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The Missing - Review Thread (new Swery game, PS4 / XONE / Switch / PC)

takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
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ResetERA OT by cj_iwakura

Out Now on PS4, Xbox ONE, Switch and PC


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OpenCritic - 80 (Strong)


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Metacritic (PC) - 78
Metacritic (PS4) - 77
Metacritic (NSW) - 79
Metacritic (XONE)- 83



Reviews:

  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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 behind
    dysphoria, identity, and social fallout for a while.
    The Missing is what happens when the same earnestness is delivered through a modest budget and a prominent, if not schismatic, name. It's a dip in the mainstream, and personally more interesting than games without either the will or interest in making statements beyond gameplay.
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  • 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?
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • [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.
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Video Reviews:

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Thread will be updated with new reviews, please share them in this thread.
 
Last edited:
salromano

salromano

Mr. Gematsu
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
2,924
Noice, I'm glad Swery's first game from his new studio is doing well. Hopefully The Good Life does equally as well / better.
 
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takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
Ryuhza said:
What a surprise! That reminds me, what became of The Good Life? Did it meet its goals?
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Yup, successfully funded after a last-minute push. There's monthly KS updates and the game seems to be making a lot of progress.

edit: here's the Era Thread

cj_iwakura said:
(This already got more mainstream reviews than 428 did, easy.)
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Yeah, 428 felt like a quiet release. But still, we got it after all these years and people who played it seemed to really love it.
 
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Francesco

Francesco

Member
Nov 22, 2017
2,521
I was going to give it a shot, but playing through the whole of Deadly Premonition makes me worried af.
That shit still burns.
 
Young Liar

Young Liar

Member
Nov 30, 2017
3,410
I've never heard of this game before, but now I am super intrigued and will put it on my list of games to play when I have the time and money!

I enjoyed watching Deadly Premonition unfold, and SWERY and his team help keep games weird, so I'm all for this.
 
Ardiloso

Ardiloso

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,368
Brazil
Looks ok but I was watching more videos on XBL and the constant moaning really put me off, it's worse than Tomb Raider 2013. I live in apartment and don't want the neighbours to think I'm on Pornhub all day.
 
Francesco

Francesco

Member
Nov 22, 2017
2,521
cj_iwakura said:
What did you despise? The gameplay, or how it ended?
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Both?
I loved the concept, but the repetitive nature kicks in really early, and the action bits were just a drag. The ending was the cherry on top: I kept going for the mystery, and there were little to no signs it would have turned the way it did.

Completely fucked crazyness out of nowhere.

I was just so underwhelmed, almost felt mocked for hoping for a resolution that ties it all together. Instead it felt like something somebody came up with in an hour while sitting on the toilet. Like a Resident Evil movie.

I have to say I liked the main character a lot.
Really charming, although derivative from Twin Peaks a bit. Doesn't take away the nice dialogues though.

I also started paying attention to how much I disagree with almost anything 7/10-Jim-Sterling says ever since.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,195
Coral Springs, FL
Francesco said:
Both?
I loved the concept, but the repetitive nature kicks in really early, and the action bits were just a drag. The ending was the cherry on top: I kept going for the mystery, and there were little to no signs it would have turned the way it did.

Completely fucked crazyness out of nowhere.

I was just so underwhelmed, almost felt mocked for hoping for a resolution that ties it all together. Instead it felt like something somebody came up with in an hour while sitting on the toilet. Like a Resident Evil movie.

I have to say I liked the main character a lot.
Really charming, although derivative from Twin Peaks a bit. Doesn't take away the nice dialogues though.

I also started paying attention to how much I disagree with almost anything 7/10-Jim-Sterling says ever since.
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I can get that, the ending left a bad taste in my mouth too(though for a different reason), but I loved how down to earth the game was. My favorite bits were driving around listening to York ramble about old movies.
 
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takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
Two new reviews from smaller sites

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.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

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.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
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takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
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.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


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 behind
dysphoria, identity, and social fallout for a while.

