Sinking Island

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 121 reviews

story46 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

The game features a captivating story with intriguing characters and a well-constructed murder mystery that keeps players engaged.
The beautifully rendered pre-rendered environments and art deco style create an atmospheric setting that enhances the overall experience.
The unique clue comparison system allows players to piece together evidence in a satisfying way, making the detective work feel rewarding.

The gameplay is marred by tedious navigation, requiring excessive backtracking through large, mostly empty environments, which can become frustrating.
The dialogue is often repetitive, with characters asking the same questions multiple times, and there is no option to skip individual lines, leading to a monotonous experience.
Technical issues, such as the lack of lip-syncing during conversations and occasional bugs, detract from the immersion and overall enjoyment of the game.

story
87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
43%
5%
The story of "Sinking Island" is generally well-received, showcasing Benoit Sokal's strong storytelling abilities with a captivating detective narrative filled with intriguing characters and plot twists. While some players find the pacing slow and the dialogue occasionally redundant, the overall atmosphere and mystery elements keep many engaged throughout the gameplay. Despite some criticisms regarding predictability and execution, the game is recommended for fans of story-driven point-and-click adventures.
- “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.”
- “Sinking Island is an atmospheric, story-based murder investigation that keeps players engaged with its intriguing plot and character dynamics.”
- “The story is boring and the gameplay is tedious.”
- “Boring story with unlikeable characters.”
- “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, but it botches the one thing that any whodunnit requires: a good mystery.”
gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
38%
29%
Gameplay in the reviewed games features a mix of classic point-and-click mechanics and unique investigative elements, such as a special PDA for clue analysis. However, players report issues with level design that feels artificially prolonged, bugs that disrupt progress, and tedious pacing that detracts from the experience. While some appreciate the nostalgic feel and detective mechanics, others find the gameplay outdated and frustrating, particularly due to sparse hotspots and interruptions during critical moments.
- “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 features a rather regular and simple point-and-click interface, but the investigative nature of the game, along with the special PDA, gives it a unique feel.”
- “Sinking Island gets the mechanics of a detective story right, offering a robust set of investigative tools that allow you to piece together clues and keep track of suspects with a great deal of freedom.”
- “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.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
30%
13%
The graphics in the game are generally well-received, showcasing impressive artwork and good visuals for its time, particularly for a 2007 release. While some players note the environments can feel repetitive and the character animations lack mouth movement during dialogue, the overall aesthetic contributes positively to the game's atmosphere. The blend of 2D and 3D graphics is seen as a standard in the genre, with many praising the artistic style and mood created by the visuals and music.
- “Impressive artwork.”
- “The graphics are amazing.”
- “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).”
- “As for visuals, Sinkin Island isn't outstanding but doesn't look bad either; the graphics are pretty good for its time period and the game is well adjusted for widescreen resolution. The resolution itself, though, cannot be set and the game is running at a relatively low resolution, but it runs well on modern machines and that's a big plus.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
10%
15%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and visually stunning environments, characterized by Benoit Sokal's signature steampunk and art deco styles. Reviewers highlight the haunting and engaging settings that enhance the storytelling, with attention to detail in sound effects and color palettes contributing to a captivating experience. While some note a lack of originality in the narrative, the overall ambiance and intriguing character interactions create a memorable and enjoyable atmosphere.
- “Very innovative, extremely atmospheric, great cinematic feel, interesting characters, intelligent puzzles ... and you count.”
- “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.”
- “Although it has extraordinary scenery, it is still not like other Benoit'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.”
- “The atmosphere of imminent biblical flood is haunting, with great attention given to the sound effects, color palette, and art deco architectural details.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews consistently highlight the grinding nature of the game, describing it as tedious and slow-paced, with repetitive navigation and unskippable dialogue that detracts from the overall experience. Players find the pixel hunting and lengthy traversal across environments particularly frustrating, leading to a sense of boredom that overshadows the game's decent story. Overall, while visually appealing, the gameplay is criticized for being outdated and excessively time-consuming.
- “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
44%
22%
33%
The music in the game has received positive feedback for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with a fitting noir soundtrack that complements the melancholic themes and immersive soundscapes of jazz, wind, and rain. Reviewers appreciate how the soundtrack contributes to the overall mood, drawing players into the narrative and enriching the gameplay experience. Overall, the music is seen as a strong element that adds depth to the game's artistic visuals and engaging storyline.
- “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
100%
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent, with some players finding unintentional comedic moments in repetitive dialogue and awkward character interactions. While certain exchanges can be amusing, the overall lack of depth and charm compared to previous titles leaves a mixed impression, making the humor feel both hilarious and frustrating at times.
- “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.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its lackluster story and unlikable characters, leading to a disconnection from the narrative. Players find the character dynamics unengaging and the overall emotional depth lacking.
- “Boring story with unlikeable characters.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is praised for its stability, with users reporting no bugs or glitches, indicating a smooth and reliable experience.
- “The game runs smoothly with no bugs or glitches.”
- “I haven't encountered any stability issues; everything works perfectly.”
- “The performance is rock solid, providing a seamless gaming experience.”