STONE

58%
Game Brain Score Based on 57 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
STONE Game Cover
STONE's writing can swerve between fantastic and terrible at the drop of a hat. Considering this is the most important part of the game, it's a shame it couldn't be more consistent in its quality.
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"STONE is a single-player, mystery role-playing game with an intriguing story and outstanding soundtrack. Created by a global team, the game features a 3rd person perspective with a drone cam and map-based free roam exploration. Experience a deep, reference-heavy interactive story involving drinking, dancing, and smoking, as you uncover the life lessons of the game's protagonist."

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Mobile Platform
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

58%
Audience ScoreBased on 57 reviews
story14 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and engaging story that includes twists and a charming protagonist, Stone, who embodies a fun and relatable character.
  • The soundtrack is a standout element, featuring a diverse selection of music that enhances the atmosphere and overall experience.
  • The game offers a colorful art style and decent character designs, contributing to its visual appeal and representation of Australian culture.
  • Gameplay is extremely linear and lacks meaningful interaction, often reducing the experience to simply walking and clicking without real choices or puzzles.
  • Voice acting and dialogue delivery are inconsistent, with some characters delivering weak performances that detract from the overall immersion.
  • The game is very short, with a runtime of about 1.5 to 2 hours, leaving players wanting more depth and content beyond the main story.
  • story60 mentions

    The story of the game is generally considered decent, featuring a unique premise centered around a koala detective on a mission, with some engaging twists and emotional moments. However, the pacing is criticized for being slow, and the dialogue often feels forced and poorly delivered, detracting from character development and overall immersion. While the narrative has its charm and potential, many players feel it lacks interactivity and depth, making it a mixed experience overall.

    • “The story is well crafted and reveals itself through a series of twists that keep you engaged throughout.”
    • “A neat little story with a lot of personal charm.”
    • “The story pushes into new territories for the medium, and I hope that more developers follow suit.”
    • “The overall story is okay, but the dialogue is forced and the characters don't come across as believable.”
    • “No puzzles and the story continues on the same path regardless of your choices.”
    • “Seriously, the story was terrible unless you like a sour, grouchy mishap-laden miserable alcoholic's tale.”
  • music39 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its diverse and engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere. While some players noted an overabundance of hip-hop and techno compared to rock, the inclusion of lesser-known artists and classic public domain films adds a unique touch. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, often elevating the gaming experience despite criticisms of other aspects like dialogue and character interactions.

    • “I really enjoyed the music and how it helped create distinct atmospheres in each location.”
    • “The music soundtrack is awesome and gives a really good atmosphere to the game.”
    • “The soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard in a video game.”
    • “The soundtrack is decent, even if there's way too much crappy hip-hop and techno compared to the amount of rock music.”
    • “This game is let down by overly simplistic graphics, annoying club music, lazy writing, and poor voice acting.”
    • “The game world is explorable to a degree, but there's just not a lot to see and do unless you're really interested in exploring the music and film offerings.”
  • gameplay20 mentions

    The gameplay in "Stone" is largely criticized for its minimal interaction, primarily consisting of walking and simple dialogue choices that lack meaningful impact. Players note that the game feels linear and repetitive, with many aspects feeling unpolished and lacking engaging mechanics. While it attempts to present an interactive story, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, making it difficult for players to find a compelling reason to engage beyond the narrative.

    • “The basic gameplay loop has you controlling Stone in third person, walking around and examining things.”
    • “While the gameplay itself is pretty simple, just having you interact and left/right click for dual dialogue choices, it has some shortcomings.”
    • “Gameplay consists of just walking about and interacting with objects, and much of the game is spent talking to other characters.”
    • “Stone warns you not to 'expect any gameplay,' which is a very bold way to present itself.”
    • “It's really horrible as far as gameplay goes, and the story isn't great either.”
    • “The only real 'gameplay' is choosing from one of two different dialog options when they present themselves, and it doesn't feel as though it actually matters what you choose anyway.”
  • graphics12 mentions

    The graphics in the game are a mixed bag, featuring colorful aesthetics and decent animal models, but often criticized for being simplistic and bland, particularly in character design. While some players appreciate the unique art style and visual touches, such as the blur effect from in-game drinking, others find the overall graphical quality lacking and inconsistent. Despite these shortcomings, the game's character designs and thematic elements rooted in Australian culture receive positive remarks.

