Hello everyone, I am a reviewer. Today I will talk about the game "Soul Island". To be honest, I was a little hesitant when I first got it - another sandbox survival game? But after playing it for two or three days, I found that it was indeed somewhat different. Today I'm not just going to brag or criticize. I want to use this game to discuss with you what we should pay attention to when rating the game.
Let's talk about the picture first. "Soul Island" adopts a hand-drawn style, not the kind of textures that pursue extreme realism, but cartoon renderings with bright colors and rich details. The island scene includes vegetation, caves, and beaches. The changes in light and shadow are very natural, and the switch between day and night is not abrupt. I think this level is above average on mobile platforms, with a score of 8. However, the scoring criteria need to be discussed by type. If placed in a survival game, this style will be recognizable - it will not be filled with "Unreal 4 Stitch Monsters" like some homogeneous products.
The gameplay is the highlight. Survival, sandbox, RPG, plot exploration, the four are well integrated. At the beginning, you are homeless on Soul Island, and you have to collect resources, make tools, and build a shelter from scratch. At the same time, there is a main plot: saving your family. This plot line is not just a show, it is advanced through exploration, dialogue, and decryption. NPCs have personalities, and their choices will affect the ending. The sandbox part has a high degree of freedom. You can build houses, farm, and tame animals, but it is not as completely open as Minecraft. RPG elements are reflected in character growth, skill trees, and equipment systems. The overall pace is not particularly fast, and it was a little slow in the early stages. Later, I learned to arrange my time reasonably and it got better. I gave the gameplay 7.5 points and deducted 0.5 points because the tutorial guidance is a bit weak. Newbies may not know what to upgrade first and which boss to fight first.
In terms of money, this game is free to download, and the mall sells skins, acceleration props, and rare materials. I took a closer look and found that most of the core content (such as the main plot, full map exploration, and most skills) does not require any money. It doesn't matter whether you buy acceleration props or not, because you can completely rely on your liver. But there's a problem: if you don't spend money, the warehouse capacity will be a bit tight and require frequent sorting. In fact, this is a forced design, but not too serious. I give the Krypton Gold Dimension a 7. It's neither shady nor boastful. It's one of the more conscientious free games.
In terms of social interaction, there is currently only asynchronous interaction (such as visiting other people's homes and likes), and there is no real-time team formation or PVP. This is actually in line with the positioning of a single-player immersive experience, but if you like to play with friends, you may feel lonely. The social dimension scored 6 points, which is not rich enough but does not deduct points because the game itself is not focused on social interaction.
To sum it up, I think "Island of Souls" deserves an overall rating of 7.5 points (out of 10 points). Where did this score come from? My scoring criteria are: graphics, gameplay, monetization, and social interaction each account for 25%, but will be fine-tuned based on the type of game. For example, in the survival sandbox category, the gameplay weight is raised to 35%, and the social weight is reduced to 15%; if it is an online game, the social weight will be higher. This game has a good balance between gameplay and money, and the graphics are also unique. The only shortcomings are social interaction and early guidance. So 7.5 is a reasonable score - it's fun enough, but still far from a "masterpiece".
Finally, let's talk about the scoring criteria themselves. Many people tend to go to extremes when rating: either giving full marks because of feelings, or giving low marks because of a small bug. I think it is more rational to first clarify which platform this is for players, then split each dimension, and finally add a "comprehensive experience score" to consider whether the game exceeds expectations. For example, "Soul Island", as a free mobile game, is better than I expected - the plot, resource management, and production system are all sincere. But if you compare it with 3A, of course it won't work. Therefore, there must be a frame of reference for scoring.
Okay, having said all that, I just want to ask you: What dimensions do you value most when rating games? Picture? Plot? Or no money? Welcome to chat in the comment area, maybe next time I can use your standards to test new games. 😄