ISLAND on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Sanzenkai Setsuna awakens on the shore of isolated island Urashima with no memories of his past. Befriending three local girls, Rinne, Karen, and Sara, Setsuna's quest to discover the secrets of Urashima and how they tie into his own past - and future - begins.
ISLAND is a visual novel, anime and story rich game
developed by Frontwing
and published by Frontwing USA.
Released on August 23rd 2018 is available only on Windows
in 3 languages: English, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.
It has received 1,661 reviews of which 1,580 were positive and 81 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.0 out of 10. 😍
The game is currently priced at 33.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified ISLAND into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS: 7/8.1/10
- Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: VRAM320MB, 1280×720
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 4 GB available space
- Sound Card: Support for PCM playback through DirectSound
- Additional Notes: Windows Media Player 9 equivalent or higher
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
ISLAND, developed by Frontwing and published by Frontwing USA, is a sweeping visual novel that blends romance, mystery, and science fiction into an ambitious and emotional narrative. At first glance, it presents itself as a familiar story—a young man awakens on a remote island with no memory of who he is or how he got there—but as the plot unfolds, it evolves into something far more complex. The setting, Urashima Island, feels isolated and timeless, steeped in local legends and traditions that hint at something hidden beneath its peaceful exterior. As the protagonist, who eventually takes the name Setsuna Sanzenkai, becomes entangled with three young women—Rinne Ohara, Karen Kurutsu, and Sara Garandou—he slowly begins to uncover secrets that tie together the island’s myths, its people, and his own mysterious arrival. What begins as a character-driven drama steadily transforms into a meditation on time, destiny, and the cyclical nature of human emotion. The structure of ISLAND is methodical, unfolding in distinct routes that must be played in a specific order. Each heroine’s story reveals new layers of the central mystery and explores different emotional and thematic dimensions. Karen’s route focuses on rebellion and the desire to escape the island’s boundaries, reflecting a yearning for freedom and individuality. Sara’s route dives into the island’s spiritual history, blending ritual, faith, and the tension between science and superstition. Finally, Rinne’s route serves as the emotional and narrative climax, weaving together the threads of the previous stories into a single, resonant conclusion. The game’s true ending ties these arcs together in a way that feels both tragic and uplifting, offering answers to the lingering questions while leaving space for interpretation. The narrative design encourages players to think about the connections between each route, rewarding patience and curiosity with a deep, layered story that can only be understood in full through repetition and reflection. What distinguishes ISLAND from many other visual novels is its atmosphere. The game excels at creating a sense of place—Urashima feels both idyllic and suffocating, a world cut off from time itself. Its blend of coastal beauty and quiet melancholy gives the story a haunting tone that mirrors its themes of memory and inevitability. The pacing can feel slow at first, as the early hours focus on daily life, character interactions, and the small details that define island living. Yet that slow burn pays off as the story begins to shift into deeper mysteries. Each discovery feels earned, and when the plot’s science-fiction elements surface—time loops, paradoxes, and questions about identity—they feel like natural extensions of the emotional groundwork laid early on. The sense of progression from innocence to revelation is one of the game’s most satisfying elements, as it transitions seamlessly from grounded slice-of-life storytelling to something philosophical and profound. The presentation is another area where ISLAND shines. Frontwing’s signature art style gives each character and location warmth and expressiveness, while the use of color and lighting accentuates the mood of each scene. The game’s soundtrack is equally impressive, filled with soft piano melodies, sweeping orchestral pieces, and ambient tracks that enhance the emotional tone without overwhelming it. Each heroine’s route is punctuated by unique musical cues that help define their personalities and emotional journeys. Voice acting, particularly in the Japanese version, adds further depth, giving the cast distinct personalities and emotional nuance. While the English localization is solid, some of the subtleties of tone and wordplay inevitably get lost in translation, though the spirit of the story remains intact. Altogether, the audiovisual presentation works in harmony with the narrative to immerse players completely in Urashima’s world. That said, ISLAND is not without its flaws. The pacing, while deliberate, can test a player’s patience, especially in the early common route where the supernatural elements take a backseat to daily routines and comedic exchanges. Some of the writing can feel overly