Review of “Islanders: New Shores”

Okay, so where to start with ISLANDERS: New Shores? It’s like, if you ever wanted a chill-out session on an imaginary island, this game is calling your name. Imagine kicking back and building up these tiny cities and shamans’ huts on islands, except there’s no one telling you to hurry up—no timers breathing down your neck. Just peace, right? You know, it’s weirdly soothing. I never thought placing tiny virtual buildings could feel like a spa day.

So, you begin with this tutorial island that’s meant to ease you in, but honestly? It just shows you the ropes. The real juicy stuff—nuance or whatever—is left for you to figure out. And, uh, it’s about building efficiently next to other structures to score points. Get it wrong, and well… you just don’t. You pick from these building sets, like a seaweed farm or something—didn’t know seaweed was such a big deal till this game. Keep doing it right, and you unlock more stuff and score like, all the points. It’s like leveling up by decorating! Plus, there’re these boons—helper bonuses that, who knows, give you more points or let you clone stuff, but with a catch. Nothing’s free, right?

And when you’ve milked an island for all its points, you can hop onto another one. Or stay? It’s up to you. Island-hopping with climate diversity. And ah, climbing leaderboards—ironic for a chill game, isn’t it? There’s also a Sandbox Mode if you just want to, like, freestyle—choose your island design and let your creativity go bonkers.

Playing on the Switch 2, it ran mostly smooth. Although, sometimes moving buildings felt like wrestling with sticky velcro—and for a game where placement is everything, that’s a headache. A mouse option would’ve been perfect, but nope, not there… yet.

Plus, can we talk about how the menus are a step up? Maybe it’s because they remind me of those irresistible buy-one-get-one offers, but better. Anyway, with its online leaderboards, you keep your scores going from island to island. I mean, the urge to “just one more run” is like a bag of chips—once you pop, you can’t stop. A perfect way to wind down at night, staring at tiny islands, dreaming of lighthouses. Who’d have thought that’d become my jam, huh?