ISLANDERS

This is currently my favourite game. It's so simple and beautifully designed. Gameplay is relaxing, but engaging. It's the perfect game to chill and unwind. 10/10!

This game, with it's simplistic graphics, reminds me of those classic retro games of my youth. There are some similar games like it but this i would say is the best. It's a perfectly balanced, relaxing, city-building, puzzle game. Definitely one of the best games around and probably the best value game I have ever bought (via a Steam 'sale').

ISLANDERS scratches that deep itch for a dopamine hit from effectively min/maxing your building placements. I almost feel guilty buying this game on sale because even at full price it's a steal for the brain-massage it gives you.

A very beautiful and surprisingly addicting game. The difficulty ramps up pretty significantly the farther you get, but I am still determined to make it to island 21.

Its a very calming game. I was only gonna try it out for a little bit and i ended up playing like 6 islands. That's a good hour for sure. Especially if you're trying to make a nice city lol.

A pleasant little game. Some reviews have problem if this is a proper city builder or a puzzle game, I think the trailer shows everything you need to know. Also the full price is fine, and with 75% sales it's basically a no-brainer.

Very calming. A thoughtful and beautiful puzzle game. I found I spent more time than expected playing.

my mate luke would struggle at this game, bit hard for the poor fella (his not all right in the head)
but good game, 11/10

Very cute and relaxing puzzle-city-builder. Great to unwind. One session is not that long and it is exciting to discover new score-combinations.
10/10

I bought ISLANDERS on sale for a little over 1 € and it's a stratetic game I had way more fun with than I initually thought, considering the fact I already spent almost 12 hours playing shortly after the purchase and got all the achievements as well.
I did "cheat" on both the Master and Conqueror achievement though as there's only so much fun in constant repeated grinding so I'm glad I saved myself the "trouble".

This game really surprised me by how good it is! It's super relaxing, sucking you into a deep concentration where time just feels like it's slipping through your fingers and one hour suddenly feels like one minute. But at the same time it gives a good level of challenge to the brains, which allows this game to stay interesting and not get too relaxing to make it boring.

ive never been so relaxed yet satisfied and challenged by such a simple gameplay loop in my life, this game is such a great way to wind down but keep your mind occupied. Yes the gameplay loop is simple, but its a good mix of challenging and fun, and the game very visually pleasing, i will never get bored of the music, sounds and graphics. Well Done Devs!

Extremely cute game. I don't think I'd buy it at ~5 dollars but for 1.24? This game is a steal. Would love an update or two in the future.

$1.24 on sale for this game is one of the best deals I've found to date. i can see myself returning to this game multiple times over the years. I'm always looking for games that you can pick up and play with almost no learning curve, zone out for a couple hours, put away for months, and then come back to and enjoy it all over again. I very highly recommend this game. It says no controller support. My ps5 controller worked with no issues. Didn't have to set it up or anything.

Islanders is both relaxing and strategic. It can be tricky sometimes in the start of the game.
Recommend, very entertaining!

Cozy city builder with no time restraints or resource gathering. Simply pick best placement for randomly procured buildings and watch your lil island grow. Buildings are different shape and figuring out how to snap together a city is fun. The controls are very easy and mechanics of placement are not frustrating like some city builders.

the good:
great art style, beautiful game
sound design, nice music, satisfying clicky sounds when placing buildings etc

the bad:
no people, like literally none, no mechanic for people or models of npcs walking around or anything
weird gameplay style for a city builder, u get points for placing buildings but once u get enough u just move on to another island and never see that one again

maybe sandbox mode is really fun but with no people i didnt even bother to try
but its cute and peaceful and i got it for $1.34 so i cant give it a thumbs down

a great way to spend an afternoon

After 5 hours I can safely say that I find this game pretty boring.

A simple yet deeply satisfying city-building game. No stress, just chill vibes and beautiful islands.

ISLANDERS – minimalism, tranquility, and strategic thinking!

Personal experience:

I spent over 5 hours in the game, and I can confidently say that it’s perfect for those looking to unwind and relax. The simplicity and minimalism of the game are top-notch. At first, I was surprised by how such a simple mechanic could be so captivating. Slowly, I started building islands, exploring their potential, and genuinely enjoying the process.
The game is a perfect way to relax. There’s no pressure; you simply build, develop, and enjoy the view. I found the way ecosystems come to life and how the island transforms into a vibrant world incredibly satisfying.

