The Isle Tide Hotel

About

In "The Isle Tide Hotel," become a detective and explore a mysterious hotel to infiltrate a cult and save your missing daughter. With an award-winning cast, every decision counts as you gather clues and question guests. The hotel is only open three nights every three years, adding urgency to your quest, as you uncover hidden lore, side quests, and navigate a branching narrative with multiple endings.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 146 reviews

story39 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features an intriguing story with multiple plot twists that encourage replayability.
The acting is generally well-received, with unique and likeable characters that enhance the experience.
The ability to skip previously viewed scenes improves the pacing and makes achievement hunting more enjoyable.

The pacing is very slow, with long pauses and drawn-out scenes that can lead to boredom.
Some puzzles lack logical solutions and the door maze is particularly tedious and frustrating.
The story has gaps and can be confusing, requiring multiple playthroughs to fully understand.

story
163 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
72%
4%
The story of "The Isle Tide Hotel" is described as intriguing yet convoluted, requiring multiple playthroughs to fully appreciate its depth and nuances. While some players found the plot engaging with unexpected twists, others criticized it for being confusing, poorly executed, and lacking coherence, often feeling rushed or underdeveloped. Overall, the narrative offers a mix of captivating elements and significant gaps, leaving players divided on its effectiveness.
- “Excellent plot and its twists!”
- “The story has a great deal of intrigue and some twists I didn’t expect on my first playthrough, which became all the more revealing in subsequent playthroughs.”
- “Its captivating story, superb acting, and interactive gameplay make it a standout title in the genre.”
- “The story was very weird and really didn't make much sense, but the acting was solid.”
- “While it is visually beautiful (one of Wales' signatures), the story is confusing and loose, at best.”
- “The dialogue makes little to no sense or is just completely over-the-top in a lot of the interactions, and the story is just not really coherent, or very good.”
gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
81%
10%
Gameplay in this interactive movie primarily revolves around making choices that influence the story, with some simplistic puzzles included. However, many players found the gameplay lacking, citing tedious elements like a poorly designed maze and a disconnect between advertised features and actual experience. While the narrative received praise, the overall mechanics and pacing were criticized for being unengaging and repetitive.
- “As usual for interactive movies, gameplay consists of making choices like where to go, which area to investigate, or what to say in a conversation.”
- “Gameplay is picking different options to move you from different areas of the hotel throughout the third and final day of the event that's going on here.”
- “The atmosphere, design, colors, stories of each character, acting, gameplay, etc. overall, I will give a solid 7/10.”
- “The ending 'maze' served more as a tedious obstacle than a meaningful gameplay element, raising questions about its purpose and relevance to the overarching narrative.”
- “I appreciate that the developers tried to enhance the gameplay with puzzles, but in order to actually have a positive impact on the game, they would have needed more elaboration - and definitely more imagination than implementing yet another maze.”
- “The pacing in particular is abysmal, not only in the scenes but in the gameplay, like watching the PC stand up/reset himself over and over to a 'base' position, just to break continuity anyway at the start of the next shot.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The music in the game is described as beautiful and integral to the experience, with a standout soundtrack that enhances the mood when present. However, it is criticized for being repetitive and abruptly played, often feeling out of place due to the overall quiet sound design. While some players appreciate the sparse use of music, others feel it could benefit from more variation and better integration.
- “Music is used sparsely, but accentuates the mood fittingly when it's present.”
- “The music (song and score) is beautiful and very much part of the game!”
- “+good soundtracks.”
- “The music is used in strange moments with the one repeating theme, and while at first it is beautiful, it gets continuously played without variation many times and usually pretty abruptly as well.”
- “I found that the sound design overall could use work as this game is far too quiet overall, so anytime music is added it seems really out of place.”
- “Almost forgot, and the soundtrack?”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The game offers strong replayability, particularly due to its multiple endings and branching paths, which encourage players to explore different outcomes. With seven main endings and 14 total outcomes, players can revisit the game without it feeling repetitive, especially with the option to skip previously seen scenes. Overall, it stands out among FMV games for its engaging replay value.
