The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,165 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • emotional
The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories Game Cover
The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories is a dark, strange and utterly compelling journey.
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"The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories" is a puzzle-platformer game where players control J.J., a young girl who experiences supernatural events on a mysterious island. To advance, J.J. must mutilate herself in various ways to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles. The game explores themes of identity, sexuality, and the impact of societal expectations on individuals.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,165 reviews
story306 positive mentions
grinding46 negative mentions
  • Unique and innovative gameplay mechanics that integrate self-mutilation into puzzle-solving, creating a memorable experience.
  • Powerful and emotional narrative that tackles themes of identity, self-acceptance, and LGBTQ+ representation in a respectful manner.
  • Beautiful art style and atmospheric sound design that enhance the overall experience of the game.
  • Clunky controls and slow animations can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially during puzzles and chase sequences.
  • Some puzzles can feel tedious and overly simplistic, lacking the challenge that players might expect from the genre.
  • The voice acting is inconsistent, with some performances feeling awkward and detracting from the emotional weight of the story.
  • story1,101 mentions

    The story of "The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories" is a deeply emotional and poignant exploration of themes such as identity, self-acceptance, and trauma, particularly from a transgender perspective. While the narrative unfolds through a mix of gameplay and text messages, many players found it to be both touching and relatable, often leading to strong emotional responses. However, some critiques highlight that the gameplay mechanics can detract from the storytelling experience, making it feel disjointed at times, yet the overall consensus is that the story is the game's strongest aspect, making it a worthwhile experience for those who appreciate narrative-driven games.

    • “The integration of the gameplay with the story elements is masterful, elevating both and putting you into that emotionally raw place of alienation, dysphoria, and self-hatred right there with the main character.”
    • “A truly genuine and powerful story, told through mostly gameplay.”
    • “The story is the main appeal of the game, telling a beautiful story about love, depression and accepting yourself, with parts perfectly woven into the gameplay itself.”
    • “As a game, The Missing is pretty weak, and as a story, it's confusing at best and disorienting at worst.”
    • “The game is heavily relying on metaphors and allegories, almost never directly telling you what's going on - and while that is fine in principle, it has its limits and the game is way too reliant on those metaphors to keep its story going.”
    • “The story simply happens in the most skeletal sense of the word: there's the spine of an interesting story, it just never gets fleshed out.”
  • gameplay717 mentions

    The gameplay of "The Missing" is characterized by its unique dismemberment mechanic, which serves both as a puzzle-solving tool and a narrative device, reflecting themes of pain and self-identity. While the integration of gameplay and story is praised for its depth and emotional resonance, many players find the controls clunky and the gameplay occasionally tedious or frustrating, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite its flaws, the game is recommended for those who appreciate innovative storytelling and are willing to navigate its challenging mechanics.

    • “The integration of the gameplay with the story elements is masterful, elevating both and putting you into that emotionally raw place of alienation, dysphoria, and self-hatred right there with the main character.”
    • “On top of that, it's also a legitimately very fun puzzle-platformer that manages to strike an excellent balance of difficulty and that uses its dismemberment mechanics to their fullest potential, without overstaying its welcome.”
    • “The gameplay is inventive and makes you feel smart when you figure out the mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay is not much better, either, with the difficulty ranging from easy to the point of boring, to brutally unforgiving and hard to understand, with no in-between.”
    • “It left me so frustrated and I feel the gameplay section of the finale could have been handled a lot better, as it greatly soured my overall enjoyment and left me struggling through, until I could finally see the credits roll.”
    • “The gameplay itself can be fairly tedious and somewhat difficult at times, but that's more related to it not being my kind of style.”
  • emotional181 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its heartfelt and powerful narrative, particularly in addressing themes of alienation, dysphoria, and self-acceptance. Many players report being deeply moved, with numerous mentions of crying during and after gameplay, highlighting the game's ability to resonate on a personal level. While some critiques mention gameplay flaws, the emotional storytelling and character development are consistently recognized as standout features that leave a lasting impact.

