ISLANDERS: New Shores

[h3][b]New Shores is more of the same, both in the good and bad way.[/b][/h3] After playing Islanders to a relative 'end', I was excited about this new iteration of the series. From the start the game has some good gameplay improvements, as well as a more solid art direction. In short it kept what was fun about the first game, but made some good additions like some new biomes and buildings. That said, these improvements are not that huge and seem more fitting to a DLC or quality of life update, rather than a new game. [h3]Imagine you bought a car, and you're happy, but you just wish it was another shade of color and maybe the seats were heated, that's basically what New Shores is to Islanders.[/h3] So what I am writing in a long winding way is, while I enjoyed New Shores, its also felt a bit lackluster and became repetitive quite quickly, as you literally already played the exact same game before. So by that sense it doesn't feel like a new game that completely stands on its own. I was hooked for about a week or so, but since then I can't even finish one island in a single sitting anymore because it just feels stale. Yes, it plays and looks better than the predecessor and I enjoyed my time with it, but I think the concept has run its course and if the dev plans a new iteration, it will really need to do a lot more to blow me out of the water compared to what New Shores offers.

I spent hundreds of hours on this game at this point so I kinda feel obligated to review it. Islanders : New Shores is a perfect sequel to the first game, iterating on an already brilliant formula. Visually pleasant, extremely satisfying, the minimalistic gameplay loop offers a surprising depth and complexity to your decisions. You can play it casually in a relaxing fashion, or spend plenty of time optimizing each placement to maximize score, and both approaches will reward you with organic and beautiful cities. Islanders pairs wonderfully with long videos, audiobooks, podcasts or music and will make time fly by while you're locked in a comfortable, relaxing flow. It's cheap, runs smoothly on modest specs, and offers a great replayability with plenty of modes and challenges. Please make a sequel :D

I am a huge city-builder fan. This game is a unique entry in the genre. It is a very slow-paced and chill approach to the genre - you're supposed to build your score as you slowly add to your island with new buildings - the problem is that it feels purposeless. This game doesn't feel like you're actually building towards an objective - just increasing your score or trying to hit an arbitrary goal. I need my city-builders to have a bit more of a purpose.

pretty good extension actually. I was skeptical but turns out this is a nice rework with good ideas.

Intuitive, yet surprisingly deep and addicting. Also very very relaxing. Highly recommend as a nice chill game - especially if you want to go into sandbox mode, build a beautiful city, and play with the photo filters.

I love this game. The hours sunk dont reflect truly how much I appreciate this game, only handicapped by my IRL commitments. I think about this game often. I recommend it to friends. Its a wonderful cozy game that sports a gentle, smooth soundtrack and really satisfying sound effects that scratch the right spot in your brain to give you a nice little dopamine hit. Visually its very easy on the eyes with excellent complementary colours and varied island layout designs. I enjoy watching the visual art piece of my island city growing and coming together. The mechanics strike a good balance of needing enough brain space to think about building placement and point scoring, whilst simultaneously not being harshly punishing if I get a bit loosey-goosey with it. I encourage these developers to keep being creative with this concept and series! Im always excited to see updates and further plans, and look forward to further varied game styles, designs, and mechanics within this system 10/10 - everything i could want from a cozy, mentally replenishing game 👍

A very nice improvement on the original game with some really nice new mechanics.

Fiquei 4 horas jogando sem parar,que jogo bom,você nem vê a hora pensar,é tão bom quanto o primeiro,tomara que tenha mais,um ótimo game com preço bem acessível

При всей моей симпатии к оригинальной части, о покупке «New Shores» я пять раз пожалела. Эта игра – всё то же самое, что было в оригинале, плюс тонны унылого задротства. Жаль потраченного времени, ощущение как от работы. Может, оригинал был таким же, но «New shores» просто и не старается особо от этой схемы уйти. Порадовали только бонусы на выбор, вроде тех, что позволяют добрать нужное количество очков до нового уровня или нивелировать штрафы за близкое соседство одинаковых строений. Новые здания не особенно понравились, да и мало их. Испытания, если говорить объективно, разнообразные, что явно хорошо. Но меня они не зацепили, а задушили. Здорово, что игра многим нравится, но для меня она стала ненужным клоном с небольшими апгрейдами.