Isoland Reviews

[h1]The Wolf Among Us Plays Isoland: A Chaotic, Flirty, and Slightly Drunken Review[/h1] [b]A Script Featuring Bigby, Snow White, Toad, Colin, Nerissa, Faith, Beauty, Beast, and Bufkin[/b] [Scene: Fabletown Office – Late at Night] A group of familiar Fables sits around a laptop, bathed in the glow of the screen. A desk lamp flickers ominously. Scattered across the table are half-eaten Chinese takeout containers, a nearly empty whiskey bottle, and a sad-looking bowl of popcorn. Bigby is lighting a cigarette. Snow is watching him with her classic “I’m tolerating this” expression. Colin is making himself way too comfortable. Toad is already regretting showing up. Bufkin is excited. Beauty and Beast are whispering to each other like this is marriage counseling. Faith and Nerissa? Well, they’re here for the drama. ACT 1: The Setup Bigby: (exhaling smoke) Alright, let’s get this over with. Snow White: We are playing Isoland because— Colin: (interrupting) Because Snow wants us to bond. Even though I bond best with whiskey. Toad: I bond best by NOT sittin’ around watchin’ a bunch of idiots struggle with puzzles. Bufkin: I bond best through the magic of literature! Faith: (leaning on Nerissa) I bond best when I’m being showered with compliments. Nerissa: (grinning) Same, honestly. Beast: This could be fun! Right, Beauty? Beauty: (deadpan) Sure, if your definition of “fun” includes watching Toad throw a tantrum. Toad: (muttering) It ain’t a tantrum if the game’s just stupid. Nerissa and Faith exchange looks and smirk. ACT 2: Enter Isoland (Game launches. The eerie hand-drawn world of Isoland appears on the screen. Mysterious music plays.) Bigby: …Alright. So where the hell are we? Snow White: We’re on an island. That much is clear. Faith: (teasing) Ooooh, Bigby’s confused already. Shocking. Nerissa: (grinning) Do we need to hold your hand, Sheriff? Bigby: (rolling his eyes) Very funny. Colin: (chewing popcorn) Can I just say, this game already looks pretentious as hell? Bufkin: No! It’s artistic! Toad: (grumbling) Looks like a toddler drew it. A sad, miserable toddler who loves puzzles and pain. Nerissa: (leaning back) Mood. ACT 3: The Puzzles Begin (They click around aimlessly. A door is locked.) Bigby: (squinting) Alright, what’s the puzzle here? Faith: “The answer lies within.” Ugh. That sounds like something a guy says right before he ghosts you. Nerissa: Or right before he tries to sell you a life-changing pyramid scheme. Colin: “Invest in yourself, babe.” Beauty: (snorts) “Just work harder, and you’ll be rich like me!” Beast: (offended) Not all guys talk like that! Faith & Nerissa: (staring at him) …Mmhm. Toad: ‘Ow ‘bout we talk less and solve this sodding puzzle? Bufkin: Maybe we have to listen to the island’s wisdom… Bigby: (groaning) For the last time, Bufkin, the island isn’t talking to us. ACT 4: Backtracking and Betrayal (They finally unlock the door… only to realize they need an item from the first area.) Bigby: …We have to go back? Snow White: Apparently. Colin: I hate everything about this. Toad: I hate this more than I hate rent day. Nerissa: (grinning) I love watching men suffer. Faith: (smirking) Me too. This is the best game ever. Beast: Okay, we just need to retrace our steps. No big deal. Toad: No big—?! Mate, I swear, if you tell me to retrace me steps one more time, I will throw this laptop out the bleedin’ window. Bufkin: Perhaps the true puzzle… is the journey itself… Bigby: Bufkin, shut up. ACT 5: The True Ending Is a Scam (After hours of suffering, they finish the game… only to find out about the “True Ending.”) Bigby: (staring at the screen in disbelief) …We have to replay the entire game? Snow White: (also staring) But… harder? Colin: (cackling) YOU IDIOTS REALLY THOUGHT THAT WAS IT?! Faith: No. No way. I refuse. Nerissa: (leaning on Bigby) How about you play it for us? We can, I don’t know, supervise? Faith: (flirty) Yeah, Bigby, be a gentleman. Do it for us. Bigby: (exhales smoke) Not even if you paid me. Nerissa: (grinning) What if we made it worth your while? Snow White: (warning glare) Don’t even try that. Faith: (mock innocent) What? We were just going to buy him a drink. Nerissa: (grinning) Maaaaybe. Beauty: (to Beast) They’re worse than us. Beast: (nodding) Much worse. ACT 6: The Final Verdict Bigby: Alright, final thoughts. Snow White: It’s beautiful but frustrating. Colin: It’s a scam, and I respect it. Toad: A literal crime against humanity. Bufkin: A metaphor for life’s complexity. Nerissa: A beautiful disaster. Like most men I’ve met. Faith: (grinning) Exactly. Beauty: Exhausting, but kinda charming. Beast: …Never playing it again. Bigby: I give it… 7 out of 10. Could use fewer riddles, more action. Snow White: Everything doesn’t need to be a fight, Bigby. Bigby: …That’s a terrible philosophy, Snow. Colin: I give it a 9 out of 10, but only because watching all of you struggle was hilarious. Toad: Zero. Out of bloody ten. Bufkin: (dramatically floating) 10 out of 10… for the journey. Everyone: (simultaneously) SHUT UP, BUFKIN. [FADE TO BLACK] The screen flickers off. The group sits in silence for a moment. Faith: So… drinks? Nerissa: Oh, absolutely. Bigby: (stretching) Finally, something I actually want to do. Snow sighs, already regretting everything. [b]THE END.[/b] [hr] [h1]Isoland: A Whispered Mystery[/h1] Upon the shore where silence sleeps, A world of echoes, dark and deep. A painted sky, a muted sea, A puzzle locked—a lost decree. The island hums, though none may hear, Its secrets trapped in time unclear. A lighthouse blinks, its eye half-closed, A tale unwritten, yet composed. Each door is shut, each path concealed, A cipher scrawled, a fate revealed. Yet answers shift like grains of sand, Eluding grasp, denying hand. The figures speak in cryptic tones, Their faces carved from weathered stone. A question lingers, soft yet dire— Are we the ones who light the fire? Backwards, forwards, round we go, Tracing steps in ebb and flow. The key was ours, yet lost again, A lesson learned, but not if when. And when at last the truth unfolds, It slips between the cracks of old. A circle drawn, a loop unbroken, A world of riddles left unspoken. To chase the past, to seek the end, To solve, to falter, to pretend. Isoland whispers—soft, unseen— A waking thought, a fleeting dream. Yet deeper still, beyond the veil, Lies truth disguised, both faint and frail. A glimpse of knowledge, out of reach, A lesson time has yet to teach. Each step reveals a tale untold, A story carved in whispers cold. A past we lost, a future blurred, A message trapped in distant words. And in the end, we turn once more, To knock upon a distant door. Yet as we reach, the lines erase— A fleeting truth we cannot trace. What is the island? What are we? A thought, a loop, eternity. The answer lies in shadowed lore— But leave, and you shall find it… nevermore.

