Motte Island is a game I wish I could recommend without reservations, but unfortunately there are many aspects that end up bringing down what could have been a much more enjoyable experience. Hence this review should be understood as a very guarded recommendation (and yet another borderline case that highlights the need for a "neutral" button for these reviews).

An indie game through and through, the light shining through the cracks in Motte Island's surface reveals a bigger ambition that felt short of realization. The gameplay could be described as a crossbreed of Resident Evil with the top-down perspective and the combat sytem of a simplified Hotline Miami, while the familiar plot rehashes basically every Lovecraftian-esque horror adventure ever made. The story is paper-thin and predictable, stretching itself to allow for a number of fetch quests typical of the genre. Apart from some nice lighting effects, the graphics and animation are crude, and the sight of the main character just sliding through the screen makes for a jarring initial impression.

So far it all sounds pretty dire. Why the positive rating then? What did I find enjoyable about the game? Well, quite a few things, actually. With the right state of mind and expectations in check (and let me stress how important this is when approaching any indie game in general) there's fun to be had here. There is a simple purity to this game that feels refreshing. Yes, the graphics are primitive, but the developer added some neat effects that really add to the horror experience. Watch those creepy corrupted flies invade your screen, or jump at the shadows darting in the corner. The plot may be overly familiar, but the setting is not: instead of the overused Cthulhu stuff we face a strange breed of moth-like demons. Meanwhile, the challenge is set at a very forgivable level and thankfully the bosses are not impossible, so the story can be experienced at a rather leisurely pace. There are also some static first-person sequences that break up the monotony of the top-down perspective (the lockpicking micro-game, however, felt unnecessary).

Charm aside, the game does feel rough around the edges. The poor writing can be excused, but the typos and the bad grammar are unacceptable in this day and age, especially when you're creating a game that conveys its backstory mainly through books and documents. I encountered a couple of bugs that were thankfully solvable by quitting and restarting the game. The combat is barebones and unsatisfying. Disconcertingly, in my playthrough I wasn't able to find a gun (except for the mandatory one) despite bumping into ammunition at every corner, and while there are a variety of melee weapons available, they all felt pretty similar in terms of damage output.

All things considered, my final verdict tilts slightly towards the positive, therefore this review. What we have here is a classic, short horror story which may have little in the way of surprises but that provides a modicum of entertainment. Approach the game with a casual mindset and you might find yourself enjoying it more than you probably should. I did.

Motte Island is a game I wish I could recommend without reservations, but unfortunately there are many aspects that end up bringing down what could have been a much more enjoyable experience. Hence this review should be understood as a very guarded recommendation (and yet another borderline case that highlights the need for a "neutral" button for these reviews). An indie game through and through, the light shining through the cracks in Motte Island's surface reveals a bigger ambition that felt short of realization. The gameplay could be described as a crossbreed of Resident Evil with the top-down perspective and the combat sytem of a simplified Hotline Miami, while the familiar plot rehashes basically every Lovecraftian-esque horror adventure ever made. The story is paper-thin and predictable, stretching itself to allow for a number of fetch quests typical of the genre. Apart from some nice lighting effects, the graphics and animation are crude, and the sight of the main character just sliding through the screen makes for a jarring initial impression. So far it all sounds pretty dire. Why the positive rating then? What did I find enjoyable about the game? Well, quite a few things, actually. With the right state of mind and expectations in check (and let me stress how important this is when approaching any indie game in general) there's fun to be had here. There is a simple purity to this game that feels refreshing. Yes, the graphics are primitive, but the developer added some neat effects that really add to the horror experience. Watch those creepy corrupted flies invade your screen, or jump at the shadows darting in the corner. The plot may be overly familiar, but the setting is not: instead of the overused Cthulhu stuff we face a strange breed of moth-like demons. Meanwhile, the challenge is set at a very forgivable level and thankfully the bosses are not impossible, so the story can be experienced at a rather leisurely pace. There are also some static first-person sequences that break up the monotony of the top-down perspective (the lockpicking micro-game, however, felt unnecessary). Charm aside, the game does feel rough around the edges. The poor writing can be excused, but the typos and the bad grammar are unacceptable in this day and age, especially when you're creating a game that conveys its backstory mainly through books and documents. I encountered a couple of bugs that were thankfully solvable by quitting and restarting the game. The combat is barebones and unsatisfying. Disconcertingly, in my playthrough I wasn't able to find a gun (except for the mandatory one) despite bumping into ammunition at every corner, and while there are a variety of melee weapons available, they all felt pretty similar in terms of damage output. All things considered, my final verdict tilts slightly towards the positive, therefore this review. What we have here is a classic, short horror story which may have little in the way of surprises but that provides a modicum of entertainment. Approach the game with a casual mindset and you might find yourself enjoying it more than you probably should. I did.