The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories
The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories | |
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Developer(s) | White Owls Inc. |
Publisher(s) | Arc System Works |
Engine | Unity |
Platform(s) | Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
Release | 11 October 2018 |
Genre(s) | Puzzle-platformer |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories (The MISSING - J.J.マクフィールドと追憶島 -, Za Mishingu - J.J. Makufīrudo to Tsuioku Shima -) is a puzzle-platformer horror video game developed by Hidetaka Suehiro's White Owls Inc. for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It was published by Arc System Works and released on 11 October 2018.
Overview
The game's premise is that J.J. Macfield, the player character, is searching for her friend and love interest Emily after she goes missing on a camping trip. After J.J. is struck by lightning, she cannot die and must inflict grisly wounds on herself in order to solve the game's puzzles. Throughout, players unlock text messages that reveal her backstory and her motivation for her self-harm.[1]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | NS: 74/100[2] PC: 78/100[3] PS4: 77/100[4] XONE: 84/100[5] |
Kotaku highlighted the game for being "transgressive and shockingly frank in talking about LGTBQA+ issues".[1] Metro appreciated the game's "surreal mix of coming of age drama and genuinely creepy survival horror", but noted tonal missteps and deficiencies in voice acting and writing.[6] Destructoid, like Metro, considered SWERY to borrow perhaps too heavily from Twin Peaks, but found The Missing appealing as a "brave, subtle, and at times cruel ... adventure featuring gorgeous animation, affecting visuals, and stomach-churning sound effects".[7]
The game was nominated for "Games for Impact" at The Game Awards 2018,[8][9] and won both awards for "Game, Original Adventure" and "Song, Original or Adapted" with "The Missing" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.[10][11]
References
- ^ a b Alexandra, Heather (16 October 2018). "The Missing Gets Queer Love Stories Right". Kotaku. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ "The Missing: JJ Macfield and the Island of Memories for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ "The Missing: JJ Macfield and the Island of Memories for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ "The Missing: JJ Macfield and the Island of Memories for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ "The Missing: JJ Macfield and the Island of Memories for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ "Game review: The Missing: J.J. Macfield And The Island Of Memories is very odd". Metro. 15 October 2018. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Moyse, Chris (14 October 2018). "Review: The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories". Destructoid. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (13 November 2018). "The Game Awards 2018 nominees led by God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2". Polygon. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ Grant, Christopher (6 December 2018). "The Game Awards 2018: Here are all the winners". Polygon. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- ^ "Nominee List for 2018". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^ "Winner list for 2018: God of War breaks record". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.