach the enchanting heights of Benoît Sokal's previous works like Syberia. Overall, the game successfully creates a haunting and engaging atmosphere that enhances the storytelling and character interactions.

    • “I loved the characters, and the game maintained a great atmosphere throughout.”
    • “The atmosphere of imminent biblical flood is haunting, with great attention given to the sound effects, color palette, and art deco architectural details.”
    • “The colors, lighting, and details are well thought through, together creating a wonderful atmosphere to play in.”
    • “If Benoît Sokal makes you think of Syberia, you might expect Sinking Island to have a similar atmosphere and charm—but you’ll likely be disappointed.”
    • “Although it has extraordinary scenery, it is still not like other Benoît's worlds with an enchanting atmosphere.”
    • “We can argue that the template of 'exotic and isolated location, eccentric murder victim, about a dozen suspects' has been done before, but for what it lacks in originality, the game entirely makes up for in atmosphere.”
  • grinding
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews consistently highlight the grinding nature of the game, describing it as tedious and slow-paced, with players often forced to navigate long, empty spaces and endure repetitive dialogue without the option to skip. While the story has some merit, the overall gameplay experience is marred by its outdated mechanics and excessive pixel hunting, leading to frustration and a diminished enjoyment of the game.

    • “However, as is often the case in Sokal's graphical adventures, these environments can become tedious to navigate, with long empty spaces that players are forced to traverse repeatedly.”
    • “It's tedious and there's no way to skip certain lines in a dialogue section.”
    • “Sinking Island is flawed in many aspects, with the biggest nuisance probably being the fact about how time-consuming and tedious it is.”
  • music
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received positive feedback, with players praising its melancholic and fitting noir soundtrack that enhances the immersive atmosphere. The combination of background sounds, including jazz, wind, and rain, effectively complements the game's art deco visuals and engaging narrative, contributing to a captivating experience. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its ability to draw players into the game's setting and mood.

    • “You also have a nice, melancholic soundtrack, a plot with interesting twists, and a fun, hands-on way to compare clues and deduce.”
    • “Interesting characters/suspects, cool art deco tower and gorgeous landscapes/scenery, a fitting noir soundtrack, and a very good case to solve with twists and turns to keep you engaged in the narrative and motivated to find the murderer.”
    • “The soundtrack and soundscape only help to suck you into a place about to be destroyed by a massive tropical storm.”
    • “Now I need to get the soundtrack out of my head.”
    • “The background sounds of jazz music and wind and rain, the large and mostly abandoned environments, the diverse host of suspects, all with their own reasons for either not knowing or not revealing the whole truth...”
  • humor
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding unintentional comedic moments in repetitive dialogue and awkward character interactions, while others feel it falls short compared to previous titles, lacking depth and charm. The contrast between gritty themes and clumsy humor creates a disorienting experience that can be both amusing and frustrating. Overall, the humor is often hit-or-miss, with moments that can be funny but also detract from the overall narrative.

    • “Another stupid thing that is actually pretty funny is that the same questions are asked of everyone regardless if they make sense.”
    • “Ever seen one like this before? In that case, it was funny and was meant to be.”
    • “Some of the conversation exchanges are often unintentionally funny.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game received mixed reviews; while some players experienced significant bugs on modern Windows systems that necessitated frequent saving, others reported a smooth experience with no glitches. Overall, players noted that patience is essential due to the game's technical issues.

    • “No bugs, no glitches.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any crashes.”
    • “I haven't experienced any stability issues during my playtime.”
    • “A very qualified thumbs up from us - the game was very buggy on modern Windows, forcing us to save every few minutes. The story kept us going despite the heavy back and forth required to canvas all characters in the game. It's okay, I guess... but be warned, this game requires a lot of patience.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its lackluster story and unlikable characters, leading to a disconnection from the narrative and a failure to engage players on an emotional level.

    • “Boring story with unlikeable characters.”
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15h Median play time
15h Average play time
15-15h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Sinking Island is a arcade puzzle game with mystery theme.

Sinking Island is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 15 hours playing Sinking Island.

Sinking Island was released on December 5, 2014.

Sinking Island was developed by White Birds Productions.

Sinking Island has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Sinking Island is a single player game.

Similar games include Black Mirror, Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, Runaway, A Road Adventure, Post Mortem and others.