    • “The integration of the gameplay with the story elements is masterful, elevating both and putting you into that emotionally raw place of alienation, dysphoria, and self-hatred right there with the main character.”
    • “This is a game that will leave you emotionally charged and will stay with you long after you've completed it.”
    • “Emotionally this one was a wild ride since the very beginning and I would wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone interested in games of this genre.”
  • graphics166 mentions

    The game's graphics are characterized by a unique and striking art style that blends trippy and unsettling aesthetics, creating an immersive experience that resonates with players. While some reviews note that the graphics can be low-budget and occasionally rough, many appreciate the beautiful visuals and haunting soundtrack that enhance the overall narrative. However, there are criticisms regarding mechanical issues and performance that detract from the visual experience, suggesting a mixed reception overall.

    • “The game's surreal landscapes, haunting soundtrack, and stunning visuals all serve to create a truly immersive experience that will stay with you long after you put down the controller.”
    • “The visuals are lovely but haunting, the gameplay is satisfying, the underlying themes are as visceral as they are beautiful.”
    • “Its beautiful soundtrack, creepy Twin Peaks-esque dialogue, and gorgeously stylized visuals all make the presentation of said story hit even harder, with some gut-punch moments of twists and recontextualization.”
    • “The game is priced at 30 dollars which is absolutely atrocious to have any amount of mechanical issues/bugs or even smaller graphical ones like the hair issue in a cut-scene at the first minute of the game for a 5 hour experience.”
    • “The graphics are pretty unappealing and the voice acting is pretty awful.”
    • “While graphics are nothing remarkable.”
  • music104 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting and immersive quality, effectively enhancing the emotional depth of the narrative and gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the seamless integration of the soundtrack with the visuals and themes, creating a cohesive and impactful experience. While some find the soundtrack to be minimalistic or occasionally disruptive, the overall consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's atmosphere and storytelling.

    • “The game's surreal landscapes, haunting soundtrack, and stunning visuals all serve to create a truly immersive experience that will stay with you long after you put down the controller.”
    • “The way that the sounds and music blend with the events and dialogue makes it an incredible, beautiful, sad, meaningful experience.”
    • “Its beautiful soundtrack, creepy Twin Peaks-esque dialogue, and gorgeously stylized visuals all make the presentation of said story hit even harder, with some gut-punch moments of twists and recontextualization.”
    • “There are a couple of music tracks within this game that break the atmosphere.”
    • “Music is no good most of the time.”
    • “Sound/music for this game is pretty minimalistic, which is understandable considering that the game relies on ambiance and silence for its puzzle areas.”
  • atmosphere70 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its surreal, dreamlike quality, often drawing comparisons to cult classics like Twin Peaks and Deadly Premonition. Reviewers highlight the combination of beautiful visuals, haunting soundtracks, and a tense, eerie ambiance that enhances the storytelling and gameplay experience. While some music tracks may disrupt the immersion, the overall design and emotional depth of the atmosphere leave a lasting impression on players.

    • “The storytelling, the atmosphere, the way it all culminates in the end, it all comes together into a beautiful mess of a masterpiece.”
    • “Somehow the atmosphere of this brings me back over and over again, into a unique, dreamlike head-space that nothing else provides.”
    • “Absolutely amazing game with incredible atmosphere, an interesting story, and clever, disturbing, fun gameplay.”
    • “There are a couple of music tracks within this game that break the atmosphere.”
    • “Don't like the art style and the sick atmosphere.”
    • “- a lonely and gloomy atmosphere well realized through visual style and level design, which complements the plot and message of the game well.”
  • grinding46 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many puzzles feeling simple yet frustratingly time-consuming to execute. The slow gameplay and awkward controls contribute to a sense of monotony, leading to a frustrating experience, especially when players are forced to repeat sections after dying. While some appreciate the game's deeper themes, the overwhelming sentiment is that the tedious nature of the gameplay detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment.

