Tales of the Neon Sea is a promising cyberpunk puzzler marred by an underbaked story and a host of small annoyances. Although it boasts engaging puzzles and beautiful visuals, Neon Sea drags and loses its direction as it progresses. It's a game that has potential, but it just can't seem to capitalize on it.
"Tales of the Neon Sea" is a puzzle-filled adventure game set in a cyberpunk city with both humans and sentient AI robots. As a retired police detective, you'll use your wits to solve cases amidst rising tensions between the two groups. With retro-styled pixel art and a rich, immersive world, this game promises 8-12 hours of engaging and suspenseful gameplay.
Gorgeous pixel art and vibrant visuals that create an immersive cyberpunk atmosphere.
Engaging story with interesting characters and a mix of humor and darker themes.
Variety of puzzles that are mostly enjoyable and not overly difficult, providing a good balance.
Some puzzles can be tedious and frustrating, especially towards the end of the game.
The writing and translation contain numerous grammatical errors and awkward phrasing.
The game ends on a cliffhanger, leaving many plot points unresolved and potentially disappointing for players.
story
1,107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
51%
3%
The story of "Tales of the Neon Sea" is a captivating blend of cyberpunk themes and detective elements, featuring a retired detective and his feline companion as they navigate a world filled with intrigue and mystery. While many players found the narrative engaging and well-paced, some noted that it occasionally faltered with confusing plot points and a lack of character depth, particularly towards the end. Overall, the game is praised for its rich world-building and visual style, though it leaves some loose ends that hint at potential sequels.
“The most mysterious game with a very rich and intriguing story!”
“The story kept me engaged and I think they left it on a proper cliffhanger that leaves me hopeful for a sequel.”
“The story is interesting, you investigate a murder that eventually ties to unsolved murders 15 years earlier with a serial killer that never got caught.”
“The storyline never hooked me.”
“The plot rushes into weird tangents near the end and tends to forget what the game originally was about.”
“The story is not engaging and is stuffed full of clichés it plays straight.”
graphics
469 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The graphics of "Tales of the Neon Sea" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning pixel art and vibrant cyberpunk aesthetic, which effectively immerses players in its richly detailed environments. Many reviewers highlighted the beautiful character designs and atmospheric visuals, although some noted a disconnect between the pixel art and character portraits. Overall, the game's graphics are considered its strongest feature, captivating players with their charm and detail, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay and narrative execution.
“The pixel art style masterfully captures the cyberpunk atmosphere and elevates the game's overall aesthetics.”
“The graphics are absolutely gorgeous.”
“The game immediately hooks you in with its gorgeous visuals and hand-crafted pixel art, creating a vibrant cyberpunk world teeming with life at every corner, just waiting to be explored.”
“Most of what we see is a very limited view of the cyberpunk world and the character art style clashes heavily with the pixel art.”
“They chose to use obsolete retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“It doesn't take long to detect the developer wasn't capable of doing video game graphics properly and used 1990's 'art' as a weak copout in the hopes it would cover their inadequacies.”
gameplay
260 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
72%
7%
The gameplay of the game is a mix of standard point-and-click mechanics, puzzle-solving, and exploration, with some players appreciating the variety of puzzles and engaging story, while others criticize it for being linear, repetitive, and lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the aesthetic appeal and atmosphere, but some express disappointment in the gameplay's execution, particularly regarding frustrating puzzles and a lack of meaningful player agency. Overall, the game offers a casual experience that may appeal to fans of the genre, but it struggles with coherence and can feel tedious at times.
“Gorgeous neon-soaked dystopian visuals, great storytelling, addictive, yet simple gameplay, awesome atmosphere, challenging puzzles, cute cats, and haunting soundtrack, this indie gem is a true adventure-puzzle must-play.”
“The core gameplay is the usual point-and-click investigative adventure, and the puzzles are solid - there is a good variety to them with very little repetition, and in terms of difficulty they are challenging enough without being too obnoxious or arbitrary.”
“Not only do you get a good storyline which manages to hook you until the end, but you also get a wide variety of puzzles, investigations, interactions and fun gameplay.”
“My one issue is that there wasn't much variety in gameplay.”
“The writing/storyline was a bit too cliche, and the gameplay was far too linear, basically being on rails from one self-contained puzzle to the next.”
“The gameplay is plagued by repetitive mechanics and some puzzles suffer from a bad translation from Chinese into English.”
music
232 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
38%
1%
The music in "Tales of the Neon Sea" has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its atmospheric and immersive qualities that complement the game's vibrant pixel art and cyberpunk aesthetic. While some found the soundtrack to be beautiful and engaging, others described it as forgettable or repetitive, particularly in certain areas. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's mood, enhancing the overall experience despite some criticisms regarding sound effects and volume control options.
“The music and ambience are amazing.”
“The music is incredible (just listen to the intro song all the way through...it's insane) and the game itself has cute, nostalgic graphics.”
“Tales of a neon sea is a beautiful neon pixel adventure with atmospheric music and an original engaging story.”
“The sound effects are really annoying, like constantly meowing cats that are way too loud which leads me to turn the sound off and looping mini soundtracks, mostly the same soundtrack for almost every area, that are just bad.”
“There are no voiceovers whatsoever and the in-game music is a bit dull.”
