STONE

I'm 50/50 really... On the one hand it is really cute and feels very personal on some levels. I think the devs mean really well. And the soundtrack is super. However, the writing would have needed to be a little bit more snappy, at times the voice lines overlap, the mystery is easily figured out, and the overall tempo is off. It could have been elevated with better voice actors, but hey, it is what it is. It's pretty unique I'd say, and I appreciate that. But it could had been so much more.

Game looked fun but the more i played the game the more bored i got from the experience. After the swearing and shock humor wears off. Ignoring the really bad voice acting. I just couldn't be bothered to keep playing this game.

So............this is not a great game, and it has numerous flaws.........but it's also not entirely awful (I seriously wouldn't recommend you buy it mind you, unless it's on a [b][u]DEEP[/u][/b] sale! This is a third-person "mystery" where you play a hard partying koala trying to track down his missing lover, although for all intents and purposes it's essentially a visual novel as there is no real detecting to do, and there certainly aren't multiple outcomes or anything like that. Just wander around (and the objectives in the upper left of the screen certainly leave no mystery about what you're to do next) and click your mouse and/or press E and the story will unfold. *[b]Positives[/b]* -Story- It's actually not a bad story, and if the game were put together competently (hint: It's not) this would be a lot more compelling of a game. -Graphics- They're not great, but they're colourful and the models for the various animals are decent, and there's even a few nice little graphical touches, like how the screen develops a blur if you have too many drinks (not that it lasts beyond the building you're in.....just leave and, BOOM, instant sobriety). -Music/Movies- The soundtrack is decent (even if there's WAY too much crappy hip-hop and techno ♥♥♥♥♥ compared to the amount of rock music) and there's opportunities to watch entire public domain movies at the theatre or on your television (NIght of the LIving Dead, etc.) which is a nice touch. *[b]Negatives[/b]* -Voice Acting- How on bloody earth can a game made in Australia feature such weak, inconsistently accented voice acting?!?!? I mean, you're hiring Aussies to do your voices, hire someone for the main character that actually sounds like an Ozzie 100% of the time rather than drifting in and out of some bizarre, almost Australian accent similar to Kevin Kostner's attempts at an English accent in that ♥♥♥♥♥ Robin Hood movie from decades ago. Some of the characters are okay, but even the ones with decent (and consistent!) accents deliver some of the weakest line readings in video game history. Truly not good -Voice Syncing- It's terrible. Really. Old Japanese kaiju movies had better, more synced up dubbing than this. It's distractingly bad. -Pacing- It's soooooooooo slow, and I don't just mean in terms of plot progression, I mean character movement, line delivery, huge pauses between lines, everything that could make the game feel punchier and more responsive feels like treacle. -Character Freedom- Despite the fact that there's multiple locations on the world map, three of them are meaningless (the record store just allows you to listen to music, the theatre just plays a movie for you to watch, and the sauna just features the protagonist sitting in a steam filled room) and the rest have perfunctory interactions (with badly, sloooooooooooooooowly delivered, poorly read dialogue) that will only occur if it's that time in the story-line.....otherwise there's nothing to do beyond progress the plot). So, it has some good points (decent story-line if someone else was writing and delivering the dialogue, colourful graphics with some nice touches, and some potential to interact with a wide selection of music and movies within the game), but the rest is dragged down with a bloody anchor by the rather poor voice acting, line delivery, lack of in-game freedom, lethargic dialogue and a raft of minor narrative issues. At least it's over quickly and there's no bugs that I encountered.... ........... .......................... Sadly not recommended.

[h1] のんだくれコアラおじさん [/h1] ……を操作して、突如いなくなった恋人を探すアドベンチャーゲームです。 次にどこに行くとか、誰に話すとかの指示が出るので迷うこともなく、 野太い声のコアラおじさんの、じっとりとしたストーリーが進んでいきます。 およそ2～3時間もあればクリアできると思います。

Un juego que pretende ser de estilo noir y detectivesco con un gameplay mínimo, se traduce en mover el personaje de un punto A a un punto B, y ver los dialogos, eso es todo, no hay puzzles, desafios, nada que explorar ni investigar. En este tipo de juego la historia debería ser su punto fuerte lastimosamente es muy aburrida, posee diálogos genericos y carentes de personalidad. y no hay nada de detectivesco o estilo noir. El novio del koala "desapareció" y empieza a hablar con sus amistades para saber a donde fue, solo busca a su ex que lo abandonó. Durante la historia podremos elegir distintas respuestas a las conversaciones, pero no sirve de nada, solo cambias 1 o dos lineas de dialogo y todo queda igual. La traducción al español me parecio horrible, no es español de latinoamerica ni tampoco hay español de España. Es como que contrataron a un mexicano para que metiera la mayor cantidad de modismos en el juego al punto que si no eres de mexico no entiendes nada. En muchas ocasiones tus opciones de dialogo son ''no mames'', ''neta'', ''wey'' cuando el personaje pregunta que quieres de tomar. No es ni una traducción coherente del dialogo en ingles.

