PC (Microsoft Windows)MacNintendo Switch2017

The Shrouded Isle

The Shrouded Isle is a cult village management simulator. Your people look to you for leadership. Five families vie for power as the storms roll in and things beneath the waves threaten to wake. Feed and house your village while ensuring the ancient, dark traditions are followed and the appropriate sacrifices are made.

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Mostly Positive

1,509 Steam reviews

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Reviews

1,509 total

≥h

Steam User 8457STEAMRecommended

good indie game

Mar 25, 2026·5h·Verified

Steam User 2983STEAMRecommended

why are all the houses are against me ?

Mar 25, 2026·8h

Steam User 6480STEAMRecommended

운빨이 너무 강한데 게임 시스템도 더럽게 어려움 ^^
작품 자체는 내 취향인데 미덕 악덕 평판 다 계산해서
해야 하는 고난도 전략이라 솔직히 막 가볍게 하긴 힘듦

Mar 10, 2026·10h·Verified

Steam User 1915STEAMRecommended

Very fun and easy to pick up.

Mar 9, 2026·4h·Verified

Steam User 8424STEAMRecommended

>Sacrificar alguém da Cadwell porque o inquisidor de lá é gordo, feio e careca: :)

>Sacrificar a pessoa certa da Iosefka, que tem a inquisidora com a cara de ser um monstro na cama: >:(

Cthullu não tem seus favoritos, Cadwell. Agora vamos sacrificar o pequeno Jimmy e fechar sua casa.

Mar 7, 2026·5h·Verified

Steam User 2353STEAMRecommended

Mixed feelings, overall, I think is a good game, but problem is that at some point gameplay becomes repititive and you are too depependent of RNG to aim for the endings you want. I was lacking two endings, and I was so screwed by RNG, that no matter what I tried, I couldn´t kill all the villagers.

I still think is good for one or two runs, but after that, yeah, it becomes too dull.

Feb 27, 2026·22h·Verified

Steam User 3494STEAMNot recommended

gówno obszczane

Feb 23, 2026·5h·Verified

Steam User 1798STEAMRecommended

The Shrouded Isle developed by Jongwoo Kim, Erica Lahaie, FX Bilodeau, and Tanya Short and published by Kitfox Games is a dark, compact strategy simulation that places players in the morally precarious role of a cult leader preparing for the awakening of a slumbering sea god. Rather than focusing on traditional empire-building or resource expansion, the game revolves around ritual sacrifice, political manipulation, and the delicate management of a tightly controlled island society. Its premise alone sets it apart: you are not a benevolent ruler, but a High Priest tasked with ensuring devotion, obedience, and purity—by whatever means necessary.

The structure of the game unfolds across seasonal cycles. Each season, players appoint advisors from five powerful families that oversee essential aspects of village life, such as farming, construction, discipline, wealth, and obedience. At the same time, one villager must be selected for sacrifice to appease the cult’s deity. This decision-making process is the heart of the gameplay. Every villager carries hidden traits—virtues that align with doctrine and vices that threaten stability. Through limited investigations and strategic appointments, players attempt to uncover these traits before deciding who will be offered to the sea. The tension arises from incomplete information; every sacrifice risks weakening a family’s loyalty, potentially destabilizing the island’s fragile hierarchy.

Balancing political alliances is as critical as maintaining religious fervor. Each family reacts to losses and perceived favoritism, and resentment can escalate into rebellion if mismanaged. The system is intentionally constrained, forcing players to weigh immediate spiritual needs against long-term political consequences. Sacrificing a heretical villager may strengthen doctrinal purity but could simultaneously undermine familial influence. These intertwined pressures create a constant moral and strategic dilemma, reinforcing the game’s themes of authoritarian control and religious extremism.

Procedural generation adds replayability to each campaign. Villagers’ traits, family dynamics, and unfolding events vary from run to run, ensuring that no two attempts are identical. Campaigns are relatively short, often playable in a single extended session, which enhances the game’s tension and focus. The Sunken Sins expansion deepens the experience by introducing additional mechanics, extended timelines, and more narrative events that expand the decision tree. Even so, the game remains compact by design, emphasizing concentrated thematic impact rather than prolonged complexity.

Visually, The Shrouded Isle employs a stark and stylized 2D art direction. Muted greens, yellows, and shadowed tones dominate the palette, reinforcing the oppressive atmosphere. Character portraits are expressive yet restrained, and the village interface resembles a ritualistic ledger rather than a bustling cityscape. This minimalist presentation underscores the game’s focus on systemic decision-making rather than environmental immersion. The soundtrack complements the aesthetic with subdued, ominous tones that heighten the sense of looming judgment and divine expectation.

Narratively, the game functions as both horror and satire. It examines the psychology of power and obedience, portraying how fear and tradition can justify cruelty. While the worldbuilding is deliberately sparse, the moral implications of each choice resonate strongly. Players are not presented with heroic alternatives; the path forward always involves compromise and sacrifice. Multiple endings provide incentive for experimentation, revealing different outcomes based on how effectively the island is managed and whether devotion remains intact.

Despite its strengths, the game’s repetitive structure can become apparent after multiple playthroughs. The core loop—appoint, investigate, sacrifice—remains largely unchanged, and players seeking deeper mechanical variety may find its systems somewhat limited. However, this focused design is also part of its identity. It delivers a distilled experience centered on tension and ethical discomfort rather than expansive strategic depth.

Ultimately, The Shrouded Isle stands out as a bold and unsettling management simulation. Its commitment to a morally ambiguous premise, combined with tight seasonal decision-making and procedural variation, creates a distinctive experience within the strategy genre. It challenges players not through overwhelming complexity, but through the weight of responsibility and the consequences of authoritarian control. For those drawn to dark thematic explorations and compact, choice-driven strategy games, it offers a memorable and thought-provoking descent into ritual, power, and sacrifice.

Rating: 7/10

Feb 23, 2026·13h

Steam User 0780STEAMNot recommended

I love a good cult aesthetic game. Visually great. I enjoy a resource management, mastermind style game, but it just feels a bit one note.

I would enjoy more variaation or story between the seasons, or something to make it more interesting. Other than the obvious resource balancing, nothing really seems to make that much difference.

Takes way longer to complete than it should purely based on the awkward UX and slow animation. I'm sort of interested in trying to get more endings to see what happens, but not sure I can handle the slow slog of the interface.

Worth checking out for the lovely artwork if you like this kind of theme.

