ISLANDERS: New Shores Review – Cozy, Clever Island City-Builder
A calm, addictive follow-up that expands the minimalist puzzle-city formula with richer strategy, new biomes and photo mode. Perfect for chill sessions on Windows or Mac, but watch the camera and a few fiddly scoring bits.
ISLANDERS: New Shores takes the serene core of the original and stretches it into something broader without losing the vibe. If you loved the first game’s tidy puzzles and chill atmosphere, this sequel adds new toys—biomes, boons, photo tools—that actually deepen the decisions. Think Dorfromantik calm mixed with a smarter scoring puzzle.
At heart this is the same satisfying tile-and-build puzzle: place buildings to score based on proximity, synergies and line-of-sight rules, now across 50 dynamically generated islands. There are 44 building types, seven island properties and six biomes with colour variants, so compositions feel fresh instead of recycled. High Score and Sandbox modes sit side-by-side (with separate saves), letting you chase tight optimization runs or just design pretty islands. New boons give single-use tactical twists, and the advanced scoring (distance bonuses, line-of-sight, inter-island strategies) rewards planning over luck. Photo Mode and a 75-minute original soundtrack make it a joy to sit in for an hour or five. Twitch integration is a nice nod to streamers—audiences can get involved without breaking the peaceful mood. On the downside, camera control still feels a bit limited—users want more vertical freedom for dramatic low-angle shots—and the score-maxing sometimes leads to fiddly movement as you hop buildings to tweak points. Overall, it’s still wonderfully calming, but now with enough mechanical teeth to keep puzzle fans hooked.
ISLANDERS: New Shores is a cozy, smarter version of a beloved indie formula — relaxing to play but with enough mechanical depth to keep me coming back. Minor camera and scoring niggles don't spoil what is otherwise a top-tier chill puzzle city-builder.
Pros
- Relaxing but deep: calm gameplay with real strategic choices.
- Beautiful visual overhaul, varied biomes and a lovely soundtrack.
- Sandbox plus High Score modes, boons and Twitch features add replay value.
Cons
- Camera vertical control is limited — photo mode could use a low-angle option.
- Scoring optimization can feel fiddly; some players may see it as 'more of the same'.
Player Opinion
Players love the chill, addictive 'just one more island' loop and praise the sequel for adding meaningful depth without losing charm. Common gripes are the camera limitations and occasional fiddliness when optimizing scores — a few folks wished for snug-placement bonuses. If you enjoyed the original or games like Dorfromantik, this one is an easy sell; newcomers get a very friendly entry to strategic city-building.