    • “The art style and graphics are quite nice; visually speaking, the character design is great, seeing a wombat with a tinny while standing on a bowling green is perfect.”
    • “Love the art style and all the Australiana the game has been infused with, including the characters based on animals from their country, the familiar Aussie slang, and the old-time Australian silent movies.”
    • “The visuals are stimulating, and I absolutely loved the character designs!”
    • “This game is let down by overly simplistic graphics, annoying club music, lazy writing, and poor voice acting.”
    • “There is also the graphics which were average, but the bird models looked uncanny compared to others.”
    • “[Issues with clipping, extremely easy and short, timing issues with dialogue, graphics are lacking and at times incoherent]”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its distinct musical score, which enhances the storytelling experience and creates immersive environments. Reviewers note that while the gameplay may be minimal, the lighthearted and engaging atmosphere makes it enjoyable for those seeking a narrative-driven experience.

    • “I really enjoyed the music and how it helped create distinct atmospheres in each location.”
    • “The music soundtrack is awesome and gives a really good atmosphere to the game.”
    • “Since there's no gameplay, you're really here for the story and the atmosphere.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by witty quips and Australian colloquialisms, effectively reflecting the country's culture and issues. While the dialogue and writing are charming and funny at times, some players found the overall comedic impact to be underwhelming by the end.

    • “He would definitely have a lot of funny quips about the items in his inventory, or the stuff he can interact with, or the places he goes.”
    • “It's chock full of Australian wit and colloquialisms that make it both representative of what the country is able to produce in terms of art and a hilarious drumming of the country's own issues, while remaining accessible.”
    • “I found it charming and humorous in moments when it came to dialogue and writing, but just kind of underwhelming after seeing the whole thing through to the end.”
  • character development4 mentions

    While the character designs are visually appealing and creatively engaging, some users feel that the 3D models do not fully capture the potential of these designs, suggesting a disconnect between the artistic concept and its execution in the game.

    • “The art style and graphics are quite nice; visually speaking, the character design is great. Seeing a wombat with a tiny hat while standing on a bowling green is perfect.”
    • “The visuals are stimulating, and I absolutely loved the character designs!”
    • “The character designs themselves are quite eye-catching.”
    • “Feels like the excellent character design is being held back by the 3D models.”
    • “The character designs in and of themselves are pretty eye-catching.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game offers some replayability through the choice of responses in conversations, allowing players to explore different outcomes. However, its overall length of about two hours may limit the incentive for multiple playthroughs, despite the potential for varied experiences based on player choices.

    • “You can choose between two responses in certain conversations, which adds some replayability.”
    • “If you are willing to pay the asking price for an experience roughly two hours long, the replay value of choosing different responses is significant. I went the nice route, but I bet the jerk responses are pretty amusing.”
    • “You can choose between two responses in certain conversations, which seems like it adds some replayability. I've only played through the game once, so I'm not completely sure.”
    • “If you are willing to pay the asking price for an experience roughly two hours long (not counting the included jukebox, movies, and replay value of choosing different responses), I went the nice route but I bet the jerk responses are pretty amusing.”
    • “Replayability?”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a challenging narrative journey that culminates in a poignant conclusion, evoking genuine feelings from players. While the story is described as fairly decent, it successfully elicits emotional responses, particularly in its final moments.

    • “The story is fairly decent, and even got a bit emotional towards the end.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when it involves long and monotonous travel between points, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.

    • “It's an incredibly tedious feeling to just walk from point A to B in some situations.”
    • “Kinda goes into that tedious feeling mentioned in the first point.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report that while the story is engaging, the stability is compromised by occasional glitches in the dialogue, which can disrupt timing and flow.

    • “As much as I love the story here, the dialogue is strained at times and has glitches that affect the timing.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

57% average critic score

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