As an Australian, it was a no brainer to pick up a game about a rough around the edges Koala on a mission to solve a mystery. I finally decided to give it a go after it sat in my library for a while, and while it wasn't what I expected, I genuinely enjoyed the experience that Stone had to offer. I should emphasise that this game is very much an experience and not a traditional noir game. You won't be solving puzzles or trying to choose the right responses, but exploring the universe that the devs built, while following along in the player-guided narrative. I really enjoyed the music and how it helped create distinct atmospheres in each location. I will definitely be following up on some of my favourite tracks from this game. The characters are the heart and soul of this game. If you're Australian, and visited some of the smaller towns out of the big city, than these personalities are definitely ones you'd come across. It was comforting and comical, with dialogue definitely something you'd hear if you eavesdropped at a bar - maybe minus kidnapping discussion. This game might be a bit more difficult to digest if you're not Australian, and expecting more of a 'game' than a visual novel. But if you're willing to give it a shot, it's certainly a ride! Thanks to the devs and everyone involved! I look forward to your future projects and can't wait to see what you produce in the future!

I love detective games and I love LGBTQIA+ plots, but this ain't it. This game is let down by overly simplistic graphics, annoying club music, lazy writing, and poor voice acting. It does have some classic films you can watch, but if I wanted to watch a movie, I'd be doing that, not playing a game. 3/10. It gave me a headache.

[h1]Stylisches Nicht-Spiel mit tollem Soundtrack[/h1] Ein mittelmäßiger Privatdetektiv, den Drogen nicht abgeneigt, Hip-Hop-Liebhaber, schwul und ein Koalabär – all das ist Stone, Protagonist in dem gleichnamigen Adventure des australischen Indie-Entwicklers [b]Convict Games[/b]. Zu Beginn des Spiels wird dessen Welt komplett auf den Kopf gestellt, denn Stone wacht nicht nur alleine in seinem Bett auf, sondern erhält darüber hinaus einen anonymen Anruf, dass sein Freund Alex entführt wurde. Nachdem er den ersten Schock verdaut hat, entscheidet Stone, die Angelegenheit in die eigene Hand zu nehmen und Alex zu finden. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2670640477 Ob dies gelingt und wer hinter der Tat steckt, wird an dieser Stelle natürlich nicht verraten, wer es herausfinden will, wird aber ohnehin nicht sehr viel Zeit einplanen müssen, denn mit rund eineinhalb bis zwei Stunden Spielzeit ist [i]STONE[/i] ein relativ kurzes Vergnügen. Im Laufe der Geschichte, welche in kurze Akte und Kapitel aufgeteilt ist, besuchen wir verschiedene Orte und treffen auf schräge Charaktere, besonders viel zu tun gibt es allerdings nicht. Zwar können wir Stone frei durch die sehr kleinen Szenerien steuern, neben den vorgegebenen Stellen gibt es jedoch meist nichts zu entdecken, es gibt auch keine Rätsel oder gar ein Inventar, die zu erledigende Aufgabe wird automatisch am oberen Bildschirmrand eingeblendet. Auf Knopfdruck kann Stone auch eine Zigarette rauchen bzw. in einem Club tanzen, warum man das machen sollte, erschließt sich leider nicht, denn es hat schlichtweg keine Auswirkungen. Selbst, dass in den Dialogen zwischen zwei Antworten entschieden werden kann, hat keinen nennenswerten Einfluss oder verändert gar die Geschichte. Dadurch fühlt sich [i]STONE[/i] mehr wie ein Film, in dem wir den Hauptcharakter steuern, als ein Spiel an – was nicht unbedingt negativ, aber in jedem Fall vor dem Kauf wissenswert ist. Grafisch präsentiert sich [i]STONE[/i] annehmbar, die Charaktere sind hübsch gestaltet und animiert, die Szenerien zwar farbenfroh, sie wirken aber leider doch recht steril und durch die fehlenden Interaktionsmöglichkeiten auch etwas leblos. Alle Figuren haben eine englische Synchronisation mit australischen Slang erhalten, die Untertitel können dabei nicht ausgeblendet werden, was auf der einen Seite den Filmcharakter unterstreicht, auf der anderen Seite aber auch etwas störend sein kann. Über jeden Zweifel erhaben ist für meinen Geschmack hingegen der Soundtrack, der mit vielen interessanten Indie-Künstler*Innen aus den Genres Hip-Hop, Electronic, Pop und Stoner Rock aufwarten kann und mir wirklich sehr gut gefallen hat. Daneben werden sechs Spielfilme, darunter der Klassiker [b]Night Of The Living Dead[/b] aus dem Jahr 1968, mitgeliefert, die man im virtuellen Kino anschauen kann – warum und wieso man das tun sollte, bleibt allerdings ebenfalls ein Geheimnis. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2670639937 Hat mir [i]STONE[/i] trotz aller Kritik Spaß gemacht? Ja. Würde ich es jedem empfehlen? Definitiv nicht. Dafür ist es etwas arg kurz geraten, dafür lässt es an zu vielen Stellen Potenzial liegen und dafür ist es für viele wohl auch einfach zu wenig „Spiel“. Warum sich [i]STONE[/i] dennoch lohnt? Weil es neben dem kuriosen Hauptcharakter eine solide Story, eine gelungene Präsentation, netten Humor und einen fantastischen Soundtrack bietet. Man sollte also nicht mit zu hohen Erwartungen an [i]STONE[/i] herangehen und das Spiel möglichst im Sale erwerben, denn dann kann man durchaus ein bis zwei Stunden lockere Unterhaltung erwarten. [quote] Mehr Reviews gibt es auf [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/39911361/]meiner Kuratorenseite[/url]. :) [/quote]