Feb 22, 2026·10h·Verified

Steam User 1091STEAMNot recommended

Hunf... As analises negativas estão corretas, é so um jogo de matematica sem graça, ainda bem que paguei 6 reais no jogo, é muito tediante eu confesso... É bom pra passar o tempo mas só isso mesmo :/ não recomendo

Feb 18, 2026·2h·1·Verified

Steam User 3001STEAMRecommended

Soothing eldritch vibes keep me coming back, scratching that creepy puzzle itch. There are a surprising number of endings for a mechanically pretty simple game, and I have really enjoyed trying to get them all. Or, you can play like my friend does and just dunk all the villagers in the water until they drown or become monsters.

Just a solid, strange time.

Feb 14, 2026·23h·1

Steam User 7447STEAMRecommended

[h1][b]「主を讃えよ。そして、誰を捧げるか決めろ。黒き神が顕現するその日まで…」[/b][/h1]

[h1]ストーリー[/h1]
外界から隔絶された孤島。ここには5つの名家があり、彼らは暗黒の神「チェルノボグ」の復活を待ち望んでいる。
あなたは教団の司祭長として、神が目覚めるまでの3年間（または5年間）、村を導かなければならない。無知、情熱、規律、懺悔、服従。これら5つの徳を維持するために、毎月信者たちに仕事を割り振り、そして季節の終わりには……最も罪深い者を一人選び、神への生贄として海へ捧げなければならない。

[h1]概要[/h1]
ラブクラフト的なコズミックホラーと、リソース管理シミュレーションを融合させた作品。

独特の単色カラーパレット（変更可能）で描かれるビジュアルが特徴。プレイヤーは5つの家系から顧問を選出し、教団のパラメータを管理するが、彼らは「美徳」だけでなく「悪癖」も隠し持っている。誰を生かし、誰を殺すか。政治的バランスと神への信仰の板挟みになる、胃の痛くなるような経営シムである。

[h1]感想[/h1]
雰囲気は最高に「陰鬱」。やっていることは最高に「世知辛い」

まず、このゲームのアートワークは素晴らしいの一言に尽きる。
古びた書物のようなザラついた質感、不穏な色使い、そして常に鳴り響く重苦しいBGM。画面を見ているだけで、潮の香りと腐敗臭が漂ってきそうな没入感がある。

しかし、その実態は「超・ブラック企業の支店長シミュレーター」だ。
部下（顧問）たちは「情熱はあるが無能」だったり、「有能だが嘘つき」だったりと一癖も二癖もある奴ばかり。彼らの機嫌を取り、派閥争いを仲裁し、パラメータが下がれば責任を取らせるために「生贄（リストラ）」にする。最初は「命を奪うこと」に罪悪感を覚えるが、プレイを重ねると「こいつは生産性が低いから海へ捨てよう」と、思考が完全にサイコパス経営者へと染まっていく過程こそが、本作の最も恐ろしい部分かもしれない。

[h1]評価[/h1]
【GOOD】
・ラヴクラフト神話の世界観を、単色の独特なアートスタイルと不協和音のBGMで完璧に表現した、唯一無二の雰囲気。
・「生贄を選んでコミュニティを維持する」という背徳的かつ残酷な決断を毎ターン迫られる、カルト教団運営の緊張感。
・顧問たちの隠された性格（美徳と悪徳）を調査し、誰が教団にとって「癌」なのかを推理する人狼ゲーム的な面白さ。

【BAD】
・基本的にはパラメータのプラスマイナスを計算するだけの数値管理ゲームであり、一度攻略パターン（あるいはハズレの顧問）が見えてしまうと、作業感が強く飽きがきやすい。
・顧問が持つ「悪徳」の内容や配置がランダムであり、運が悪ければどうあがいても詰んでしまう理不尽なバランス調整（良く言えばローグライク的だが）

Feb 2, 2026·2h·2·Verified

Steam User 4053STEAMRecommended

仅仅是中评。
不可否认美术风格确实很有特色，但游戏随机性非常强，前期举步维艰，但只要前两局运气好苟过去了，后期难度就会直线下降到有点无趣的程度，这意思是创建邪教要看主神是否垂青吗？那真的很还原邪教主理人心态了。看了眼游戏评论区，似乎之前经过大更新之后游戏随机性才会变得这么强。如果游戏制作者是希望延长游玩时间，不如多设置一些局外成长因素和事件，现在文本量太少不够看，动画也只有一点点。
顺便一提，玩了这个游戏之后莫名理解了柳条人中邪教的行为，要是我作为祭司在季度来临前焦头烂额，杀那个怕家族叛逆、杀这个怕没有数值，这时候突然来了个外来人，一身-30的属性（背教者/顽固者/执法者）那我也得欢欣鼓舞地给TA绑了。

Jan 31, 2026·3h·Verified

Steam User 2634STEAMNot recommended

I have no idea what I am doing.

Jan 19, 2026·Verified

Steam User 5178STEAMRecommended

So many games are trying to be Lovecraftian these days. However, most of them just stick a big-old tentacle monster in and call it a day. Unfortunately, tentacles are just so overused that they no longer evoke the same cosmic fear that is what is really the core of Lovecraftian horror. On the other hand, Shrouded Isle is much more subtle in its handling of the occult -- and therefore much more successful. The dark powers you serve are largely only hinted at, yet you must serve their every fickle demand without question. The bleak monochrome art style and dolorous music only further adds to this sense of cosmic unease. A really fantastic game overall.

Jan 5, 2026·17h·Verified

Steam User 6890STEAMNot recommended

TL:DR; Mostly style and not much substance, little to read and even less to do. Almost entirely RNG.

This game drops you in the deep end right away with no tutorial or explanation as to the games mechanics. Fortunately they're quite simple- balance 5 stats of your cult and the favour of the 5 family's who represent those stats. Depending on who you pick as advisor for each season these stats go up and down. If they go down too much, you lose. You'll get a few extra tools to manage this system as the game progresses, but not many.

One of the good quirks of this system is that you must choose one advisor per season to kill, and this will have repercussions to your cult, your stats, and your standing with the family's. One of the bad quirks is that choosing the "right" or "best" one to get the chop relies on entirely random deduction and interrogation, especially early on when you lack any information from inquiry's. I *think* the snippets of lore given about family members can imply traits, but I don't know for sure.

There's just not much here. it feels like 1/3 of a game.

After futzing about with the limited mechanics, taking in the admittedly interesting visual style and losing a few times I lost all interest. I'm not being given a reason to care about this village, or its people. I don't have a challenge to overcome that can't be crippled by random chance in a single action.

Dec 21, 2025·1h·4·Verified

Steam User 8634STEAMNot recommended

Извините картинка привлекла, но спустя несколько сессий устаешь.

