Разработчик: Frontwing
Описание
The story of ISLAND revolves around Sanzenkai Setsuna, a young man who wakes up on the shore of Urashima with no memories of his past. During the game, you'll explore Setsuna's relationship with three girls on the island, Rinne, Karen, and Sara. As he uncovers the hidden secrets of Urashima's past - and future - Setsuna must fight against fate to protect that which he treasures most.
Will you be able to discover the truth and save Urashima, or find yourself lost among the ISLAND's many dead ends?
World and Background
Urashima is a small island, far from mainland Japan. It's a true utopia, blessed with rich natural beauty. But the island harbors a difficult past, and it's about to be erased, silently, from history.
Soot blight syndrome, an endemic disease, has brought about a rift between the island and the mainland. An offshore platform intended for marine research has long been left abandoned; five years ago, three separate incidents brought the once influential Three Families of Urashima to near ruin. Rumors about children being spirited away have become part of the local folklore, alongside another legend, one that has been repeated on the island since time immemorial...
"Let me tell you the legend of this island: it's a story of tragic love..."
The key to saving the island lies with three girls, each of whom belongs to one of the Three Families. These girls aren't able to change the fate of the island by themselves, but might they succeed with the help of the young man who's just washed ashore? Claiming that he's traveled back in time, the man immediately sets out on a lonely path, challenging the longstanding traditions of the island, and seeking to change the future. But those aren't his only goals...
How will his presence transform the lives of these three girls, the future of the island, and the fate of the world...?
Поддерживаемые языки: english, japanese, simplified chinese
Системные требования
Windows
- OS: 7/8.1/10
- Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: VRAM320MB, 1280×720
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 4 GB available space
- Sound Card: Support for PCM playback through DirectSound
- Additional Notes: Windows Media Player 9 equivalent or higher
- OS: 7/8.1/10
- Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO 2.66GHz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: VRAM512MB, 1280×720
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 4 GB available space
- Sound Card: Support for PCM playback through DirectSound
- Additional Notes: Windows Media Player 9 equivalent or higher
Отзывы пользователей
To be or not to be, the game.
Introduction
ISLAND is a visual novel with plotge, galge, and slice-of-life elements developed by Frontwing, the same minds behind the amazing ATRI My Dear Moments. While I recognize mixing and matching can be very effective to create something unique, it's not always well-executed. Let's see if this game does it well in this regard.
Solid worldbuilding, with some caveats
The game is set, for the most part, in a remote island called Urashima Island. The name Urashima isn't just for show, though. People familiiar with the theory of relativity will know about the Urashima Effect, and it's a very important plot point for the main story. There is some important established facts, like the conflict between the three most prominent families on the island, an ongoing illness tied with the three families and the existence of technology, apparently, from the future. There are also rules established, all about time travel. Those rules function as it should, for the most part, because there are some issues. The game establishes chronoquakes, and judging by the way it's presented, I thought they'd be important, but never come into play. Another thing worth of mention is when cold sleep machines are established, it's also established that they are time machines that can only send people into the future, but, later in the midsummer arc, the way everything is laid out by one of the characters, it gives the impression that cold sleep machines can also bring people into the past. This apparent contradiction in the time travel rules doesn't break the narrative, because it doesn't affect major payoffs, but creates a cognitive dissonance in the audience, hurting the suspension of disbelief. That being said, I like that most of all the important rules and established facts in this game are relevant to the story. That's a sign of good worldbuilding.
Solid plot, save for the pacing and the impossible twist
I liked the plot of this game. It's not a deep plot by any standards, but I think an adventure for self-discovery is a story that can be relatable to anyone. But what matters is how it's executed, and that's when some issues start to creep up. There are some tonal clashes, but they aren't too egregious, but the pacing is extremely slow. That's something common in slice-of life stories, stories about characters, not about an overarching chain of events, otherwise known as a plot. I don't think it's wise to mix slice-of-life with plot, because that can result in a poorly paced story. There were times that I just wanted to quit playing because nothing was happening. The other thing is about the time travel rule contradiction I discussed in the previous section. Take this with a grain of salt, but I think the writers wanted to introduce a plot twist at the expense of internal consistency. Whether this happened by choice or by accident, it's up to interpretation. Other than that, setups and payoffs worked as they should, and the game is pleasantly light in conveniences and contrivances.
The Shakesperian main character and his lovers
Setsuna or not Setsuna. This is a question that the main character asked for more times that I could count. There are interesting questions than can be asked about what defines a person, but it's sometimes a bit overdone, and sometimes can be counterproductive to the story. Setsuna can be pretty strange sometimes, because sometimes takes things seriously, and sometimes it's a total goofball. He is the main source of the tonal clashes this game has. His development matches the pacing of the game, which can disuade players from continuing the story. The heroines are likable and fun, but they change very little throughout the story. Their arcs are basic and almost barebones, but they do pay the price for their mistakes, and they learn a little from them. I don't think characters always must change for the story to function, but this particular story demands change from the characters, and they barely keep up. Of course, this only applies to the heroines.