“But there are no options to lower the volume of sound effects because it's tied to the music volume.”
atmosphere
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
28%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning pixel art and immersive cyberpunk setting, which effectively captures a neon-soaked dystopian world. Reviewers highlight the combination of beautiful visuals, engaging storytelling, and atmospheric music that enhances the overall experience, making it a captivating adventure. While some critiques mention inconsistencies in puzzle difficulty, the rich atmosphere remains a standout feature that draws players into its unique narrative and environment.
“The pixel art style masterfully captures the cyberpunk atmosphere and elevates the game's overall aesthetics.”
“Gorgeous neon-soaked dystopian visuals, great storytelling, addictive, yet simple gameplay, awesome atmosphere, challenging puzzles, cute cats, and haunting soundtrack, this indie gem is a true adventure-puzzle must-play.”
“The atmosphere lives up to the title, the setting being neo-noir-esque, cyberpunk setting in the not-so-distant future, where real complex issues loom above society, yet the narrative manages to be passed on mostly light-hearted.”
“A delectable atmosphere that deserves a better, more relatable protagonist and story.”
“In the last chapter(s), the designers suddenly decided it was a good idea to let Rex die all the time, which is somewhat annoying as it destroys the relaxed atmosphere of the first 80% or so.”
“The story is idiotic but does not get in the way of the atmosphere and dialogue.”
humor
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as varied and well-placed, often balancing absurdity with darker themes, which enhances the overall narrative experience. While some dialogue and character interactions can feel awkward or poorly translated, many players appreciate the quirky side quests and engaging characters that contribute to the game's charm. Overall, the humor is a significant draw for fans of point-and-click adventures, providing both lighthearted moments and deeper reflections.
“The story and characters are cute, the pixel graphics are gorgeous, and the game has a great sense of humor.”
“The characters are well written, the humor is well done and well placed, and I became quite attached to the main cast of the game throughout my playthrough.”
“Every chapter offers different kinds of puzzles for the player to solve: from the consistent crime scene deduction involving careful cog wheel placement, to funny side quests aiding NPCs with vivid personalities.”
grinding
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While many puzzles are engaging and not overly difficult, several segments involve tedious backtracking and item scavenging that can detract from the enjoyment, particularly towards the end. Despite these frustrations, the game is still considered worth trying, especially at a lower price point, due to its strong visuals and engaging story.
“Instead I'm stuck doing an endless series of tedious chores.”
“Unfortunately, the cybermysteries involve a lot of tedious item scavenger hunting and the occasional puzzle, and the scavenger hunting involves a lot of pacing around locations trying to find items to take that will make other items available to be picked up, so there's a bunch of backtracking and it wore me out.”
“But towards the end, the puzzles just start to become almost absurdly tedious and monotonous. At one point, I was stuck at a particular puzzle which spanned an entire section of the game for nearly 2 hours, not because it was hard but just because it required constant backtracking and trial and error.”
character development
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The game features extensive character development, with engaging interactions and exploration that enhance the narrative experience. While the pixel art and character designs are praised for their vibrancy and detail, some players noted a lack of diversity in character appearances, leading to a sense of repetition. Overall, the combination of graphics, atmosphere, and character depth contributes positively to the game's appeal.
“Then about 2/3 of the game are point and click with light puzzles, lots of character development, fun places to explore in the city.”
“First of all, the pixel graphics and comic-like character designs are gorgeous, the soundtrack is very nice, the game is full of goofy pop culture references which altogether create a great atmosphere.”
“The game has lush pixel graphics with a lot of detail put into the environments and characters.”
“The game has lush pixel graphics with a lot of detail put into the environments and characters, though I'm not sure if the aesthetic choices for a lot of the character designs match the tone of the game.”
“That said, there are a few caveats...in the form of repeating women with the same exact face shape or repeating robot character designs.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
Overall, the game's replayability is limited, with most players noting that it offers little incentive to replay beyond one or two runs, primarily due to its linear nature and lack of meaningful story choices. While the art and lore collection provide some motivation for a second playthrough, the consensus is that once the story is completed, there is minimal value in revisiting the game.
“Having many pieces of lore to collect and view adds potential replayability to find all of them.”
“I powered through a second and a third time because of how much I liked the art.”
“As is the downside of games like these, there's basically no replay value except experiencing the story again.”
“Of course, once it's over, there's no replay value and it may be quite some time before a sequel rears its beautiful head.”
“It was okay for what it was, but it's an on-rails modern puzzle adventure game which leaves it without any real story choices besides some side lore and no replayability.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is noted to be lacking, with users expressing that while the storyline is interesting, it fails to evoke strong feelings or create emotional stakes, particularly in the context of a murder mystery. The sense of solving puzzles is appreciated, but it does not compensate for the absence of deeper emotional engagement.
“Really made me feel like I was solving stuff.”
“The storyline is interesting, but not very emotionally loaded.”
“There is no sense of intrigue, no emotional stakes that make a murder mystery worth delving into.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and poorly implemented puzzles that detract from the overall experience. Additionally, mouse controls are described as subpar and buggy, contributing to a frustrating gameplay experience. While some players still find value in the game, the stability issues are a significant concern.
“Holy shit, this game is just one big clusterfuck, from puzzles that make no sense, sometimes broken or just are not implemented well within the game, to bugs and glitches which just ruin the experience.”
“The mouse controls are subpar and even buggy.”
“There are still some glitches happening here and there.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game excels in optimization, delivering a visually stunning "neon" atmosphere while maintaining very stable performance and smooth gameplay. Reviewers highlight its professional polish and overall reliability.
“Outstanding in rendering the 'neon' atmosphere in addition to very stable game performance and art presentations.”
“Game runs smoothly and is professionally polished.”