Dec 20, 2025·31h·Verified

Steam User 3905STEAMNot recommended

Не понравилось много чего, понравилось мало что.

Dec 9, 2025·3h·Verified

Steam User 8348STEAMRecommended

É muito bom por um tempo, mas quanto mais se entende do jogo, mais se percebe o quanto depende de RNG. Tenho dificuldade de recomendar, apesar de gostar bastante da atmosfera.

Dec 4, 2025·19h·Verified

Steam User 8003STEAMRecommended

Makes me wanna start a cult in real life

Nov 30, 2025·9h·1·Verified

Steam User 9424STEAMNot recommended

资源管理内容太少怎么办，加随机性拉高难度，几个结局流程完全没什么区别就是让你机械劳动几遍
如果这游戏出现在gamejam里或者在itch上免费送倒是不错，但是上steam卖是真的不怎么行。

Nov 29, 2025·2h·Verified

Steam User 5322STEAMRecommended

It took me two hours to figure out what is happening at all but I think I got there; although I never made it to the last year yet.

A very curious puzzle once you know what is required of you. Probably won't be enjoyable if you are not a fan of doing mental math.

Nov 27, 2025·9h·Verified

Steam User 6697STEAMNot recommended

It's an OK game, but hard to recommend.

First the strengths: it captures the feeling of hopelessness needed in any Lovecraftian work as you attempt to sate a god through ritual sacrifices in a small village. There are no good choices to be made; just bad and less bad ones.

Unfortunately the game can feel both too punishing and quite shallow. RNG plays a big role in each run, and learning to mitigate it is a frustrating experience with no positive feedback; you are simply expected to restart. Once you do learn how to manipulate the game it becomes a number management simulation with nothing left to explore and too many cutscenes that inevitably get skipped.

Ultimately, I do not dislike [i]The Shrouded Isle[/i]. It is fun for a few hours and has good atmosphere. However, from a gameplay perspective it feels a little lacking.

Nov 12, 2025·7h·3·Verified

Steam User 8769STEAMRecommended

그냥 공평하게 다 죽이면 안되나요? 제가 절대 반역후에 죽임당해서 엔딩 한번도 못봐가지고 그런거는 아니구요

Nov 2, 2025·11h·Verified

Steam User 7865STEAMRecommended

Имеет место быть

Nov 1, 2025·8h·Verified

Steam User 6212STEAMRecommended

6/10

Купил я как-то книгу про процедурную генерацию в играх. А оказалась она не про генерацию миров и карт, а про сторителлинг - тексты, параметры и т.д. А еще вместо цельной работы это был сборник статей от разных инди-разработчиков. Там я и узнал про игру Shrouded Isle и решил на деле понять ее механики.

Удивительное.
Игра заманивает своим визуалом и сюжетными намеками, поэтому главным разочарованием становится тотальный разрыв игровых механик и сюжета. В рамках сюжета вы управляете тоталитарной сектой Чернобога, приносите людей в жертву, слушаете видения, бичуете паству, жжете книги... Казалось бы, веселитесь по полной. Но на деле мы жонглируем десятком числовых параметров, молясь, чтобы ни один из них не свалился в красную зону. И тут поначалу не понимаешь, как вообще можно дожить до концовки, а потом читаешь руководство Steam и проходишь игру с наскока. Без желания повторить. Управление сектой - на удивление тоскливое и монотонное занятие. А когда ваше темное божество пробуждается, чтобы покарать этот грешный мир, думаешь только: ну наконец-то...

Плюсы.
- Лучшее, что есть в игре - это графика. Портреты персонажей можно разбирать на аватарки. Все как будто выполнено в цветовой гамме цвета из иных миров. Это невероятно красиво, но красота ощущается порочной и болезненной. Стекающая с алтаря кровь кажется такой родной в этой гамме.
- Звуки, музыкальное сопровождение тоже хороши и атмосферны.
- Авторы очень густо замешали разные верования. Молимся мы славянскому Чернобогу, но ценности у секты больше напоминают выкрученные до абсурда христианские добродетели. Но оба этих аспекта - только ширма. На самом деле, мы взываем к приходу божества из морских глубин, исцеляем сектантов утоплением, а самые благословенные из них превращаются в грибоподобных монстров, живущих, однако, в сообществе с обычными сектантами. Ничего не напоминает? Само слово 'shroud' намекает на пелену, морок, как в повести "Морок над Инсмутом", с которой она пересекается сюжетно. Недаром игра участвует в "Лавкрафтианских днях" в Steam.

Минусы.
- Одно из достижений точно забаговано. Говорят, лечится откатом к бета-версии.
- В рецензиях некоторые ноют, что игра сильно зависит от случайного распределения на старте. Когда вы узнаете победную стратегию, поймете, что это не так. А вот пару достижений действительно почти невозможно получить в некоторых стартовых раскладах.
- Игра крайне однообразна, в ней ровно две игровые механики. Пройдете первый сезон - узнаете все двадцать, полностью. После второго или третьего сезона добавится вторая механика из дополнения - как раз про грибовидных монстров. Все!

Опыт интересный, но очень специфичный. Кровавые жертвоприношения не вызывают отклика в душе, потому что вы не темный пророк, а бухгалтер. У которого конец квартала, а дебет с кредитом не сходятся. Впрочем, на распродаже купить можно.

Oct 24, 2025·5h·2·Verified

Steam User 2304STEAMRecommended

👍

Oct 23, 2025·7h·Verified

Steam User 1152STEAMNot recommended

[list]
[*]非常依赖随机性，很有可能几小时都打不通一次，而这几小时又是被高重复度填充的，容易让人上火。
[*]画面风格独特，不过这么高的对比度看久了容易不舒服。
[/list]
前身是 Ludum Dare 游戏制作比赛第33届 “You are the Monster” 上的作品，那时候的通关难度并没有这么难，开发者为了发行体量考虑添加了更复杂的机制和内容，无疑会给游戏平衡带来一定挑战。

Oct 20, 2025·6h

Steam User 9259STEAMNot recommended

纯数值游戏而已

Oct 18, 2025·4h·2·Verified

Steam User 1699STEAMRecommended

오오 체르노보그시여

Sep 25, 2025·26h·Verified

Steam User 5871STEAMRecommended

Very cool visuals and writing. I enjoyed trying to figure out who had what virtues and vices based on their descriptions. Awesome atmosphere. If you are worried about the colour scheme burning your eyes, the monochrome black and white one is pleasant and still has cool dark vibes. I enjoyed the art a lot. The game is the right balance of keeping you scrambling to not lose but also not too hard. Would recommend!