I am very conflicted about this game. There are some things you need to do to complete it that are not hinted at in any way, and even after knowing the solution, left me wondering how you were supposed to guess you could do that. [spoiler]In part 1, how are you supposed to know that if you shake the plant three times you can get the knob for the drawer? Other things in the game shake as well, but they do nothing, so it's up to luck that you think to click everything that moves three times in a row. Then in part 2 you have the six triangle-shaped stones. How do you know the order you have to place them in to open the secret door that appears in the temple? After seeing the solution in the only guide there is, I do not know how or when the player noticed the pattern, as it is left unexplained.[/spoiler] That being said, the extremely cheap price and charming, standout artstyle combined with most of the puzzles being (in my opinion) telegraphed enough makes me think it is still worth the experience. I can't wait to see what Graeldon's grandkids thinks about this game in some 70 years when they carry out his legacy of reviewing every Steam game.

[h2]Aliens and a sea monster are fighting. A sailor runs up and says, “I’m wearing sneakers.”[/h2] Cotton Games created not just a puzzle, but a whole series of games with an incredibly interesting plot, a creepy atmosphere and many characters. [h3][i]Plot.[/i][/h3] Once on the island, we have no idea what secrets await us. After a nice conversation with the lighthouse guard, a sailor and even an astronaut, we understand that there are many more secrets than it seems and we begin to investigate these mysterious things. [h3][i]Visuals.[/i][/h3] My respects to the visuals in the game. Bizarre art and a very atmospheric soundtrack are captivating from the first minutes and make the playthrough interesting. And a lot of dialogues and jokes do not let you get bored. [h3][i]Final.[/i][/h3] I played the game about 7 years ago on my phone and now I have purchased all the parts on Steam. The puzzles are still just as interesting, and the fact that more parts have been released during this time only makes it more exciting. [code]If you read the review and liked it, don't forget to give it a thumbsup;)[h3][i]The further - The better♥️[/i][/h3][/code]