press

reviews

Polygon: 9.5/10
“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.”

Rock Paper Shotgun: RPS Recommended
“The result is something enchanting. I haven’t felt so swept away by a world in so long, and was utterly compelled to explore it as deeply as I could.”

IndieObscura – “Editor’s Choice”
“And after completing the game, I truly do feel it’s a creative masterpiece.” 

GameStar: 87/100 (Gold-Award, Extraordinary Story Award)
Hey Poor Player: 5/5
The Zombie Chimp: 93%
Spawn Point (Australian Television Show): 4.5/5
CGMagazine: 9.5/10
Teamnerd: 10/10
RPGFan: 87%
Boston Bastard Brigade: 4.5/5
Geeklyng: 8.5/10
4players.de: 88/100
PC Indie Master Race: 9.5/10

Selected Articles and Interviews:

Rakuen is one of the best storytelling games of 2017
-SaveorQuit.com

Why I Just Let Go and Cried — Thoughts on Rakuen
-Roberto Villegas, Medium

Death is Not the End in Rakuen
-Jonathan Campoverde, GameChurch

Rakuen Review – Coping with Misfortune
-Imtiaz Ahmed, PowerBombAttack

High Scores: How Laura Shigihara Created “Rakuen” and its Soundtrack
-Casey Jarman, Bandcamp

Composer and director of Rakuen on crafting an evocative soundtrack
-Joel Couture, Gamasutra

‘Rakuen’ Has Heapings of Heart
-Aditya Prakash, The Emory Wheel

Indie Spotlight: Rakuen “Worldbuilding via musical design”
-Meghann O’Neill, PC PowerPlay

Rakuen: The Empathy Simulator (German)
-Florian Zandt, Superlevel.de

A Beautiful Story About a Sick Boy and his Mum
-William Kirk, GameCloud

Rakuen – Interview with Laura Shigihara (Italian/English)
-Nayru, TeamNerd

Podcasts/Video Interviews & Reviews:

Sunder Video Interview
Rakuen, Potential Game of the Year (The Portly Gamer)
Game Church Podcast
GeeklyNg Podcast
RPG Grinders Podcast