Sep 23, 2025·7h·Verified

Steam User 2141STEAMRecommended

[h1] Overview [/h1]

The Shrouded Isle isn't an incredible game, but what is here has strong thematic consistency. It's a simple management game with an oppressive, strangely beautiful meditation on paranoia, ritual, and the quiet terror of leadership.

You take on the role of a high priest running a small, isolated community devoted to an ancient god that slumbers beneath the waves. Each season, you appoint advisers from five ruling families, manage the virtues and vices of your flock, and, inevitably, select one poor soul for sacrifice.

The game’s stark, monochromatic art direction is stunning. Each family has distinct designs, and the portraits of your advisers ooze personality. The minimal palette gives everything the feel of an old illuminated manuscript scribbled by someone who’s already gone mad. The sound design is subtle but adds to the mood—every sacrifice feels heavy, every festival hollow.

Mechanically, it’s a balancing act between pleasing your god, keeping the families in line, and maintaining the fragile faith of the village. Advisers have hidden flaws that reveal themselves over time—sometimes at the worst possible moment—and sacrificing the wrong person might unravel an entire family’s loyalty. It becomes less about winning and more about staving off inevitable collapse, which feels perfectly in line with the themes.

That said, the game does eventually show its seams. After a few cycles, you start to see the patterns, and the tension dulls a bit. It’s not a long game (most runs last a handful of hours), but it’s designed for replay, and part of the fun is uncovering every hidden trait and every ending.

What stuck with me most wasn’t the management mechanics but the tone: the way the game quietly asks how much of yourself you’re willing to carve away in the name of faith, duty, or survival. It’s less about eldritch horror and more about the banality of power—and how easy it is to justify cruelty when you tell yourself it’s for the greater good.

[h3] Pros: [/h3]

Gorgeous, minimalist art style that amplifies the atmosphere

Tense balancing act between faith, loyalty, and sacrifice

Strong thematic cohesion—everything reinforces the tone

[h3] Cons: [/h3]

The game can feel repetitive after a few runs

Limited variety in events compared to the premise’s potential

Not much challenge once you learn the optimal strategies

If you like management sims, occult aesthetics, or games that make you wrestle with uncomfortable choices, The Shrouded Isle is a haunting little gem that is cheap and likely to pass the time for a few hours.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆☆ (6/10)

Sep 23, 2025·12h·2·Verified

Steam User 8830STEAMNot recommended

Too much RNG

Sep 9, 2025·3h

Steam User 8704STEAMRecommended

Очень маленькая и если разобраться в механике, достаточно простая игра-головоломка. В первый раз начав игру, я продержался 3 сезона. Во второй уже 2 года, а в третий раз все 5 лет и получил первую концовку (видимо самая плохая из них - "Проклятие"). Думаю всю игру на хорошую концовку можно пройти минут за 40. Механика игры очень простая, повышаешь одни показатели, жертвуешь другими, соответственно нужно выдержать баланс в течение пяти игровых лет, попутно выполняя случайные задания и получая небольшие случайные бонусы. В целом неплохая убивалка времени, пару вечеров может отнять.

Sep 3, 2025·10h·Verified

Steam User 0806STEAMRecommended

THE INQUISITOR GOT ME ACTING Perverse(-30)

Sep 2, 2025·9h

Steam User 9575STEAMRecommended

i need help, this game makes leading a cult actually difficult.

Please stay ignorant and stop rebelling, I am begging.

Sep 1, 2025·4h·6·Verified

Steam User 8257STEAMRecommended

Um dos melhores jogos que já joguei.

Aug 26, 2025·13h·Verified

Steam User 6868STEAMRecommended

邪神を崇拝している妖しくてカリスマ性ある村長になるぞ～とおもってｳｷｳｷでプレイしたのも束の間、出来上がったのはﾋｨｺﾗ言いながら住民たちの個性をひたすら覚えては捌き、邪神様のお言いつけに振り回されるあわれなプレイヤーでした
でも楽しいんだよな・・・

Aug 22, 2025·10h·Verified

Steam User 0490STEAMRecommended

昏い閉塞感を楽しもう

Aug 20, 2025·19h·Verified

Steam User 6272STEAMRecommended

Aug 14, 2025·4h·Verified

Steam User 6975STEAMRecommended

я думаю людям просто нужно смириться что не каждый забег в рогаликах может быть выигран и эта игра отличный пример того что победа это награда а не обязательство
редко когда игра может вызывать настолько сильные и противоречивые эмоции - в этой все сделано настолько плохо или даже отвратительно что она расцветает цветом из иных миров. тут объективно не самый качественный визуал если всматриваться и уровень катсцен спустя 8 лет остался на уровне экстравагантной джемовской поделки; геймплейный луп очень раздражающий и вгоняет в фрустрацию и уныние; рнг просто БЕЗУМНЫЙ и его нельзя пересилить даже идеальным скиллом. в совокупности это дает крайне жестокую игру на грани перформанса - либо она ломает тебя либо ты ломаешь ее. очень в духе лавкрафта

Aug 10, 2025·6h·2·Verified

Steam User 1135STEAMRecommended

Вполне себе

Aug 9, 2025·7h·Verified

Steam User 5674STEAMRecommended

Yeah this is pretty good!

Aug 6, 2025·36h·Verified

Steam User 8978STEAMRecommended

재밌음

Aug 4, 2025·12h·Verified

Steam User 4889STEAMNot recommended

👎 i like the premise and style, but this game is just not playable. you are juggling equally weighted priorities and there's no path to successfully navigate. figuring out i didn't need to select all 3 advisors each time seemingly was the key to being able to course correct to restore balance, but no... this game is just a tug of war with your stupid god and your stupid god hates you.

edit: so my negative review still stands, but i did mess around with the game enough to learn most of what breaks the gameplay comes from the current version with the Sunken Sins DLC automatically included. there's a post on how to revert to the original build on the discussion page. i wish it made the game fun, but it did make the gameplay a bit more manageable.

edit: yeah, the original version is significantly better. negative review stands though. as another review mentioned, by the time you master how to successfully complete the game it's stupid to back and fail in a specific ways to unlock achievements. the developers had some ideas, but must have not done any playtesting to recognize they built RNG garbage. it's unfortunate because the art and music is great. why the DLC got grafted onto this, making everything worse, is just infuriating.

Jul 28, 2025·10h·8·Verified

Steam User 0847STEAMRecommended

玩完眼瞎了，操作很重复，不推荐

Jul 24, 2025·1h·1·Verified

Steam User 6775STEAMNot recommended

A promising concept, charming lo-fi aesthetics and a lot of meters. Unfortunately the core mechanic lacks depth, which makes the overall experience unengaging and tedious after a short while.