    • “Once the novelty of each mechanic wears off, each level becomes tedious and repetitive, with nothing of substance to break the monotony.”
    • “Much of the game suffers from a common puzzle-platformer problem of the puzzles being simple to figure out, but time-consuming or frustrating to execute, resulting in a really tedious experience.”
    • “This means that when you die as a result of the horrible controls denying you the precision required, you may be forced to redo several minutes of tedious gameplay in which you yet again solve environmental puzzles to which you already know the solution.”
  • humor40 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark and absurd elements, often juxtaposing serious themes with unintentionally funny voice acting and witty text conversations. Players appreciate the clever use of humor to explore complex topics like growing up and self-acceptance, though some find the violent mechanics at odds with the comedic tone. Overall, the game successfully mixes humor with emotional depth, creating a unique and bittersweet experience.

    • “Without spoiling anything, it's told mostly through text conversations which are often hilarious and feature stickers I needed immediately.”
    • “Part of that is thanks to the interludes on her cellphone, with some hilarious and insightful texts back and forth with the vibrant cast of characters behind her.”
    • “It's bittersweet, mixing drama and humor in a very unique way.”
  • stability16 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant issues when using keyboard controls, leading to buggy physics interactions and progression-blocking glitches. While some players experienced minimal bugs and appreciated the vibrant visuals, others noted frequent visual glitches and stiff movement mechanics. Overall, a controller is highly recommended for a smoother experience.

    • “The controls on keyboard are awful and the game is buggy.”
    • “Don't buy it if you don't have a controller; keyboard controls cause a lot of buggy physics interactions, including at least one that prevents progression.”
    • “I also encountered some ridiculously stupid glitches, one where I had to 'bury' some body parts, but the game decided to fling one of the body parts into a different dimension just because the toes were sticking out of the platform when I decided to lift it.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for feeling clunky and unrefined compared to other puzzle platformers, despite being able to run on older hardware at 1440p with stable performance. Users report issues with rigid controls and overall poor performance, indicating that the optimization leaves much to be desired.

    • “My old PC (Windows 7 / i5 / 8GB RAM / 1050 Ti) runs this game on 1440p with solid performance and stable framerate with responsive keyboard and mouse control.”
    • “It just feels clunky and unoptimized in light of other puzzle platformers I've played.”
    • “But its optimization is terrible.”
    • “If the graphic subject matter doesn’t turn you away, then the rigid controls and poor performance might.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the well-crafted puzzles and graphics that encourage additional playthroughs, many criticize the short 4-6 hour story and lack of substantial replay value beyond collecting items. The pricing also raises concerns, making it difficult for some to recommend despite its enjoyable elements.

    • “Not only are the puzzles hard, yet still fun and well-crafted, but the game is magnificent graphics-wise and has a ton of replay value in it.”
    • “Also, the character designs are great, the voice acting is decent enough, and there is some replayability, so you'll likely end up doing at least one more run through the game.”
    • “The game offers a lot of replay value, making it enjoyable to revisit even after completing the main story.”
    • “The story only runs 4-6 hours long and there's no replay value beyond finishing off collectibles.”
    • “£24/$30 for a janky, low budget platformer that lasts 4-5 hours without any replay value makes this very hard to recommend even on sale.”
    • “The price is a bit much for a 5-6 hour experience and has little replay value due to how heavily story-based it is.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development is highlighted by strong character designs and decent voice acting, contributing to the game's replayability. However, some players feel that certain character designs may prioritize avatar-like qualities over deeper character exploration, which can be somewhat frustrating.

    • “The character designs are impressive, and the voice acting is decent enough, contributing to the overall experience. The game also has replayability, encouraging players to go through at least one more run.”
    • “The intentional design choices for the character allow players to connect with her as an avatar, although it can be a bit frustrating at times.”
    • “This may have been intentional to her character design so people could use her more as an avatar than anything else, but it still kind of bugs me.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

Buy The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories

Play time

8hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
6-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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