ResetERA OT by cj_iwakura
Out Now on PS4, Xbox ONE, Switch and PC
OpenCritic - 80 (Strong)
Metacritic (PC) - 78
Metacritic (PS4) - 77
Metacritic (NSW) - 79
Metacritic (XONE)- 83
Reviews:
- Game Informer - 8/10
Like its surprisingly heartfelt narrative, this quirky indie side-scroller came out of nowhere, but I'm glad I didn't miss out on The Missing.
- Gamespot - 8/10
The Missing is smaller and more mechanically conventional than Deadly Premonition or D4, but its components remain focused on distinctly a Swery game: a dark, idiosyncratic experience that tells a deeply personal story that's as confronting as it is sincere. It is absolutely not for everyone, but as the game reminds us, there is nothing wrong with that.
- IGN - 8/10
The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories is an evocative, offbeat adventure with a sinister yet imaginative gameplay hook. Its story suffers slightly from subpar voice acting and an eagerness to tell more than show, but for the most part this is a dark, strange and utterly compelling journey into the tortured mind of its main character, and one absolutely well worth taking.
- Destructoid - 7/10
The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories, is a short, dark trip through the nightmare of youth; growing up, discovering yourself, and existing in a society that rarely understands.
- EGM - 9/10
The Missing might be Swery's least ambitious game yet, but that's a good thing. It benefits from having a tighter gameplay focus and a clearer, more emotional message. It's still weird and meta in all the right ways, but underneath the cleverness is clarity and purpose. When's the last time that a video game reminded you that death is permanent when everything about death in video games is temporary? It's rare that I feel like a game is actually reaching out and trying to make a personal connection, and The Missing resonated with me like few games do.
- Eurogamer - Recommended
But even with those sizeable misgivings and 101 content warnings (expect explicit content, including extreme violence, sexual topics, and depictions of suicide), The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories is a brutal but beautiful tale that'll stay with you long after you lay down your controller.
- Nintendo World Report - 8/10
In many ways, The Missing feels like an experiment in what kind of stories a game can tell, and it can be tough to get into. If the graphic subject matter doesn't turn you away, then the rigid controls and poor performance on Switch might. But despite the rough edges I loved journeying across the eponymous island of memories to learn J.J.'s story while solving puzzles and crossing obstacles in ways I've rarely had to think about before. It's a game that touched me on a personal level and one I'll be thinking of for a long time to come.
- Medium - No Score
This is a game that is going to be more than a cult classic, it's a cultural milestone for the portrayal of these themes in gaming and one that deserves to be experienced and talked about for years to come.
- Trusted Reviews - 7/10
Without spoiling anything, The Missing's latter third tackles topics that most games would shy away from. While I struggle to fully take it seriously at times—the voice acting in cutscenes is occasionally laughable, and those cutscenes are broken up by the limb-severing puzzles, complete with those giant mechanical monkeys — I admire its ambition, and the effort it puts into fleshing out J.J. as a character makes the ending feel impactful.
- Push Square - 9/10
The Missing: J.J Macfield and the Island of Memories marries its remarkable storyline with memorable gameplay mechanics to form a truly exceptional and meaningful experience. No matter which walk of life you originate from, there's a monumental amount of positivity to take on board from Swery65's latest masterpiece.
- Select Button - 8/10
The Missing: J.J Macfield And The Island Of Memories is a heartfelt yet dark emotional tale, wrapped in a side-scrolling puzzle-platformer. It has macabre overtones, especially considering you are required to lose your limbs and at times throw them to dislodge objects to advance. There is a sense of poetry in The Missing, tying together emotions of death and rebirth.
- Gamereactor EU - 8/10
The end of the game drags a little too long with some frustrating sequences, but that doesn't stop The Missing from being one of the most interesting games we've played this year, with its fine balance between bleak horror and off-the-wall comedy. The dismemberment mechanics are fresh and require you to think in new ways, and the mysterious story is incredibly enticing and made us want to push on and find Emily. It might tear you apart, but The Missing is certainly one you won't want to miss.
