Ghost on the Shore
Ghost on the Shore
Game
Game2023
The Wreck
Developer The Pixel Hunt
The Wreck is a 2023 narrative adventure game by The Pixel Hunt. Players control a woman who attempts to process the events of a traumatic day while experiencing a repeating car wreck. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
172 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
90
LovedLoved
95 positive · 10 negative
95% range 83–95%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 95 | 10 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 5 | 1 | 55 |
| Mastodon * | 4 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
102 of 114 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
90% recommend · 96 yes, 11 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 107 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (254 of 287 positive).
Players praise the game's emotional and mature storytelling about grief and family. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the minimal gameplay and repetitive mechanics as drawbacks. [4][5][6] A few players criticize the game for its political themes and motion sickness issues. [7][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [5]
+ A well-written story about loss, sorrow, resentment, guilt and love that self-unfolds nicely (when it's not tied to any gameplay parts) - The main character, Junot, is highly unlikable - The gameplay bits drag the story into a incredibly boring, groundhog day slogfest. There are way better means to advance a story (like, for example, As Dusk Falls) - Bought it after it got a "Bestest Bests" Rock Paper Shotgun …
- [1]
The Wreck is a 3D visual novel that covers a variety of mature themes. It takes an elaborate, realistic, and difficult look into some of life’s most complex hardships. Centred around the intricate nature of family relationships, grief and self-acceptance, The Wreck covers these topics brutally honestly, but also maintains its flair of sophistication and class throughout. Pros Immense character depth Realistic and …
- [4]
I recommend on condition that it's not a game really, and you are fully aware of that. It's an interactive visual novel. Visually it's excellent. Characters and emotions are very realistic, feels a lot like a personal story, something that really happened to someone and then was made into this experience. I was little bit disappointed though because I hoped for more game. You know, actually making choices and doing …
- [8]
This is one of the most emotionally honest games that I have ever played. Trauma is tackled very realistically and you should definitely heed the content warning at the beginning. But for me, the journey through Junon's life and slowly but surely figuring out what the car crash meant, was really beautiful. the graphic style took a bit getting used to for me but soon enough I really came to appreciate the more …
- [2]
The Wreck is an emotional 3D visual novel and interactive fiction that follows failed screenwriter Junon as she experiences one of the most pivotal days of her life. Players must relive the past and change the present in a bid to successfully shape the future. It has a consistent minimalism in terms of both stylisation and gameplay that really emphasises the detailed story and intriguing characters, which are …
Summarised from 34 of the 173 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked The Wreck talk about emotionally honest and touching story; those who didn't talk about repetitive gameplay and minimal interactivity. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Rock Paper Shotgun designated The Wreck as one of their favorite games of the year and called it "a wonderfully sensitive examination of grief, family, toxic relationships and personal discovery". GamesRadar recommended it to fans of video games with a strong narrative and said it left them with "a lasting impression". A month after its release on Steam, it sold about a thousand copies, and it sold another thousand on other platforms. It was nominated for excellence in narrative at the 2024 Independent Games Festival. It won the Apple Design Award for Social Impact and the App Store Award for Cultural Impact in 2024.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 172 · most liked firstWe're proud to reveal our collaboration with Pierre Corbinais (Bury Me, My Love, Haven) and the Pixel Hunt (Inua, The Wreck) on Wednesdays! On the topic of child sexual abuse, Wednesdays is a peaceful narrative game exploring Tim's memory in a fragmented story. www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Il...
neutral · AI labelView post →+ A well-written story about loss, sorrow, resentment, guilt and love that self-unfolds nicely (when it's not tied to any gameplay parts) - The main character, Junot, is highly unlikable - The gameplay bits drag the story into a incredibly boring, groundhog day slogfest. There are way better means to advance a story (like, for example, As Dusk Falls) - Bought it after it got a "Bestest Bests" Rock Paper Shotgun recommendation - trust is broken :)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Wreck is a 3D visual novel that covers a variety of mature themes. It takes an elaborate, realistic, and difficult look into some of life’s most complex hardships. Centred around the intricate nature of family relationships, grief and self-acceptance, The Wreck covers these topics brutally honestly, but also maintains its flair of sophistication and class throughout. Pros Immense character depth Realistic and detailed approach to sensitive themes & characters…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On November the 13th, if you're lucky enough to have a PS5 or a Nintendo Switch, you might get even luckier and treat yourself with a PHYSICAL VERSION OF THE WRECK!!! This amazingly cool piece of news would have never happened without @redartgames.bsky.social and @raccoonbiz.bsky.social, so: 💖💖💖
neutral · AI labelView post →Donkey Kong Bananza is what the Wreck-It Ralph tie-in game could've been if they locked in
neutral · AI labelView post →Call me crazy, but I think The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald would make a kick ass video game.