Pros and cons:

Pros:

• Minimalist style: The visuals are light and pleasant, not overwhelming, yet still visually appealing.
  
• Easy to learn: The gameplay is simple to grasp, but it’s addictive and hard to stop playing.
  
• Calming and atmospheric: Perfect for those who want to relax and disconnect from the world.
  
• Building process: Watching your island grow and develop is a deeply immersive experience.
  

Cons:

• Limited content: The game can feel a bit repetitive over time, and while it leaves a good impression, you may crave more variety in mechanics.
  
• Lack of challenge: For those who prefer dynamic gameplay, the game might feel too laid-back and lacking in competitive elements.
  
[*] Short experience: Some players might find the game to be a bit too short and simple after a few hours.

Result:

ISLANDERS is an excellent game for those who appreciate a relaxing experience and want a break from intense projects. Despite its simplicity, it’s surprisingly addictive and allows you to create beautiful islands. If you enjoy calm gameplay and don’t mind a short but enjoyable experience, this game is definitely for you!
My rating: 8/10
I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a peaceful, laid-back experience without expecting complex mechanics.

Tedious to complete 100%.

A masterclass in minimalist game design!

Don't be fooled by the description, this is only a city builder in the very loosest possible sense. It's actually more of a puzzle game. Nevertheless, given the low price tag, simple & casual gameplay, and nice visuals it's definitely not a bad purchase if you're in the mood for that sort of thing.

fun little game

It's a pretty simple game, place pieces on the island. Get points for your placements. Relaxing, but it also teaches a bit about getting the most value out of the pieces and managing space.

For me, the key is the relaxing part of it. I have almost all the achievements, but I imagine I will never get the ones that are based on speed. And, that's ok. Well done devs.

The quintessential city-builder I keep coming back to. I think the newest update made it harder but that's just a fun new challenge. The designs are beautiful :)

super zen

This game scratches the city builder itch without having loads of crazy systems and management. Super easy to drop in and out of. Really enjoying it.

extremely fun and relaxing!!!!!!!

this pleases me

ISLANDERS is a serene and tranquil procedurally-generated, endless, score-based puzzle game which has a city-building theme to it. Although its tagline states that it is "A minimalist city builder," this is slightly misleading because the city-building aspect is moreso an aesthetic rather than a core identity of the gameplay since it doesn't involve resource or population management like the more traditional city-building games and is also less predictable due to the randomness of the maps and some of the building layouts.

Overall, I recommend the game as it is very relaxing to play casually for an hour or two here and there, while simultaneously having just enough depth to satiate score-chasers, and the procedural generation of the maps constantly challenges you to adapt to the random terrain and natural features that you are provided. Although I don't care to compete for high scores, I found that attempting to optimize my cities was unexpectedly fun and especially gratifying after planning the general layout of my city and watching the points come flooding in as my plan came to fruition.

Note: this review is current as of the unnumbered patch released on 23 November 2023 which is the latest update.

[hr][/hr]
[quote]S U M M A R Y[/quote]

- The gameplay is very accessible to a wide range of players as it is simple and intuitive enough for casual players, yet also has enough depth to challenge score-chasers, but the game is very minimalistic and offers little to no precision when it comes to building an efficient and aesthetically-pleasing city;
- The replay value is decent and the game is fun when played occasionally in shorter sessions but the core gameplay loop will get repetitive very quickly;
- The graphics are vibrant, almost cartoonish, and are reminiscent of the "Chibi" art style;
- The soundtrack is composed of relaxing ambient music with rural-style sound effects to give the feeling of an authentic city; and
- There is no story whatsoever but a casual puzzle game like this doesn't have a need for one.

[hr][/hr]
[quote]A C H I E V E M E N T S[/quote]

The game has 38 achievements, most of which will be acquired throughout casual gameplay while a few will require you to go out of your way to set them up but aren't difficult by any means and should take less than 10 hours to achieve; however, the Conqueror achievement will take at least 30 hours by itself and require you to become very familiar with the mechanics of the game while also planning the general layout of each map before placing any buildings. That being said, it isn't nearly as RNG-dependent as many complaints on the Steam Discussion forums would lead you to believe as you merely have to invest some time into the game to learn it beyond a casual level since the achievement is not a given whatsoever.