Jul 17, 2025·1h·1·Verified

Steam User 7230STEAMNot recommended

tedious and too decided by RNG

Jul 5, 2025·3h·5·Verified

Steam User 3363STEAMRecommended

Vai te fazer abrir uma planilha no excel ou anotar num caderninho seu progresso, muito bom mas sério que jogo frustante.

Jul 4, 2025·13h·3·Verified

Steam User 4938STEAMRecommended

“教主百般美德千样献祭
吾只问一句
可得长生否？
什么？
可以与伟大存在合体永生不灭
那没问题了"
——第七次嘎呐村入教仪式小插曲..

Jul 1, 2025·36h·5·Verified

Steam User 3320STEAMNot recommended

Noch nie was so langweiliges gespielt. Die Idee ist ja gut aber Umsetzung nicht. Habe es zwar nur kurz angespielt aber alles wiederholt sich von Jahr zu Jahr auch die Dialoge.
Da fängt man schnell an einfach nur weiter zu klicken. wen man hacke dicht ist kann man das Spiel vielleicht ertragen sonst nicht.

Ich werde es von mein Account verbannen. Möge es in der Hölle schmoren und nie wider auferstehen.

Falls aber jemand Schlafprobleme hat kann er das Spiel kaufen.

👑 Powered by HoI 4 Deu Curators group in German / English 👑⠀⠀⠀[list][*][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/30388691/] Follow Main group [/url][*] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40282064/] Follow Second group [/url][*] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44688798/] Follow Third group [/url][/list] and discover more reviews from me.

Jun 29, 2025·1h·3·Verified

Steam User 1269STEAMRecommended

[h3]Sacrifice the virtuous, hail the sinners ![/h3]

A fun and challenging cult simulator with a cool Lovecraftian vibe.
The different choice of colors might be difficult for some but the mechanic of the game is quite interresting. And simply playing as the evil guy is pretty fun by itself.

Here, you hunt the nicest members of tour community while trying not to anger too much their families. The loop gets harder as the game progresses, as your possible candidates for sacrifice diminish.

With gritty hand-drawn visuals and dramatic orchestral music, it is well worth a try.

It also gets super cheap during sales so don't pass on this opportunity to please the mighty [b]Chernobog[/b] !

Jun 27, 2025·24h·7·Verified

Steam User 2115STEAMRecommended

A wonderful little indie gem with strong Lovecraftian vibes. The bleak visual style emphasises the dark and cold atmosphere of the game. As a high priest, you take religious control of a small fishing village with a doomsday cult. The game is mainly a mixture of simulation and detective game, as it is your task to find the sinners among the villagers and sacrifice them to a rising, bloodthirsty god in the sea. But without upsetting the noble houses in the village too much or neglecting the virtues. The game would be really great in my eyes if it didn't have some poorly designed mechanics and sometimes harsh RNG elements. I would rate the game neutral. So it's a thumbs up as for the intriguing concept alone a thumbs down would be inappropriate in my opinion.

Jun 25, 2025·19h·3·Verified

Steam User 8998STEAMRecommended

Game difícil viu... jogo com minha esposa, e passamos sufoco para conseguir gerenciar os atributos e os níveis das famílias. Dito isto, bom jogo, sempre gastamos horas tentando melhorar nas próximas partidas.

Jun 22, 2025·9h

Steam User 7661STEAMNot recommended

Its so so so close to be being good, but simply relies too much on RNG for it to be actually engaging to play.

Jun 22, 2025·4h·9·Verified

Steam User 8008STEAMRecommended

Great game with an interesting premise, cool design, and fun lore. Only downside for me is that I don't feel it has much replay value once you've achieved all the end scenarios.

Jun 15, 2025·10h·1·Verified

Steam User 2962STEAMNot recommended

玩法单一，重复度高，可玩性不强。

Jun 8, 2025·4h·Verified

Steam User 8165STEAMNot recommended

Malillo

Jun 8, 2025·7h·Verified

Steam User 9288STEAMNot recommended

You would need a paper and pen to track all the stats the game is not tracking for you.

It goes too slow and repetitive.

Jun 7, 2025·22h·1·Verified

Steam User 4208STEAMRecommended

I'd give it a mixed review. Conceptually it is interesting enough, and it highlights disturbing aspects of religions that doesn't get discussed often enough. Gameplay-wise it is rather limited in it's offering, both in depth and play hours. Visually, I like it's resemblance to "Darkest Dungeon", though it does feel bare-bones in its overall presentation, particularly the lackluster animation.

Like Chernobog it can be both forgiving and harsh. Forgiving in that you can run resources points and relationship points down to it's absolute minimum, and you don't lose immediately, you're given another season (round) to bring them up to threshold; which is usually doable, unless the deity (RNGesus) feels like being a ♥♥♥♥ and increasing the threshold of the particular resource you're at rock bottom of. Harshness mostly comes from RNG, especially at the start when most virtues and vices are unknown, and there are too few revelations provided to make actual strategic decisions - you inevitably gamble by sending a bunch of unknowns into the council. By mid-game though, most virtues and vices are known, and you shift to repeatedly do the chore of sending the requested individual to your god. By end-game you run out of actual big sinners to sacrifice, and now are doing a different chore, which is mostly keeping relationship points up with houses because they get angry that you sacrificed minor sinners. 4 seasons in 5 years make for 20 rounds; the game isn't really long, but it does get dull from mid-to-end-game when you are not so much making interesting decisions, but simply reacting to who the deity commands to sacrifice, and to what resource/relationship points is low and needs boosting.

Jun 5, 2025·5h·1·Verified

Steam User 5681STEAMRecommended

Good.

Jun 4, 2025·2h·Verified

Steam User 1363STEAMRecommended

Excellent interesting game that makes you think. Is challenging and rewarding for thinking several steps ahead. Would recommend to anyone.

May 31, 2025·7h·Verified

Steam User 8535STEAMRecommended

really unforgiving and takes some time to get the hang of, but it's fun and scratches that Lovecraftian itch.

May 28, 2025·22h

Steam User 7924STEAMRecommended

First playthrough, made it to three years. The general aesthetic is the highlight here over the gameplay. Game is interesting and somewhat fun but repetitive.

May 22, 2025·2h·1

Steam User 4158STEAMNot recommended

The Shrouded Isle is not a game for me. It's all about micromanagement and decision making. You are the pope and have like ten different stats you need to balance. This includes devotion, fervor, and house loyalty for example. Each "turn" you have to pick an option which gives a positive effect to one stat, a negative to another, and potentially a random effect to anything. As the game progresses these stat swings increase in benefit and detriment. Those mega planners would love it. I only lasted 3 turns out of 20 (I believe). Gave it a shot, and I'm good to give it up. Cool art style though.