neutral · AI labelView post →I got maximum value off Rise from the Wreck one game and I could feel my opponent die a little inside. Then they died a lot on the outside. I'm going to bed now 😂
neutral · AI labelView post →Finishing file prep for the Wreck League™️ beta which has infected the hours from 11pm - 3am over the past week while I demolish x files seasons
neutral · AI labelView post →“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” is stuck in my head. This is because Spotify basically (for me) exclusively plays sea shanties and/or video game songs trying to be sea shanties, covered by epic metal bands with operatic vocals, and this is a condition i greet with great enthusiasm
neutral · AI labelView post →itching to write a blog about how the main inspiration behind the dialogue system in Building Relationships came from the devastating grief game The Wreck
neutral · AI labelView post →Junon works as her mother’s assistant in her successful art business, but longs to be her own boss as a screenwriter. Experiencing a tragedy in her personal life, Junon has become emotionally numb and wayward, and is struggling to join society in any meaningful way. Things become even worse when her mother suffers a brain aneurism and is critically ill in hospital, and Junon is called to hospital to make an important decision on her welfare. The situation stirs up painful memories and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really do not enjoy having to write a negative review but in this case I'm not going to turn a blind eye and let it be. This game, as so many games nowadays, is pushing a social and political agenda so hard. On top of that, it also makes a complete mockery out of Jesus Christ and Christianity. A quote from the game: “The male dominated Jesus stuff made me sick.”. This game also manages to compare the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross for us sinners, to a woman's period. These are just a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Definitely not recommended for people who have motion sickness. This is also warned at the beginning of the game, there is also an option of reduction of motion sickness but I don't think it helps in my case. The game mechanics is frustrating for me, you need great patience for this game, great great patience. The rewind thing is not for me. I would consider this game to be uninteresting, mostly because of the game mechanics that makes me feel bored and impatient. This game touches on heavy…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here's a fun game: See how long it takes before your therapist realizes that you're just quoting "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
neutral · AI labelView post →Would have worked nicely as a movie or a short story, but the horrendously boring gameplay loop detracts from the quality of the very mature story.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In a similar vein, I've always wondered what happens if re-plug in an arcade cabinet in the Wreck-It-Ralph universe. Does it just create an entirely new set of those characters, since they die when the game gets unplugged, or does it just reload the world? What if they were outside the game?
neutral · AI labelView post →Man, thinking about Wreck-it-Ralph… Back then, I’d had an idea for a sequel where he’d meet a modern incarnation of the Wreck-it-Ralph character who WAS a good guy in his game, à la Donkey Kong. Shame they never made a sequel to that movie.
neutral · AI labelView post →I couldnt finish it... The game gives the illusion of choice. The reality is there are no choices as you will eventually hit a point in a conversation where the "correct answer" doesnt exist until you "fail", forcing you to essentially play out every avenue of the story. Its cute at first, but quickly gets frustrating.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →www.backerkit.com/c/projects/c... I will be writing an official adventure module for this game! It is called “The Wreck of the Katabasis” and will feature all my trademark motifs- dead god-monster flesh, lightless fathoms of abyssal water, an insular community of monstrous weirdos, etc
neutral · AI labelView post →The Wreck is an emotional 3D visual novel and interactive fiction that follows failed screenwriter Junon as she experiences one of the most pivotal days of her life. Players must relive the past and change the present in a bid to successfully shape the future. It has a consistent minimalism in terms of both stylisation and gameplay that really emphasises the detailed story and intriguing characters, which are undoubtedly the highlights of the game. The themes and storyline both tackle some…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"In a way, it feels like a precision strike on kids from typical East Asian households." Getting that kind of reviews for The Wreck leads me to believe the writing for this game works well (spoiler: my sister Coralie and I, the game's authors, grew up in France).
neutral · AI labelView post →We explore the grandaddies of video game novelty music, Buckner & Garcia. I think their best song is the Wreck-It Ralph one, while “Do The Donkey Kong” overwhelms you with too many dance instructions
neutral · AI labelView post →I've delayed in sharing this amazing project by @thepixelhunt.bsky.social on Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/ith... A climate resistance, road-trip, narrative focused game by the studio that brought you Wednesdays, Bury me My Love, and The Wreck.
