(Reviewed on Nintendo Switch by Games of DAYNE)
Isolomus is unique in many aspects but the most striking feature is easily its visuals. Presented in stop motion animation with hand sculpted plasticine, Isolomus is a gritty but charming horror adventure that can be completed in as little as 10 minutes and offers a pair of endings where it is up to the player to decide which one is the worst. Clever, unique and even unsettling, Isolomus is a one of a kind experience for players on Nintendo Switch and PC.
Adopting point and click mechanics Isolomus asks little from the player mechanically speaking. Understanding what is going on is the real challenge and the ambiguity, oddness and outright abstract happenings are a compliment to the experience, not a negative.
As the game is so brief and so simplistic it’s difficult to go into much detail, Isolomus is an experience that is better to be had than read about. The unsettling madness and interpretive storytelling remains intriguing throughout the brevity of the experience.
The score is consistently ominous and the sound effects are appropriately sharp and effective. The sheer ridiculousness, absurdity and ambiguity of Isolomus are so irresistibly enticing and more-ish, that even without understanding what is happening, you can’t wait to see what happens next.
Isolomus is one of the most unique games I have ever played and yet admittedly, I have no idea what I experienced and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The open interpretation approach to the story allows the mind to wander and think metaphorically, philosophically and even read into things to the point where you know you’re likely wrong. Without any context to suggest otherwise, how you interpret this beautifully hand crafted world is up to you.
+ Stunning stop motion animation using handcrafted plasticine
+ Odd, unsettling and creepy
+ Bizarrely mesmerizing
+ Interpretive storytelling
– Extremely short, left wanting more (like a true psycho)
– Little replay value after exploring other ending
– A little more complexity with the gameplay wouldn’t hurt
Developed by: Michael Rfdshir
Published by: Sometimes You
Release Date: April 14 2021
Platforms: Nintendo Switch and PC
* A digital code was kindly provided by the Publisher for the purpose of this review. *
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