- “Replayability is a hallmark of FMV games, offering the opportunity to uncover hidden endings and explore alternate paths.”
- “With seven different main endings (and 14 different outcomes), The Isle Tide Hotel has a lot of replay value, more than any other FMV games.”
- “The very nature of having so many options provided me with a lot of replayable options, allowing me to skip scenes I had already seen to explore everything without getting bored.”
- “I also found that the multiple endings gave the game some replay value.”
- “With seven different main endings (and 14 different outcomes), The Isle Tide Hotel got a lot of replay value (more than any other FMV games).”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The optimization of character performances is generally high, showcasing a well-crafted cast with a range of compelling portrayals. However, some performances are uneven, with instances of overacting that detract from the overall believability and emotional impact. While many characters resonate well, a few fail to land effectively in comedic, tense, or emotional moments.
- “Despite the strangeness and many 'WTF' moments, the performances are top quality, boasting a well-crafted cast and a wide range of compelling performances.”
- “Each character is fully acted, and many of these performances work well, presenting believable characters.”
- “Despite the strangeness and many 'WTF' moments, the performances are top quality, boasting a well-crafted cast and a wide range of compelling performances.”
- “However, a few of the performances are uneven and don’t work as convincingly.”
- “In other words, it feels like the actors intentionally overacted certain parts of their performance to make up for the relative scarcity of other clues, and I don't think that worked well.”
- “Nothing lands in these performances, whether comedic, tense, or emotional.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding elements of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly highlighting the maze sequence as an unnecessary obstacle that detracts from the gameplay experience. The puzzles are often described as slow and lacking in challenge, contributing to a sense of monotony.
- “The ending 'maze' served more as a tedious obstacle than a meaningful gameplay element, raising questions about its purpose and relevance to the overarching narrative.”
- “The puzzle aspects are not particularly difficult or interesting while can be tedious, especially the last challenge.”
- “I also found the maze sequence to be too tedious and frustrating.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its immersive hotel setting, enhanced by a diverse cast of characters that contribute to a blend of subtle humor and suspense. Reviewers appreciate the unique design, color palette, and character stories, which collectively create a peculiar yet engaging ambiance. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, earning a solid rating from players.
- “The cast is diverse, featuring an incredibly unconventional creepy hotel receptionist, a married couple who speak as one – all contributing to the game's peculiar atmosphere.”
- “Once I knew the characters and the story, I was able to appreciate the game's subtle humor and suspenseful atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere, design, colors, stories of each character, and acting (wasn't bad to me like what others said. I'm not here to watch a movie anyway), gameplay, etc. overall, I will give a solid 7/10.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
50%
38%
The graphics have seen significant improvements in camera work and color, enhancing the overall immersive experience compared to previous titles. Additionally, the game features some of the best cinematographic full-motion videos (FMVs) in recent memory, further elevating its visual presentation.
- “The aesthetic improvements in camera work and color were noticeable, contributing to a more immersive experience compared to previous titles.”
- “The aesthetic improvements in camera-work and color were noticeable, contributing to a more immersive experience compared to previous titles.”
- “In its favor, however, the quality of the game itself and the aesthetic have been significantly improved since previous titles.”
- “+ among the better cinematographic FMVs in a while.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while the actors have the capability to deliver emotional performances, they are often not given the opportunity to do so effectively. The storylines are noted to be both heartbreaking and poignant, yet the emotional impact is diminished by the overall execution.
- “The different storylines are both heartbreaking and poignant.”
- “When an emotional scene is called for, the actors can usually handle that - they just rarely get the opportunity.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a subtle and light-hearted tone, enhanced by an occasional touch of absurdity, while maintaining a suspenseful atmosphere. Players find that familiarity with the characters and story deepens their appreciation for the humor, which remains distinct from outright comedy.
- “Once I knew the characters and the story, I was able to appreciate the game's subtle humor and suspenseful atmosphere.”
- “The tone is generally light-hearted, with the occasional streak of absurdist humor, but without going into comedy territory.”