They never did give you a clean up the flat option.

STONE is a narrative-driven detective adventure developed and published by Convict Games, offering an experience that prioritizes storytelling, atmosphere, and character development over traditional investigative mechanics. Set in a stylized version of Australia inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, the game follows private investigator Stone, a koala whose carefree lifestyle is disrupted when his partner, Alex, suddenly disappears. What begins as a search for a missing loved one gradually evolves into a deeply personal journey that explores regret, addiction, loss, and the struggle to confront one's own past. Instead of relying on action or high-stakes combat, the game builds its appeal through immersive world-building and an emotionally grounded narrative. The strongest aspect of STONE is its unique identity. Rather than imitating familiar noir detective stories, it embraces Australian culture with confidence, filling its dialogue, locations, and humor with regional flavor that makes the setting feel authentic. Stone himself is far from the typical video game hero. He is flawed, often making questionable choices while attempting to piece together both the mystery surrounding Alex's disappearance and the emotional turmoil within his own life. Conversations with a colorful cast of characters reveal different perspectives on the city and its inhabitants, making each interaction feel meaningful even when it does not directly advance the investigation. Visually, the game adopts a minimalist low-poly art style that emphasizes mood instead of realism. Neon-lit streets, cozy bars, apartments, and dreamlike environments create a memorable backdrop that suits the noir-inspired atmosphere. While the graphics are technically modest, the artistic direction gives every location its own personality. Lighting and color are used effectively to shift between calm moments of introspection and surreal sequences that reflect Stone's fragile mental state. The presentation proves that a distinctive visual identity can be more impactful than graphical complexity. The soundtrack is another major highlight. A carefully selected mix of jazz, hip-hop, electronic tracks, and mellow instrumentals complements nearly every scene, helping establish the game's relaxed yet emotionally charged tone. Combined with solid voice performances, the audio design gives life to conversations and environments alike. Whether exploring the city, questioning characters, or simply spending time in one of the game's optional leisure activities, the music consistently reinforces the atmosphere and becomes one of the experience's most memorable qualities. Gameplay is intentionally simple, placing the emphasis on exploration, dialogue, and environmental storytelling instead of puzzles or combat. Players are encouraged to wander through the city, interact with its residents, uncover clues, and participate in optional activities that flesh out Stone's personality and daily routine. Drinking at bars, relaxing, dancing, and other seemingly mundane interactions serve a narrative purpose by illustrating the protagonist's habits and emotional state. Those expecting complex detective mechanics or action-heavy gameplay may find the experience too passive, but players who appreciate slower, story-focused adventures will likely find its deliberate pacing rewarding. The mystery surrounding Alex's disappearance serves as the central thread, yet the narrative gradually shifts toward more introspective themes. STONE examines loneliness, self-destructive behavior, guilt, and personal redemption through surreal dream sequences and symbolic storytelling that leave room for interpretation. Rather than providing every answer directly, the game invites players to reflect on its events and characters, making the story more emotionally engaging than a straightforward detective mystery. This approach gives the adventure a lasting impact, even if some narrative elements remain intentionally ambiguous. Although the game offers limited replay value due to its linear structure, players may still return to revisit conversations, uncover overlooked details, or simply enjoy its atmosphere and exceptional soundtrack. Its relatively short length works in its favor by delivering a focused narrative without unnecessary filler, making it an ideal choice for those looking for a story-driven experience that can be completed over a few sessions. STONE is not designed for everyone. Players searching for challenging gameplay systems, intricate puzzles, or fast-paced action may find its leisurely progression and emphasis on storytelling less engaging. However, those willing to embrace its cinematic pacing, memorable protagonist, distinctive Australian setting, and emotionally layered narrative will discover an adventure that stands apart from conventional detective games. Convict Games successfully delivers an experience driven by personality and atmosphere, proving that compelling writing and artistic vision can leave a stronger impression than spectacle alone. Rating: 6/10