Gameplay and presentation
This is a branching visual novel, and as such, the player can gain access to different storylines and endings through the choice system. It's a basic decision-making mechanic that functions as expected. And the player gets an assortment of bad endings, a good ending for each heroine, and a very unorthodox true ending. There is a flowchart that doubles as a tool to keep track of the story, and a tool to jump to a certain scene, which I found quite useful, because it negates the overuse of saving and loading, especially when the player wants to make a different choice. As for the art direction and character design, they are good, but they didn't age quite well. Sound design is decent and the music is context and tone appropiate. I was a bit surprised when I found out that Yukari Tamura (the VA for Rinne) participated in this project (she voiced Suzuha in Steins;Gate), but she does a great job, as well as the rest of the cast. I don't have an issue with localization, but that may be because my limited knowledge of Japanese. This game is pretty light on fanservice, for the people who complain about it.
Conclusion: A good but could be better kind of game
ISLAND is a game that does things mostly right. The plot doesn't have much issues, there is solid worldbuilding, and the characters, however basic, are likable. But there are some unfortunate issues, like the contradicting rules of time travel and the pacing. That last one can be a dealbreaker if you aren't a patient reader, and you'd feel like you wasted your time. In the end, mixing and matching genres didn't do too much damage to the story, and does the key elements right, so I can confidently recommend this game to other readers.
While I don't think the final ending that I arrived at after 35 hours was perfect, the story leading up to it was super engaging for the most part. A bit over midway through, when I was expecting the story to end on an unsatisfying note, my jaw was dropped instead. After that point it was hard to put my Steam Deck down (by the way, ISLAND works flawlessly on the Deck, contrary to Valve's compability rating).
This review does not include any story spoilers.
ISLAND is a visual novel that doesn't contain any red herrings - because the story has gulped down all the fish and is now coloured red all the way through as a result. You are constantly presented with bits and pieces of information, but never enough for you to piece it together - instead it throws you deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole that is understanding the story. For example - right off the bat, ISLAND presents itself as a time-travel story. The protagonist wakes up on a beach with no memories and only a CD on him. You, the reader, is constantly presented with theories regarding his origins - is he from the future? The past? Is he a complete nuthead who thinks they're time-travelling? You more or less have no way to say for certain, until very late in the story.
You think the story is convoluted after reading the prior paragraph? Maybe slightly. But while the truth of the events happening is hidden behind layers and layers of information, all the elements come together nicely enough in the end, albeit I needed a little bit of suspension of disbelief at the way ISLAND presented its conclusion.
Other than that - the music is great, the visuals look clean, and the English translation feels polished. You most likely will not need a guide to get to all the endings, which is a breeze of fresh air compared to some other VNs that have convoluted ending flags just for the sake of it. But I'd like to note that ISLAND is fairly heavy on anime-isms - your standard character archetypes, casual sexual harassment, etc, which I don't exactly find super appealing, but am able to look past if the rest of the package is good enough. So maybe this is not the VN for you if you can't stand that kind of stuff.
All in all, if you want to get sucked into a mystery story that keeps you guessing, ISLAND is a great pick.
My friend made me play this and I honestly can't remember a single thing that happened in it except that it made my friend sound like a major nonce. Thumbs up for that alone
gnomelover and h if you see this please quit life
三千界 - Three Thousand Worlds
Without spoiling the plot, ISLAND is a deeply immersive journey that balances heartfelt character interactions with mind-bending twists. The game is a reflection on human relationships, loss, and the passage of time. For fans of visual novels who enjoy narratives with emotional stakes and a strong mystery at their core, ISLAND offers a memorable experience that remains long with you after the credits roll.
The soundtrack is just awesome and one of my favorite soundtracks. The expertly woven storytelling, which steadily peels back layers of mystery. Its pacing is well considered, rewarding you with revelations as you progress through each route. The multiple branching paths ensure a narrative experience that feels personal and captivating. You will be often kept guessing as to how much of what you experience is real, grounded in supernatural elements or tied to psychological and emotional tension.
As I progressed through the story the background about the main characters remains totally unclear since the main character lost almost all of his memories. As the story progresses the memories will slowly come back but there will be multiple possibilities what the background story of the main character could be. However, the story remains mysterious for a long time - but not in an unfair way. I just had no idea which of the main characters background story is the real one and which is wrong. That continues pretty long until about mid game.
Another positive thing is the flowchart which allows you to go freely within the story as far as you have discovered it. So you don't need multiple saves or even a guide to finish every story branch. Finding every ending is a piece of cake and spoilerfree possible without the need to read a guide.
The only negative part of the game is probably that there might be not an ending of the multiple endings that satisfies everyone. If that is the case for you then give the anime series of ISLAND a chance.
However, I felt very good while staying on Urashima Island and I cannot wait to return to it. *
*) ISLAND sequel please FRONTWING!
Дополнительная информация
| Разработчик | Frontwing |
| Платформы | Windows |
| Ограничение возраста | Нет |
| Дата релиза | 20.01.2025 |
| Отзывы пользователей | 92% положительных (176) |