The Shrouded Isle

66%
Game Brain Score Based on 948 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • music
The Shrouded Isle Game Cover
“The Shrouded Isle” keeps its grit through replay-ability, due to its random regeneration of NPC sinners, requests from the mighty Chernobog, and random events threatening the cult from the inside-out.
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"The Shrouded Isle" is a cult management game where you lead a village of worshippers through a year of dark ceremonies and sacrifices. As the mysterious Elder, you must balance the competing interests of your powerful families and decide who to trust while keeping the village's secrets hidden from the outside world. Your choices will determine the fate of the village and the success of your reign.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

66%
Audience ScoreBased on 948 reviews
gameplay77 positive mentions
grinding16 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique Lovecraftian theme with engaging art and atmosphere.
  • Gameplay involves strategic decision-making and resource management, providing a satisfying challenge.
  • The game has a good balance of difficulty, with enough randomness to keep each playthrough interesting.
  • The game can feel repetitive and lacks depth after a few playthroughs, leading to diminished replayability.
  • There is no tutorial, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and objectives.
  • RNG can heavily influence outcomes, leading to frustrating experiences where players feel at the mercy of luck.
  • gameplay435 mentions

    The gameplay of "The Shrouded Isle" is characterized by a simple yet challenging mechanics focused on resource management and balancing various stats to maintain the village's virtue. While the aesthetic and atmosphere are praised, many players find the gameplay repetitive and heavily reliant on RNG, leading to frustration, especially for newcomers without a tutorial. Overall, the game offers a unique experience but lacks depth and variety, making it more suitable for short sessions rather than extended play.

    • “Each time you play, you learn a little more about the mechanics and how to survive and make all the families happy.”
    • “Has a simple but effective art style and game mechanics that are easy to get into, but balancing all the needed factors is a tricky challenge that takes a while to master.”
    • “The best part of the game is muddling through your first few months and uncovering the game mechanics, as you realize you've picked a lazybones for increasing fervor, and you have to make a sacrifice from a house that already dislikes you.”
    • “While it does look visually distinct and all, it's a bit low on gameplay and variety, and high on grind and difficulty.”
    • “Unfortunately, once I'd played through a year, I felt like I'd seen everything and the prospect of four more years of gameplay didn't really entice me.”
    • “The gameplay is just too shallow, though.”
  • graphics224 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and striking art style, which features a lo-fi, monochrome aesthetic that enhances the eerie atmosphere and complements the gameplay. Many reviewers appreciate the detailed and atmospheric visuals, noting that they effectively set the tone for the game's themes, although some feel that the simplistic graphics may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the art style is considered a major draw, even if the gameplay itself can feel repetitive or lacking in depth.

    • “The art style is fantastic; I honestly think that is what makes this game soar. It is detailed and dramatic, and I love that you can change the color palette in the options.”
    • “The graphics and presentation are really nice.”
    • “The visuals are monochrome and quite basic, but together with the music, they give an excellent weird, Lovecraftian vibe.”
    • “Visual art style isn't enough to offset the punishing RNG mechanics.”
    • “As I said, this game is better left to admire for its art style, rather than its lackluster and difficult gameplay.”
    • “Graphically, there isn't much to The Shrouded Isle.”
  • music136 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its unique atmosphere, excellent sound design, and ability to enhance the overall experience, often described as both beautiful and immersive. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke emotions and set the tone for the game's themes, with some considering it among the best they've encountered in gaming. While some find the music repetitive over time, the majority appreciate its contribution to the game's aesthetic and emotional depth.

    • “The music is great too, with some of the best sound design I've ever seen.”
    • “The soundtrack of this game is stellar, comprised of 9 songs but each track is just as good as the last and there isn't a single one which felt underwhelming or didn't properly portray the tone of religious fervor.”
    • “The art style and music lend themselves perfectly to the creepy concept.”
    • “Initially, yes, the music, ambience, art style, and writing are excellently done and draw you in, but after a while, you realize there is almost nothing else but that.”
    • “Even with a slick art style and creepy music, it's the end of days for this game, I'm afraid.”
    • “The soundtrack is appropriately moody but not something I'd listen to on its own.”
  • atmosphere124 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique and immersive qualities, often compared to Lovecraftian themes and the dark ambiance of titles like "Darkest Dungeon." Reviewers highlight the effective combination of art style, sound design, and music that enhances the overall experience, creating a sense of dread and intrigue. However, some players note that while the atmosphere is compelling, the gameplay can feel shallow or repetitive, detracting from the overall impact.

    • “The theme and atmosphere of the game is interesting; you are a high priest of a Lovecraftian cult, which puts an interesting spin on the whole Lovecraftian game genre, where one usually is a detective, although one acts as a detective during the game, investigating people to find out who you should ideally sacrifice next.”
    • “The colourful, stylistic, and chthonic atmosphere simply can’t be beat and is a perfect match with its sound design.”
    • “It has amazing atmosphere, perfectly fitting art, and an overall sinister taste that seeps into every action as well as gameplay that... well... hits my sweet spot.”
    • “The horror atmosphere holds on for a while, but slowly gives way to a mechanical grind.”
    • “Interesting idea, nice theme and atmosphere, but very lacking in execution.”
    • “The heart of my dissatisfaction with the shrouded isle is the odd mismatch between its atmosphere and its gameplay.”
  • story122 mentions

    The game's story is generally perceived as sparse and lacking depth, with many players expressing disappointment over its minimal narrative and repetitive events. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements and potential for moral choices, the overall consensus is that the story fails to engage or provide a cohesive experience, often overshadowed by gameplay mechanics. Players desire more substantial plot development and character arcs to enhance replayability and immersion.