[hr][/hr]
[quote]R E V I E W[/quote]

Gameplay

The gameplay is more akin to a puzzle game rather than a traditional city builder because of its focus on simplicity and minimalism: a map is procedurally-generated, you are given a choice between two random sets of buildings, and your inventory is populated with a number of buildings from the chosen set. Your goal is to place the buildings efficiently in order to receive point bonuses from other types of buildings and meet the point threshold which gives you another choice between two more random sets of buildings. This process repeats itself until you either fail to meet the point threshold, by having no more buildings to place, or meet the threshold which allows you to travel to the next map and restart the gameplay loop, ad infinitum.

As far as casual play is concerned, the game is simple and intuitive enough to get into and occasionally have fun with in small spurts. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for those who like to chase high scores because the game demands absolute precision when placing buildings and planning out your city but offers you very few tools to facilitate this need and the tools that do exist are quite shoddy. For example, there is somewhat of an integrated "snap-to" ability but it is finnicky and rarely lines up buildings perfectly with one another which can lead to inefficiencies and cause you to lose points -- and sometimes those few points could be the difference between losing a run altogether or proceeding to the next map.

Sometime between 2019 and 2022, the game was handed over to an entirely new development team and they added the more difficult achievements which require a certain level of precision that the game simply can't offer and this makes the minimalist approach of the game feel almost incongruous with, and somewhat inadequate for, these new achievements (one of which is the infamous Conqueror achievement). If they had made the existing snapping more accurate, added an option to turn on a grid, or gave you a laser level tool, then the game would be feel much more precise but you can definitely tell the difference between the two development teams' philosophy on achievements.

Another minor gripe that I have with the overly-minimalist approach is that the House, Mansion, and Park buildings also have a variety of different layouts (similar to Tetris blocks) but the next one is randomly chosen for you and can't be changed which is irritating from an efficiency perspective and true city-building aspect but I can't complain too much about it because it fits the minimalist design approach that they were going for.

Nevertheless, I still found it quite fun to learn the more intricate nuances to the game's mechanics and optimize my cities; however, once I figured out the most efficient setup then the most fun part became the planning of the city and playing the actual game for long periods of time became a bit of a chore which is why I think that it's a good game to occasionally have fun with in smaller doses because it gets repetitive very quickly.

The game also has a Sandbox Mode where you can unleash your creative side with an unlimited supply of all buildings and a Photo Mode where you can take fancy images of said creations using a variety of built-in filters and tools.

Graphics

The graphics are vibrant and almost cartoonish in nature which gives it a very charming look. The buildings are also blocky but in a cute and bubbly sort of way -- if anything, I'd say that its art style actually resembles the popular "Chibi" art style because of how cute, minimalistic, and caricature-like the art design is. The second development team also added a number of optional seasonal and holiday themes that you can apply to your game to spruce things up at your whim which is a nice touch.

Sound

The soundtrack is made up of relaxing ambient music with scenic noises such as dogs barking, birds chirping, and other rural sound effects. The music is so modest that I'm not even sure if the audio tracks would count as "songs". Much like the graphics, there are a number of optional seasonal and holiday-themed songs that you can enable or disable but I frankly couldn't even tell the difference between any of the songs. All-in-all, it's just a very relaxing soundtrack which I would say resembles white noise to some degree. The sound effects are few and far between but the main one you will hear is placing a building which makes a very satisfying plopping sound.

Conclusion

Overall, I recommend the game because you can easily relax to it for an hour and forget about the stressors of life as you get immersed in its soothing audio, charming visuals, and straightforward and leisurely nature. If you're more of a score-chaser then it's surprisingly fun and engaging to plan out your city, optimize the placement of your buildings, and get that feeling of elation as your plan flourishes and you watch your points soar.

Awesome game

fun

Fun and relaxing.

7-8 different soundtrack styles, quiet and relaxing. Half strategy, half puzzle, 100% fun!