neutral · AI labelView post →Thanks to the amazing Olena Hostilova, our game The Wreck is now available in Ukrainian on Steam, and very soon on iOS and Android too! store.steampowered.com/news/app/168...
neutral · AI labelView post →I really wanted to envoy this game but unfortunate I was unable too. Pros: - The animation style seems neat - Good music - Main character Cons: - The animation style causes me and my viewers a bit of motion sickness - The dialog choice is not the most accessible - The pacing was not very good. Perhaps if I think perhaps if i played it more, my opinion could be different, but it came down to being not being super accessible, meh pacing, and an unlikable main character. I give it 2/5 french…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →WHAT??? The Wreck is nominated as "Mobile game of the year" at the Pocket Gamer Awards. If you've got a minute to vote, it'd be greatly appreciated! www.pocketgamer.com/pgawards2024...
neutral · AI labelView post →The Wreck is a visual novel and multi choices about Juno who's trying to remember what happened to her before her car accident. Manipulating time and her memories will then allow us to learn more about her life and her relationships and help Juno to takes hard desicions and move forward. It's an amazing story about life, death and relationship... The designs are beautiful and the soundtrack is great. I highly recommend it!!! 💗💗💗
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm roughly halfway through the game and I can already say that this is going to be one of my all time favorites. The story is really well written, with characters that feel genuine and relatable, but it's the seemingly effortless way in which it's delivered that I find very interesting. And already pretty moving, although I can feel that it's only going to get worse - or better, depends how you look at it - in this respect. It's also really refreshing to have games that tackle such topics…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, beautiful story being told. completely could relate. loved it, a bit repetitive though, a tad nitpick. the artistry was fantastic, voice performance and everything else in-between top of the stack. give it a try. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recommend on condition that it's not a game really, and you are fully aware of that. It's an interactive visual novel. Visually it's excellent. Characters and emotions are very realistic, feels a lot like a personal story, something that really happened to someone and then was made into this experience. I was little bit disappointed though because I hoped for more game. You know, actually making choices and doing things besides remembering the past. They do say it's a visual novel, so that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Emotionally connecting to a game is very important to me personally as a gamer. The Wreck was one of those games that has not left me yet @thepixelhunt.bsky.social Here‘s a video with it and many others that impacted me in some way #indiegames youtu.be/Y1_HTUKbqhw
positive · AI labelView post →Easily the highlight of this year's Day of the Devs for me. The Pixel Hunt has never been afraid to ask hard questions and let players stew in them for a while (see Bury Me, My Love, The Wreck and Wednesdays), and Ithaca looks like it could be their most urgent and charged game yet.
neutral · AI labelView post →Pisses me off that they were like "okay, we'll make the Wreck-it Ralph arcade game and uhhhhhh a sidescroller Wii/3DS shovelware game that plays like ass". WHERE'S MY DAMN KART RACER. I want to gradually unlock candy-themed kids and do snake maneuvers and boost tactics that make my thumbs bleed!
neutral · AI labelView post →Bluesky, share you favorite indie game(s) Outer Wilds The Pale Beyond The Case of the Golden Idol The Wreck Stray Gods Killer Frequency Genesis Noir Before Your Eyes I‘m an interactive fiction lover and proudly so!
neutral · AI labelView post →RT for awareness that @umichfball.bsky.social must play “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” during the first timeout of the third quarter of this year’s game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm a huge fan of reality-inspired games. If you want a story told/played in a semi-relaxing way (relaxing visuals, but mystery is there!) then you might appreciate this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So is this what the Wreck it Ralph characters felt like when their game was unplugged? #tiktokban #gameover #tiktokrefugee #tiktokrefugees #auadhd
neutral · AI labelView post →No one adds Alf’s hog to things or parody versions of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It is purely for love of the game.
neutral · AI labelView post →I seem to have a thing for 3D visual novels though I haven't found a lot of them, and this is the best one I've come across since Necrobarista. The concept is original and clever. The main character's voice acting has been criticised, but imo it's absolutely spot on, I loved it. The writing also does a great job at making the characters come to life, and has some excellent analyses of dysfunctional family relationships. The game's recurring theme and minimal gameplay section worked really…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →listening to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald before the game starts, which seems very Michigan after all.