- Hardcore Gamer - 7/10
Particularly when it comes to discovering all secret, tucked-away collectibles whereupon a combination of the three main injury types — decapitation, concussion and burning — all come into play, one way or another. While its evident The Missing on a structural front is taking a few striking cues from Playdead's own distinct flavor of puzzle-platforming (complete with physics, block-pushing and scripted chase set pieces alike) a la Limbo and Inside, there's enough intrigue woven into the narrative to dispel the notion the game is simply a cheap imitator.
- God Is A Geek - 8/10
Sometimes an elevator pitch just cannot do justice to an idea.
I mean, don't get me wrong: had someone said to me that The Missing was a side-scrolling horror-adventure game about an unkillable girl who repeatedly commits gruesome suicide in order to solve the mystery of her best friend's disappearance, I'd still have downloaded it straight away. Add the name SWERY to the mix (that's Hidetaka Suehiro, for those not In the know, who happened to be the mind behind the legendary Deadly Premonition) and I'd download it twice.
But, and this is the bit that continued to surprise me the more I played, The Missing is so much more than its core conceit.
- Indie Game Website - 9/10
The Missing could well be the most honest game I've ever played, and it's tricky to say why without taking from its most powerful moments. White Owls has crafted a compelling and respectful experience that seeks to listen more than most. If you aren't opposed to weirdness, and looking for the most out of the medium, book a trip to Memoria. It's well worth it.
- MSPoweruser - 8/10
The Missing is a good game with a unique mechanic (although I too remember Rebellion's NeverDead) that houses a fantastic and touching story. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a game that will stay with you for years to come.
- Bonus Stage - 10/10
The Missing: J.J. Mayfield and the Island of Memories is such an unbelievably good, engaging, haunting and heartbreaking game. When all the pieces line up - when everything becomes clear and you realize what the island really is - your stomach drops and you are impossibly damaged by the news.
- Metro UK - 7/10
Despite how macabre all that sounds death is only a minor inconvenience in The Missing and you can return your actual body to life whenever you want – even if you manage to completely die as a shadow. It all creates an impressively varied range of puzzles, as you use severed limbs as weights, set yourself on fire on purpose, and otherwise sacrifice yourself in the pursuit of your friend.
- Digital Chumps - 8.5/10
The Missing opens with the message: this game was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for being what they are. This is an admirable and uncommon foundation when games are typically consumed with traditional ideas of player empowerment. Games in the indie space have been trying to relate issues behinddysphoria, identity, and social fallout for a while.
- Game Critics - 9/10
Those rough spots aside, The Missing isn't just a great game — it's an important one. It uses grim and upsetting content to put players inside of the mind of a troubled person, then offers them a path towards healing. It doesn't suggest that overcoming mental and social problems is easy, but it resonates like few other things have in recent memory. I can't say that I personally related to J.J.'s struggle, but by the end of the story, I can say that I felt her pain — and isn't that what art is for?
- Shindig NZ - 10/10
The Missing: J. J. Macfield and the Island of Memories is a lot of things. It's a nifty puzzle platformer that cleverly plays around with the expectations of the genre. It's a heartfelt tale of friendship, of love, of tragedy, and of hope. It's a game about being true to oneself, even though the journey to reach that point is often a painful one. Most of all, it's a game that says everyone has a right to exist and to flourish and to be loved.
- Monster Vine - 8/10
Satisfying puzzles, an intense atmosphere achieved through dark environments and unsettling audio, and heartfelt storytelling come together to make The Missing a worthwhile experience if you're looking for a game that combines serious issues with more than a touch of the macabre.
- [SPOILER!] Kotaku - No Score
Last night, I finished The Missing. My initial impression of the game was that it's a sweet but extremely bloody puzzle-platformer, peppered with queer overtones. […] It's been on my mind all morning.
- [SPOILER!] Video Game Choo Choo - No Score
There was a feeling that was incredibly difficult to parse as I played through the game, that I gradually realized is probably natural for so many people, that I really felt wholly for the first time as I played. The Missing is an uplifting game […]
- [SPOILER!] The Verge - No Score
The Missing is not the game it appears to be. The sidescrolling platformer initially seems like the sort of quirky, inventive, and slightly clumsy game we've come to expect from its lauded Japanese writer and director, Swery. In reality, The Missing is a stunning queer narrative about the brutality of trying to become who you are, and an argument for why painful, violent stories about queer existence matter. I expected an off-beat romp; I found a broken mirror, instead.
Video Reviews:
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