May 20, 2025·1

Steam User 5305STEAMRecommended

Well designed resource management with several random occurances for you to deal with. What makes it so enjoyable is the setting. Only completed it once, but it was a great experience.

May 3, 2025·14h

Steam User 2861STEAMNot recommended

+ nice aesthetic
- not the biggest fan of the mechanics

if you like/are interested in the mechanics I would recommend My Lovely Empress

Apr 30, 2025·1h·3·Verified

Steam User 9915STEAMRecommended

very fun, it is a bit tedious as you get further but i wouldnt say thats bad as keeps you locked in. i think the premise is awesome and love the visuals

Apr 29, 2025·9h·Verified

Steam User 1716STEAMRecommended

главное вдохновлять в себе НЕВЕЖЕСТВО, эту чистоту ума
и не забывать про ПОКАЯНИЕ и неудержимую НЕНАВИСТЬ К СЕБЕ

Apr 25, 2025·11h·Verified

Steam User 2568STEAMRecommended

고문을 고르라길래 내가 보기에 이쁜 애들 다섯을 골랐는데
한 달에 한 명씩 죽이라는 거예요

Apr 24, 2025·1h·Verified

Steam User 3947STEAMRecommended

7/10

Apr 23, 2025·7h·Verified

Steam User 9188STEAMRecommended

Cool idea, art, and style. Gets repetitive, though.

Apr 14, 2025·8h·Verified

Steam User 3482STEAMNot recommended

The theme is solid. It's bleak as hell. But in a rare twist the roguelite nature only does damage to this game.

After a few attempts, the theme can be thrown out the window and everything is quickly reduced to boring numbers and seeing meters going up and down. No matter important information is never really explained or apparent. This is "Bad RNG" the game made manifest. And it's all busy work in a bad way.

I did "complete" it once. Not recommended.

Apr 13, 2025·7h·11·Verified

Steam User 4538STEAMNot recommended

As a detective-style game, I was initially intrigued with the gameplay loop of balancing various stats while trying to hunt down the secret sinners in my community. If that was all the game was, I'd have an absolute blast. Unfortunately, there's an RNG element to the actions you take that is so punishing it renders the rest of the game pointless.

I'll give you an example. One of the stats is Obedience. If it falls below a threshold at the end of one season, it must get back to that threshold before the end of the next, or it's game over. I know this, and I'm fine with this, because I already have a non-sinner picked out that I can just focus on to complete that action one or two times to restore it.

That person went on to fail the action three times and I lost.

The problem is that randomly failing an action doesn't just give you a small bump to the relevant stat. It *reduces* the stat even more. And you only ever get three opportunities each season to raise stats.

Some people might enjoy that even your best schemes can be absolutely ruined by three bad rolls in a row, but in a game that prides itself on being a deduction game, this is simply unacceptable.

"BRO don't you get it!? It's Cthulhu, the whole point is humanity has no chance!"

Cool, this game has no chance of me recommending it either.

Apr 7, 2025·8h·30·Verified

Steam User 1640STEAMRecommended

献祭模拟器。氛围和美术还行，想杀人了就上去杀两个。但是一把很长，为了解压去的话可能会因为中道奔殂血压飙升。确实看运气吧。要顺溜杀完还挺难的。某种意义上很需要玩家的想象力去补全，并且也要耐心，这两点上感觉和《密教模拟器》有得一拼，但是密教的文本体量和变化确实是迷雾岛没法比的。仁者见仁智者见智，可能教主们会喜欢，但我也不敢打包票。对美术和音乐喜欢的话可以买着简单玩玩。

Mar 31, 2025·20h·Verified

Steam User 2837STEAMRecommended

튜토리얼이 없어서 초반에는 좀 헤메는것 말고는 지극히 단순함. 마우스만 있으면 싸이비 마을의 신이 될 수 있음.

평판이랑 미덕을 동시에 관리해야 해서 조금 힘든 편이다. 조금이라도 정신 놓는 순간 멀쩡한 애들 죽이고 평판 나락가거나 미덕이 박살나는 경험을 할 수 있다. 여기에 (아마도) 트루엔딩 조건인듯한 각성자 7명 만들기까지 달성하려 하면 복불복의 맛에 뒷목이 저릿해진다. 그래서 저는 엔딩만 봤습니다.

참고로 초반에는 평판이 까이는 걸 감수하고 각 가문 사람들의 악덕을 빠르게 해금해야 제물 바칠 때 쉬울 것 같습니다. 미덕도 한단계 쯤은 해금해줘야 짜잘이 미덕 올릴 때 쉬워요.
각성자 미션 달성하고 싶으시면 각 가문에 한명씩, 처음부터 꾸준하게 만들어주세요. 후반에 갑자기 만드려고 하면 평판관리+자리부족으로 힘듭니다.

Mar 25, 2025·5h·Verified

Steam User 1077STEAMRecommended

딱 열네시간동안 재미있게 함. 재미있어요. 엔딩 한개 봄
스트레스가 심해서 더는 안할듯. 엔딩이 일곱개나 있다니....

Mar 22, 2025·18h·Verified

Steam User 7836STEAMNot recommended

Looked promising, but in reality is a chore. I don't like it and won't play it again.

Mar 21, 2025·5h·2·Verified

Steam User 2114STEAMRecommended

A tentative recommend, mostly because I'd like to see a more fleshed out version of this.

It's got an okay atmosphere, soundtrack and visuals for a few hours, but as I continued playing, it just didn't feel like it built to anything, or developed into anything more complicated.
You have to juggle a few RNG elements, then after about about 20 minutes, you'll have an extra bit of RNG thrown in from their Sunken Sins DLC.
So, it's pretty good for 30 minute bursts, about what you'll need for each run, but I don't see this being anyone's favorite version of any of it's steam tags.

But, this was made by a few people on what I imagine to be a very small budget, and they don't ask a lot for it. They tried something, and essentially, they got it right. I'm sure they had ideas to expand and deepen this game, and I'd love to see them get the opportunity to do that.
If you're looking for a straightforwards management sim to burn a few hours on, you have nothing to lose in giving this a try.

Mar 20, 2025·3h·Verified

Steam User 5690STEAMRecommended

it's great, very unknown gem.