    • “Overall, great story and design!”
    • “The art, music, and plot pull you into it very quickly.”
    • “It is so unique, has a non-linear story and offers an inhuman glimpse to the 'ethical' choices that a cult-following society is based in.”
    • “Storywise, it is very sparse.”
    • “There's no real progression, upgrades, story; and the random events that do exist seldom appear.”
    • “There is no major story or plot to the game outside of short little vignettes and 'event deck' stuff that happens which requires you to make a decision on.”
  • replayability78 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the random elements and procedural generation that offer varied experiences, while others criticize its lack of depth and limited content, leading to diminished interest after initial playthroughs. Many agree that while it can be fun and engaging, the overall replay value is not consistently high, with some players feeling little urge to return after completing the game. Ultimately, it seems to cater to those who appreciate short, run-based gameplay but may not satisfy those seeking extensive replayability.

    • “It's a fairly short game, though as a run-based game, replayability is high as you can complete runs in different ways and see different combinations of RNG events combined with the effects of your choices.”
    • “A full playthrough takes about 2.5 hours, but there is tons of replay value due to the random elements of the game.”
    • “I love the art direction, I love the music, I love its replayability, I love its setting, I love its price, I love its free mini-expansion!”
    • “The game is good in my opinion, but lacks replayability; although, that is obviously not part of the game, it could be a part of gaming.”
    • “Decently atmospheric, but almost zero replay value.”
    • “There is simply not enough content and replay value, even for 10 bucks.”
  • grinding20 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, often leading to frustration as they face random mechanics and lengthy runs without meaningful rewards. The late-game experience is particularly criticized for lacking new content, making the grind feel pointless and discouraging. Overall, many reviewers suggest that the grind detracts significantly from the enjoyment of the game.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The only problem is that the core gameplay mechanic is really tedious and random; that coupled with the fact that a single run can take hours creates a really frustrating game.”
    • “This way, players firstly have to restart over and over, trying to get the favor of RNGesus... and then they boringly grind through tedious endgame.”
    • “Admittedly, this game can get tedious and repetitive.”
  • humor16 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of dark and dry wit, with some clever writing that enhances the overall tone. Players appreciate the fun premise and the absurdity of the randomly-generated villagers, which often leads to hilariously ironic situations. However, some reviewers feel that while the humor is enjoyable, it may not justify the game's full price compared to other options in the genre.

    • “It's a fun premise and there's some great dark humor to be found due to how messed up the randomly-generated villagers can be.”
    • “The lovecraftian setting is funny when you realize attempting a successful playthrough is the definition of insanity; doing the same thing each time, hoping the rolls go your way and it's different this time.”
    • “It oozes atmosphere and has a very dry (and very dark) sense of humor.”
  • character development6 mentions

    Character development in the game is described as rudimentary, with players noting that while the character design is visually distinct and some bonding occurs through recurring advisors, the overall narrative and character growth are overshadowed by gameplay mechanics focused on stat management. The excessive text on screen detracts from the enjoyment of the story and character interactions.

    • “The character design makes each island member stand out, and the little phrases that pop up as you hover over them actually create some rudimentary character development. I found myself bonding to an extent with certain characters that were recurring advisors.”
    • “I couldn't enjoy the story building or character development, because it essentially distracted from the task at hand - stat management - which was itself made difficult by the presence of so much text onscreen.”
    • “The character design makes each island member stand out, and the little phrases that pop up as you hover over them do actually create some rudimentary character development. I found myself bonding to an extent with certain characters that were recurring advisors.”
    • “The character design makes each island member stand out, and the little phrases that pop up as you hover over them do actually create some rudimentary character development. I found myself bonding to an extent with certain characters that were recurring advisors.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the game is well-optimized, with no reported performance issues, allowing players to fully enjoy the great artwork and immersive atmosphere. The story is also noted to be well-written, enhancing the overall experience.

    • “The artwork is great, the atmosphere is on point, overall I think what exists of the story is well-written, and performance-wise there are no issues.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players find the emotional impact of the game to be significant, with its short playtime contributing to a strong connection. However, the repetitive nature of multiple playthroughs for minimal rewards can lead to feelings of exhaustion, detracting from the overall experience. The low-fi aesthetic complements the writing, but the need for extensive replayability may hinder emotional engagement.

    • “Games are relatively short, emotionally impactful, and have an unpredictable scope and direction.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Users generally report that the game exhibits strong stability, with smooth performance and minimal bugs, exceeding initial expectations.

    • “The art is unique, and it is smooth and not buggy as I thought.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

72% average critic score

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Play time

7hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
5-11hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 16 analyzed playthroughs

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