The Missing is what happens when the same earnestness is delivered through a modest budget and a prominent, if not schismatic, name. It's a dip in the mainstream, and personally more interesting than games without either the will or interest in making statements beyond gameplay.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
OP
OP
takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
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.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
OP
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takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
Shizuka said:
No video reviews?
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The one by Jim Sterling linked above, a couple of reviews by very small Youtubers and Heather Alexandra from Kotaku started a play-through of the game on Twitch:



edit:

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?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

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.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

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.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
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kami_sama

kami_sama

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,998
I really like these scores, shame that the Switch version was delayed to the 31st in Europe :(
 
KLoWn

KLoWn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,890
Waiting for the Switch version, and if it turns out it's shit I'll just roll with the PC version.
 

Deleted member 21411

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,907
From what I've played if you love swery already you won't be let down. This is the first gameive played of his I don't feel like there's anything intentionally bad this time either
 
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takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
Reedirect said:
Hmm, spoiler in the title even. Great job Kotaku.
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Normally, I'd agree. But this game is a pretty special case where it feels like there's a big audience (especially here on Era) who would be interested in checking out The Missing for its approach to telling a special story. But most won't know about it because, at a glance, it looks like a run-of-the-mill side scroller with some Swery weirdness. I think a slightly spoilery headline like this is fine if it gets more people to pay attention to the game.

That Kotaku article alone would probably justify its own thread and discussion. I just have no idea how you could do that without ruining some of the experience for others who haven't played it yet.
 
Reedirect

Reedirect

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,049
takoyaki said:
Normally, I'd agree. But this game is a pretty special case where it feels like there's a big audience (especially here on Era) who would be interested in checking out The Missing for its approach to telling a special story. But most won't know about it because, at a glance, it looks like a run-of-the-mill side scroller with some Swery weirdness. I think a slightly spoilery headline like this is fine if it gets more people to pay attention to the game.

That Kotaku article alone would probably justify its own thread and discussion. I just have no idea how you could do that without ruining some of the experience for others who haven't played it yet.
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And then you have a whole other group of people, heavily interested from the beginning, who now had an important story beat spoiled for them. I'd love for Swery games to get the most attention possible, but if clickbaity, spoilery titles is the way we have to take, I have my reservations.
 
Tizoc

Tizoc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,792
Oman
Game showed up on Wingamestore so I guess I'll grab it from there soon so I can get points towards store credit XP
 
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takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
Reedirect said:
And then you have a whole other group of people, heavily interested from the beginning, who now had an important story beat spoiled for them. I'd love for Swery games to get the most attention possible, but if clickbaity, spoilery titles is the way we have to take, I have my reservations.
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Fair point. But I don't think the headline gives away much more than every trailer or teaser for the game. They all open with the line "This game was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for being what they are." I certainly went in with certain expectations regarding the story, but the game still surprised me.
 

Deleted member 679

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,741
Reedirect said:
And then you have a whole other group of people, heavily interested from the beginning, who now had an important story beat spoiled for them. I'd love for Swery games to get the most attention possible, but if clickbaity, spoilery titles is the way we have to take, I have my reservations.
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It only spoils something that is immediately obvious after around 3 minutes of playing the game. Or even looking at the screenshots page of the game's website. Don't worry.
 
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takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
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.
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Strawhat_Do said:
Anyone know the name of the songs that plays during the launch trailer?
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It's an original song called "Main Theme from The Missing", don't think you can buy/stream it anywhere right now but White Owls uploaded it to their YT page

 
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takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
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.
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KennyLinder

KennyLinder

Game Designer at EA
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
3,614
Does anyone know how long the game is? I am after something reasonably short (like Inside etc).
 
KaiPow

KaiPow

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,116
I'm still waiting for our PS4 review code to arrive. We got offered other platforms, but I'm not sure what the hold up is.
 
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takoyaki

takoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,677
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.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

 
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