Mar 12, 2025·59h

Steam User 3874STEAMNot recommended

naaah, get something else

Feb 19, 2025·4h·Verified

Steam User 5630STEAMNot recommended

There are a lot of things I like about this game, and I do think it can be an enjoyable experience- which makes it hard to have to say I don't recommend it over all, but read my review and make your own choices based on what you like.

The positives about the game, it has great art direction and vibes. The theme and aesthetics and how you progress through it the first time can be satisfying and interesting. I really enjoy how the music progresses and changes as you get further into the game. If you like the idea of a dark cosmic horror resource management game it accomplishes being that very well.

Unfortunately what I find is lacking in the game is the depth that would make this experience worth playing more than once.

Basically you are using your limited actions each round to figure out which citizens have good or bad stats and try to find the worst ones to perform your obligatory seasonal sacrifice. You have to maintain the 5 virtues and 5 household's opinion of you high enough while doing this. Other reviews don't like the RNG that each character has random positive and negative traits but I don't mind that aspect. I do however find it lacking that their traits are just positives and negatives for when you utilize them and there isn't much further into it besides figuring out who is the worst so that you can efficiently sacrifice them with the least negative feedback from the houses.

So this esoteric and mysterious shell is really just covering a simple game of "guess who" try to find the bad people and don't make the people too angry game. There just isn't any more depth past that which makes replay value for me very low after one win, especially when there isn't too much variety with the endings with 5/7 of them being failing at the end with each specific stat being low.

The random events don't lead to much besides random stat modifiers. There is no depth to the characters beyond what you might come up with in your imagination during play.

Also the original game lasted 3 in-game years, with the free update they added it extends the game to 5 years which makes it a lot more difficult you run out of "major" sinners to sacrifice in this time so you have to start sacrificing lesser sins which hurts your stats more. It adds nothing to gameplay besides making it shallowly more difficult and chaotic at the end and it just seems like a missed opportunity for more depth, which I think is just lacking from this experience overall.

If you like the vibes and resource managing in a dark setting it can be entertaining for at least one playthough. I would def recommend looking to get it on sale as I didn't find much worthwhile in going back to it after one.

Feb 11, 2025·8h·6·Verified

Steam User 2308STEAMRecommended

玩法太模糊了，数值随机性又太强，整个故事逻辑并不严密，除了献祭就没有别的成就感了以至于没有什么游戏体验……克苏鲁风味不足（只有大框架）。美术风格倒是很不错，冲着这个美术我可以给好评。7.8rmb还算可以，算支持作者了

Jan 31, 2025·2h·1·Verified

Steam User 9390STEAMRecommended

A tenebrous & stygian experience.

Beautiful art.
I get the stylistic choice,
the default colours are presumably a reference to 'The King In Yelllow',
but it does hurt the eyes a little.
I found that turning fullscreen off & running at a lower resolution so that it's not taking up the whole screen helps,
but it would be nice if there were in-game sliders for contrast & brightness.
Game is pretty fun.
It will probably bring out your inner sadist.

Antideluvian.

Jan 28, 2025·Verified

Steam User 8011STEAMNot recommended

If you like the idea of the RNG aspect, this might be for you. But it shattered the suspension of disbelief for me. It was like adding an additional element of randomness that took me away from engaging with the setting and made it feel more like a dice roll simulator.

Try it out sale and see where your feelings fall. I can't imagine the gameplay loop deepens after a short amount of play.

Jan 24, 2025·1h·Verified

Steam User 1682STEAMRecommended

O jogo é simples, e não vai ter uma variedade na sua jogatina. Seria legal se tivesse uns minigames que determinassem o sucesso de algumas ações, como da Purificação, execução de tarefas dos conselheiros e do Interrogatório.
O jogo também poderia fazer com que nós, jogadores, sentissemos mais empáticos com os personagens, com alguma sistema de friendship/amizade e alguma background mais bonitinho. Os NPC's já tem um visual chamativo, só precisam de umas falas mais bem elaboradas e talvez uma história geral da família de cada um.

De resto, o jogo tem um visual maneiro, o motion design(acho que é esse o nome do tipo de animação usada) é bom, sacrificar pessoas com base no seu próprio julgamento é interessante e é ótimo para passar o tempo.

Vale a pena a desenvolvedora fazer uma expansão/jogo 2, porque o game ainda tem muito potencial.

Jan 22, 2025·26h·Verified

Steam User 9754STEAMNot recommended

rng fest

Jan 17, 2025·8h·1

Steam User 8427STEAMRecommended

I've played for nearly five hours and gotten absolutely nowhere! I sort of get what I'm supposed to be doing but it's very difficult to work out any sort of strategy. That said I dig it. I'd definitely wait for it to be on sale! I'm going to keep playing it but I doubt I'll ever make it to an actual ending which is a little disappointing because the story seems really cool.

Jan 6, 2025·5h·Verified

Steam User 9682STEAMRecommended

综合而言，还是给一个好评吧。
想要刷成就的，或者想要容易玩的，可以在右键属性测试点击 origin，然后游戏会更新到旧版，旧版只有3年就可以见到，而新版有5年。也就是说全村人死光或者全村人只剩下觉醒者的结局只能在新版出现。选择无就回来了。
这游戏随机性太强。

[b]村民们死的都是献祭，死的都差不多，死的不够艺术。[/b]

Jan 4, 2025·14h·Verified

Steam User 4274STEAMRecommended

Addictive

Dec 29, 2024·8h·Verified

Steam User 2034STEAMRecommended

Внебрачный сын-сигмабой Reigns

Dec 27, 2024·4h·Verified

Steam User 8189STEAMRecommended

The Shrouded Isle will show you that being the high priest of a dark god is a pretty dangerous job.

Any job, including picking flowers in a green field, can be stressful if your boss is a big enough bully. However, the threat of being yelled at, humiliated, having your bonuses taken away, or even fired is nothing compared to what awaits you as the high priest of the Slavic god Chernobog. As his name suggests, this boss will not tolerate any failures. If you don't sacrifice enough people and burn enough heretical books, he will climb out of the ocean and unleash a tirade that your rapidly cooling corpses won't be able to handle. Career prospects in The Shrouded Isle are very short-lived indeed.

The Shrouded Isle simply looks like a pleasantly depressing murder simulator with a very unique artistic expression. It's worth noting that you can swap out the basic green and black color scheme for a different color scheme if you don't want to spend a few hours feeling like you're staring at the contents of a bucket full of vomit. It's also important to know that one playthrough is usually quite short - don't expect a long campaign. Fortunately, there are 6 different endings, so there's place for replayability. [b] 15% [/b]

Dec 20, 2024·16h·9·Verified

Steam User 0918STEAMNot recommended

Just RNG.
Love the atmosphere and aesthetics but it really is just RNG. I really hate the plague/illness mechanic. It just adds a layer of complexity that is not warranted in a game that is heavily RNG based.