Fun at first, but gets repetitive extremely quick. There's really only a few "Valid"arrangements that let you maximise score. The building variety is low and there's no real prestige system to make continous play worth it. I would say

Dorfromantik does this concept way better

a fun simple little city building game that won't give you a headache figuring out traffic.

it's a good game

Nice chill game no stress good music

One of the most brilliant games I've played. I've gotten so much play out of this "casual" city builder. It can absolutely be a casual game if you want it to be, but if you want to maximize your score then this game is actually quite deep. And it's deep with simple systems, which makes it way more accessible. You place buildings, they get points based on their proximity to other buildings, and you need to score points to unlock the next pack of semi-random buildings. That's it, that's the game. What this does is create a game where you're trying to balance placing buildings in the highest scoring way with your need to score points right now, so that you may unlock the buildings you need to make the highest scoring plays. When you can place anything anywhere, this creates quite a complex puzzle. My only complaint is that some of the high scores on the leaderboard are obviously fake due to a glitch from years ago, and they should really be wiped.

A great blend of strategy, gradually revealed content that adds interest to the game and adorable graphics!

Highly recommend

Fun and relaxing cute little game (Cured my anxiety (Not really)), you can do everything as the video said, and if you got it on sale is a Jewel for less than a buck!

Very good for some. Not for me.

I adore this game.

It is pretty, calming, the point system stays engaging and the diffrent island layouts force one to continuously adapt ones approach. You can play it for hours on end or just pull it up to casually kill a lil time.

Anly con for me would be the slotting of Buildings. Sometimes it looks like something should fit, has to fit logically but the bound is one pixel off or the terrain feels inconsistent with where something is about to sink in and where not. But ultimately these are small annoyances which have never seriously impacted my enjoyment of the game.

It's fun, but I feel like I've already seen more or less everything ISLANDERS has to offer.

An excellent short-form city builder for those nights when a city builder with detailed mechanics feels a little high energy.

Why does this game track my location from Windows OS, even while it's turned off?

TL:DR
Avoid this game if you're an achievement hunter, as the last achievement alone take dozen of hours.
And that's if you don't fail anything due to RNG upon RNG ...



Quoted from the game shop page :
"You want to build beautiful cities without investing hours on end into stressful resource management? Say no more! ISLANDERS should be right up your alley."

This is a straight up lie.
It was like this before, that's right. But that's no more the case after the game was sold to another dev company.

The game is now a grinding game, and no one should advertise a game as "stress-free" with an achievement as hard to get as "Conqueror" (reaching the 21st and last island)

The island you build on is randomly generated : you may stumble upon a vast sandy beach, an archipelago, or a mountain with many cliffs and almost no flat land, making it difficult for you to put down any building.
The building packs you draw are somewhat random : some building are always there, others may vary.

So you're basically putting down RNG buildings on RNG land.

The devs said on the forum that "Conqueror" can be "done in less than 3 hours".
That's also clearly a lie, as the last few islands ask you to achieve around 4000 points, so you need to plan carefully.
Took me more than an hour for these islands, so 3 hours total for 20 islands ??? I'll believe it when the devs will show us a proof...

In highscore mode there are 21 islands, but :
- there's no way to know how many islands you already completed.
- there's no way to know how many points you need to do to complete an island
- if you fail an island, you start from scratch all over again... imagine throwing away a save after dozen of hours because you had poor luck...
- no new gameplay mechanics introduced along the way, making it even more tiresome

The update the new devs pushed ruined the game for me (and for a lot of other players, according to the forum).
That's incredible, it feels like they removed all the fun !

Islanders is a relaxing and calm island builder.
There are 2 game modes. One lets you start in a sandbox were you can set up every parameter
of the island you want to build upon. Then you are free to build whatever you like. You can build
as beautiful as you want to.
The other one is a challenge mode. You start with a score of 0 and get a random generated island.
Then you get a couple of randomized buildings. You have to place them as efficient as possible to raise your score. Upon hitting certain levels you will get a next pack of buldings for you to place. After a certain score you will get the chance to move to the next random generated island. You keep your score and can push it even further.

The Visuals are very nice and look good even though it is not a brand new game. The sound is very relaxing and both game modes are fun to fiddle around with. Definitly worth to check it out if you can get it on sale.

Sincerely Yours
StoryOfTheGame