Rakuen gives full range to the power of its truth. It’s thoughtful, beautiful, sad and funny. It presents itself as a childlike narrative game, but it offers unsettling and affirming truths about the way we live. I feel privileged to have spent time with its characters, with their weaknesses and their strengths. This is an extraordinary game.
A lovely game with a compelling storyline/themes, nice character designs/art, and a beautiful soundtrack that will surely shine your light. If you're onto games with an emotional substance, this one is for you. Highly recommended.
A phenominal story game full of amazing characters an is charming and bittersweet but ultimately life-affirming with an incredibly well crafted soundtrack with emotional vocal performances and tracks from world class composer Laura Shigihara.
it is just a joy to experience as the story unravels, easily worth anyone's time!
I can't recommend it enough!
Rakuen is the kind of game that makes me want to be a better person. It reminds us that we are all part of a community in some form, and each person in that community has their tale to tell, challenges they struggle to overcome, and a need for some form of companionship. Deeply human, Rakuen visits all sorts of worlds that give insight into what it means to be alive, face loss, and take advantage of the now. I won't soon forget the gift Shigihara has given us, and I have enough here to think about and reflect on for years to come. Thank you.
It may have some flaws, but Rakuen really is an adventure worth taking. It successfully executes on modest heartfelt ambitions, and perfectly captures the vision of its creator - a rare occurrence in modern game design.
There's no denying that Rakuen has some incredibly strong components. At the same time, it's hard to shake its more basic shortcomings, be it the technical limits of its engine or the plodding exploration. Its most brilliant and glowing scenes stand out and stick with you, but Rakuen remains just a dose or two short of healthy.
Without question, Rakuen is an ambitious indie endeavor and I admired many aspects of it—the Boy’s authentic child-like wonder in the face of real human tragedy, the funny and endearing inhabitants of Morizora Forest, and the mystery surrounding the Boy’s hospital stay, to name a few. But my dissatisfaction with the puzzles and ending make the game difficult to wholeheartedly recommend. It really comes down to what kind of game you’re in the mood for. If you want a game that’s mostly story, then the number and type of puzzles in Rakuen will likely turn you off. If you’re looking for more of a story-puzzle balance regardless of how well the two are integrated, you’ll probably have a better time with Rakuen than I did. And if you’re in the mood for a game to make you cry—well, this one will, I guarantee it. I just can’t promise it’ll be the catharsis you’re looking for.
It's that moment when you don't want to write a review or pros/cons.
Everything is great in this game. It's relatively simple, but the topics it raises are very... Very complicated.
This is the most touching story about death I've ever played in my life.
It would be perfect to play with your child.
Real RPG with all positives and negatives. For me in real rpg there is too much searching and to much dialog. What is most interesting about this game? Five stories told in a pretty unexpected way. There are two worlds the real one and fantasy world. In both of these worlds you find same characters. Each story contains realistic and fantasy elements. All of this is sewed together and adds deepness, colour, understoodment of characters. Nice storytelling. Thanks for release.
This game truly is amazing. It has everything an amazing game should need. Fun enough gameplay. An amazing story that in my opinion can compete with Oscar winning films. The beginning of the game is slow, but it allows us to get a grasp on the amazing world that Laura Shigihara has created. The latter end of the game is something only the Gods could’ve made, because it was extremely beautiful. The music is superb, it’s what drives the story from amazing to masterpiece. The game’s plot looks very childish at first, as you are in the eyes of a young child who has recently gone to the hospital and soon entering a magical world, but this game gets deep and very mature during certain story arcs in the characters you meet, dwelling on death, child abuse, loss of loved ones and diseases. Truly an amazing game.
SummaryRakuen is a story-based adventure game about a little Boy who becomes bored with living in a hospital, and eventually asks his mother if she'll escort him to the fantasy world from his favorite storybook. Throughout the game, the Boy begins to learn more about the patients who live around him. They each have their own secrets and struggl...