Trying to figure out everyone's vices/virtue is time consuming and unfun. I wish there were more ways I could do this instead of just clicking investigation button. Like being able to figure their traits out by looking at their dialogue or a way to befriend each member of my village so that I can uncover their secrets,

As it stands now, its all style and no substance.

Dec 14, 2024·4h·Verified

Steam User 6556STEAMRecommended

Must... Purify... More...

Dec 8, 2024·18h·Verified

Steam User 8643STEAMRecommended

Отличная игруха!

Dec 7, 2024·21h·Verified

Steam User 2188STEAMRecommended

Довольно занятная ресурс-менеджмент игра, замаскированная под симулятор колонии культистов . Сильный элемент лавкрафтианских мотивов также присутствует, тэги на обманывают.

Первые часа полтора-два, не будучи знакомым с жанром, силился понять, что игра от тебя хочет и по каким принципам вообще работает и поэтому кажется сверхзамороченной. Зато когда разобрался, оказалось, что наоборот, чересчур простая с минимумом механик и чрезмерно зависимая от рандома (не рандома самой игры причем, а того, что будет выбирать игрок практически вслепую на начальном этапе). Благодаря этому многим после первого прохождения или даже после первой же условно плохой концовки может наскучить. К тому же, сквозного сюжета как такового там, можно сказать, и нет, просто отдельные комментирующие ситуацию реплики персонажей да иногда встречающийся выбор из 2-3 вариантов во внутриигровых случайных событиях.
Рекомендовать всем и каждому ее не стану, но, тем не менее, какая-то своя атмосфера у игры есть и несколько часов вашего времени убить она вполне в состоянии.

Отдельно отмечу неплохой, хоть, как мне показалось, и не совсем подходящий к происходящему на экране саундтрек.

Dec 5, 2024·17h·4

Steam User 4304STEAMRecommended

[h1]...Мой верный слуга...
...Вы слабое звено... [/h1]

Большинство маленького и бедного приморского городка всегда самые [b]Complacent[/b] самые [b]Cowardly[/b] и подверженные [b]Swindle[/b]r.

Пропадите пропадом вы все в конце квартала под моим [i]ritual skewer[/i]
Меня выкинули эти жалкие [b]Artist[/b], неприятно
Все 3 остались [b]пробуди́вшиеся [/b]
Кто они такие, кто их помнит, кому они нужны

...Напоследок бы как говорится...
Шляпу [b]рвения[/b] сорвать с этого [b]Blackbornа[/b] бы
[b]Cadwell[/b] что б меньше [b]истуканы строил[/b] может быть
Ну [b]Iosefka[/b] он то как-то стоит [b]*булькает*[/b] так пускай стоял бы [b]*булькал*[/b] я б мог бы [b]устроить праздник[/b] в принципе ничего не соображают...

Тупые все, [b]нужно невежества....[/b]
Надоели, [b]нужно повиновение...[/b]
[b]Народ обленился нужно рвение[/b], к черту все ...

[h3]До свидания, С Праздником, The Morbid One![/h3]

Dec 4, 2024·9h·4·Verified

Steam User 8110STEAMRecommended

A fun bite, especially if you get it on sale. No way to revert to a previous save or regret a bad decision (unless you go into the Application Data folder and start manually backing up your save states). Good atmosphere in the beginning; the core loop gets repetitive at the end but still provides for a very enjoyable evening or two. Plays quite a bit like a visual novel, and if only it had a skip read / fast forward option like they usually do.

Dec 4, 2024·12h·3·Verified

Steam User 2138STEAMRecommended

this was a steal at $3. I wouldn't get it unless it's on sale, and tbh it's kind of a stat manager game which isn't my style but somewhat reminded me of Cult of the Lamb. it's easy to a degree but also the rolls can be insanely unfair. It is not hard at all to find the sinner to sacrifice but the advisors with such stats tend to heavily kneecap other sects, so it's best to take kind of a long road approach I guess. Haven't beaten it but will definitely chip away at it for $3

Dec 3, 2024·3h·Verified

Steam User 0483STEAMRecommended

....dunque, vorrei iniziare la recensione precisando una cosa: ho conosciuto Lovecraft grazie a dei vecchi libri di mia madre, quando avevo circa nove anni. Ovviamente a quell'epoca non avevo nè le conoscenze nè la capacità di leggere (e soprattutto comprendere) le tematiche di quei racconti. Credo sia stato tutto l'amalgama di centinaia di pagine fitte di scrittura e quella strana copertina (...Dio mio... quella copertina...) in cui l'ombra di un essere sofferente, umano solo in parte, pareva urlare da una crepa nella roccia bianca in una strana formazione montuosa. Successivamente mi sono deciso ad affrontare gli studi di letteratura nel mondo universitario, affascinato dall'alchimia di ciò che penna e carta possono far suscitare alle profondità del nostro animo. Mi trovo quindi in bilico tra due mondi quando mi confronto con questi titoli.
Preambolo necessario, anche in virtù della 'filastrocca' scritta da Clive Barker nel primo libro di Abarat. Ci sono tematiche che infettano mente, cuore e sogni, e non ho ancora una visione decisa sul fatto che siano o meno generate esclusivamente dalla nostra follia.
The Shrouded Isle ti prende subito. Ti fa entrare nella mentalità cultista delle piccole comunità isolate, e infonde il potere della 'scelta' riservato da sempre agli eletti. Sia chiaro, non sono mai riuscito a terminare il gioco, mai. Ma non è questo il punto. Il fatto è che sei sei disponibile a comprendere il messaggio e a lasciarti alle spalle per un attimo il sicuro rifugio della quotidianità, TSI è il gioco che fa per te. Abbandonati alle atmosfere e ai disegni offuscati dei seguaci.
E si, se poi in-game ti viene da sorridere, tieni sempre a mente ciò che Thomas de Quincey scrisse nell'Ottocento:
"L'ironia è tutto ciò che resta alla mente per non soccombere davanti alla realtà".

Dec 2, 2024·1h·1·Verified

LANGUAGE	AUDIO	SUBTITLES	INTERFACE
English	—	—	Y
Chinese (Simplified)	—	—	Y
French	—	—	Y
German	—	—	Y
Italian	—	—	Y
Japanese	—	—	Y
Korean	—	—	Y
Portuguese (Brazil)	—	—	Y
Portuguese (Portugal)	—	—	Y
Russian	—	—	Y
Spanish (Spain)	—	—	Y