neutral · AI labelView post →TLDR: If you like visual novels and such – highly recommended, you will find a great story with outstanding narration and visuals. For gameplay fans – there is almost no gameplay, you’d better pass. Story You play as Junon, a troubled young woman who's struggling to come to terms with a tragic event from her past. As you navigate her past, you'll piece together the events that led to her current state of mental turmoil. The narrative is expertly paced, unraveling the mystery of Junon's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a rare gem in a modern world of shooters and Hollywood blockbusters. Thank you for creating something that really touches the soul! The voice acting is AMAZING - the way the actors deliver the lines makes you really care and believe the story. Also the whole script is on point cause some plot twists made my mind blow. THANK YOU! We need more games like this. Check out my playthrough with all endings: https://youtu.be/mglnEbOpYL8
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New at the Video Game Soda Machine Project: a vending machine from The Wreck, a 3D visual novel about memory, family, and a very difficult day in the life of failed screenwriter Junon.
neutral · AI labelView post →A Gordon Lightfoot-themed bar outside CPKC Stadium would be amazing. A couple hundred of us drinking & singing "Carefree Highway" before we walk to the stadium? I'm there. I would have appreciated a bar absolutely blasting "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"as I walked from the 2025 playoff game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Daniel Okrent once likened Game 6 of the 1975 World Series to a Russian novel. This is more like The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
neutral · AI labelView post →How could I put this feeling into words ,I can't . I was SHOCKED. The way this game telling a story about the a woman and her daughter ,her sister and her mother,is just so unique and soul-touching.Dare I say ,this is the reason that game is the ninth art .I can't express how much I appreciate Dev created such a beautiful game. The relationship between MC Junon and her mother Marie is kind twisted and unhealthy,but no one can deny there are love filled with this relationship.As an Asian people…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let me begin by saying that I love visual novels. I also don't mind VNs that have a lack of options either. I do, however, dislike VNs that make it hard to progress.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first game we helped with Raccoon Business was The Wreck. A few days ago, the game was nominated for "Excellence in Narrative" at IGF. We are so proud of being able to help The Pixel Hunt on this journey. <3
neutral · AI labelView post →the glaring lack of any animation makes the already quite ropey voice acting feel even more ropey. the timeloop thing is such a tired trope already in indie narratives. such an intensely boring way to tell a story.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of the most emotionally honest games that I have ever played. Trauma is tackled very realistically and you should definitely heed the content warning at the beginning. But for me, the journey through Junon's life and slowly but surely figuring out what the car crash meant, was really beautiful. the graphic style took a bit getting used to for me but soon enough I really came to appreciate the more simplistic animations and with it being tied to the framing device, I actually ended…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Semi forgot i'd preordered this but my copy of The Wreck has shipped from The Game Collection😊
neutral · AI labelView post →I liked it. The story was good and the character's were complex and well-developed. It explores themes of trauma and grief in a meaningful way. Integrating its mechanics in a way that informs its storytelling.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very touching visual novel, exploring trauma, parenthood, loss, love, and the complexity of life. Give it 4-5 h, you will not be disappointed.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →12. The Wreck is one of those games where I recommend reading through the content warnings carefully and really take them to heart. Because this is an emotionally very rough game that I absolutely love. For some it might feel a little too real but that's why it means so much to me
positive · AI labelView post →Completely overhauled the Wreck League™️ gameplay loop after months of feedback WITHOUT changing any of the components or adding anything to the game please clap
neutral · AI labelView post →Great visual novel. You know how Japan made the original great visual novels? Now, the visual novel genre has crossed over into other cultures and languages and this one is a hybrid English-French novel, and it's solid. This novel focuses on a hard life-and-death situation of a family member. I've been there, done that, in real life. This does it justice. Recommended!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I knew Michigan was going to win this game when their players were comparing themselves to the lake in the song The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald That is hard as fuck
neutral · AI labelView post →The Wreck is a beautiful, heart-wrenching story that will leave you bawling your eyes out and wanting to call your loved ones. It's beautifully designed, well written, has an amazing soundtrack, and is a masterpiece in animation.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Full Game Walkthrough - https://youtu.be/3Tw6Q1mWkcE Well how do I say this, this is a game all about mental health and emotional state of mind how you deal with a specific tragic event, and how to cope with all these. Exciting game, but definitely not my cup of tea cause it has way too much emotional stuff going and I am personally not a fan of enjoying something like that in a video game cause our lives have enough pain and trauma in themselves that I seek more in video games now as well.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →what is the absolute funniest song you could put over a combo video. a song that has absolutely no business being used in a fighting game clip. rn i'm thinking The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
neutral · AI labelView post →
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