verbose or melodramatic, particularly in moments of exposition where the story leans heavily on pseudo-scientific or metaphysical explanations. The later revelations, which involve time manipulation and identity twists, require a suspension of disbelief that may not resonate with everyone. For some players, the shift from grounded human drama to high-concept science fiction can feel jarring, and not all the narrative threads tie together as neatly as intended. A few of the routes, particularly those leading to alternate endings, can also feel uneven in tone or pacing compared to the main story. However, these inconsistencies are balanced by the emotional sincerity at the game’s core. Even when the story takes bold leaps into surreal or improbable territory, it does so with conviction and heart. Ultimately, ISLAND stands as one of Frontwing’s most ambitious and emotionally driven visual novels. It dares to tackle grand ideas about love, loss, and the passage of time while grounding them in deeply human relationships. It’s a story that asks players to look beyond surface events and consider the nature of connection—how people can transcend their circumstances, how choices echo across generations, and how even in isolation, hope can endure. The experience is long, reflective, and at times demanding, but for those willing to invest in its slow unfolding, it offers a powerful emotional payoff. ISLAND is less about solving a mystery and more about understanding what it means to live, to remember, and to reach for something eternal. It’s a rare example of a visual novel that marries heartfelt romance with philosophical storytelling, leaving a lasting impression long after the final scene fades. Rating: 9/10
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Genuinely insane game. If you liked Himawari or Fata Morgana you'll probably like this. Protagonist is likable and the early chapters (before getting to the meat) are a super easy read because they're a lot of fun.
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I haven't played a visual novel yet that's sucked me in quite like ISLAND. The Flowchart system is fantastic and allows for easy navigation of different paths, saving a ton of time of backtracking and skipping previous text. The soundtrack is fantastic as well, I'm going out of my way to listen to a couple of the songs on Spotify. Please go in as blindly as possible when reading this, as spoilers will definitely ruin the game more than they will in others.
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'ISLAND' is a VN that tells the story of a protagonist who travels through time to save a girl. The story will start casually full of comedy until the middle of the route branch, we readers will be taken to the complications of each heroine. The story of each heroine is delivered well and easy to read because the pacing is right and not long-winded. Even completing one heroine route sometimes doesn't feel long even though it takes a long time. And the ending of each heroine is very satisfying, especially Karen, even though her name is 'Karen' but me as reader can only smiles when reading her route. All that goodness till Winter route, Damn that route writing is really messed up. And the main heroine is made really annoying too. I swear, this is the first time I've skipped a story for a VN that I've never read. Every time the main heroine yapping, it's really crazy long without looking at the situation and sometimes it's taken too long. There is a scene where all the characters die at that day. But the heroine yap so much as if nothing happened. In that route too, the climax scene was written in a rush, there was even a time when the CG shouldn't have showed yet, but it did, it immediately felt how rushed the climax of the Winter route was made. Well, at least the last two routes really returned to the initial format and were easy to read again. The only thing that was a little disappointing was that the ending was made into a Cliffhanger .
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Frequently Asked Questions
ISLAND is currently priced at 33.99€ on Steam.
ISLAND is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 33.99€ on Steam.
ISLAND received 1,580 positive votes out of a total of 1,661 achieving an impressive rating of 9.03.
😍
ISLAND was developed by Frontwing and published by Frontwing USA.
ISLAND is playable and fully supported on Windows.
ISLAND is not playable on MacOS.
ISLAND is not playable on Linux.
ISLAND is a single-player game.
There is a DLC available for ISLAND. Explore additional content available for ISLAND on Steam.
ISLAND does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
ISLAND does not support Steam Remote Play.
ISLAND is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for ISLAND.
Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 29 January 2026 00:34 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 26 January 2026 15:30 |
| Steam price | 28 January 2026 20:20 |
| Steam reviews | 28 January 2026 16:08 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about ISLAND, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about ISLAND
- SteamCharts - Analysis of ISLAND concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck ISLAND compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
3
Developer
Frontwing
Publisher
Frontwing USA
Release
23 Aug 2018
Platforms