These Doomed Isles is an ambitious and genre-blending strategy game developed by Triplevision Games Limited and published by Fireshine Games. It mixes elements of city-building, god-game simulation, roguelike progression, and deck-building mechanics into a unique survival experience. The premise is intriguing: players assume the role of a god who raises islands from the sea and guides their civilization through increasingly difficult trials. Every run is a fresh attempt to grow a thriving society while fending off natural disasters, enemy invasions, and the creeping collapse of your own civilization. The full release of the game expands upon its Early Access roots with a wealth of new content, more polish, and structured progression.
At the heart of the game lies a compelling tension between creativity and crisis management. As the divine overseer, you shape the land itself, expanding your island by drawing cards that let you raise terrain, construct buildings, harvest resources, or invoke miracles. Each card represents a choice, and every deck feels different depending on which god you play as. For instance, Chernobog leans toward sacrificial, high-risk, high-reward mechanics, while other gods focus on nature, industry, or war. This diversity provides a wealth of replayability, as each run presents new synergies to discover and new disasters to survive. With over 300 cards available, combined with unlockable relics and buffs that modify playthroughs, the deck-building aspect becomes a deeply strategic layer rather than just a gimmick.
The gameplay loop revolves around building up your settlement while surviving wave-based enemy attacks. Time is divided into seasons, with invaders striking at the end of each one, giving players a limited window to prepare. Balancing resource production, population growth, infrastructure, and defenses is no easy task, especially since the game’s systems are designed to force trade-offs. You’ll often find yourself making difficult decisions about what to build next: do you invest in more housing to increase your population, or focus on fortifying your defenses to survive the next wave? The tension escalates quickly, making each new season more stressful and strategic than the last. Resource scarcity, surprise calamities, and mismanaged growth can turn a promising run into a doomed one in moments.
A standout feature introduced in the full version is the Campaign Mode, which gives each god their own tailored progression path with story elements and scenario-based missions. This structure brings welcome direction to the gameplay and provides more incentive to experiment with different gods and builds. Additionally, the new Miracle Credits system acts as a persistent unlock mechanic, allowing you to gradually expand your deck options across runs. This helps mitigate the often punishing randomness of early deck-building systems and ensures that even failed runs contribute to long-term progress. For players who prefer creative or relaxing gameplay, sandbox and builder modes allow for exploration without the threat of attacks or failure conditions.
Visually, the game has a clean, stylized look that leans into its strategic focus. The pixel-art presentation is sharp and colorful, and the user interface, though complex, is well-organized after some time spent learning the mechanics. The sound design is subtle but effective, with audio cues for enemy attacks, building placements, and seasonal changes that enhance the immersive quality of the game. The environments feel alive, with changing weather patterns, growing settlements, and the visual evolution of your island as you develop it from a barren patch of sea into a bustling civilization.
Despite its strengths, These Doomed Isles is not without its rough edges. Randomness plays a major role in every run, especially in the early stages. Drawing a bad hand or lacking access to key cards can stall your momentum, and some players may find this frustrating, particularly if they favor more deterministic strategy games. The early game can also feel slow, as building up resources and infrastructure takes time before the action ramps up. Enemy waves, while exciting, can sometimes feel repetitive, especially if you settle into a build that works too well and eliminates most challenge. Still, these issues are balanced somewhat by the variety of game modes and the increasing difficulty curve in higher-tier campaign challenges.
Ultimately, These Doomed Isles stands out as a bold and creative blend of genres that invites experimentation and rewards strategic thinking. It successfully captures the feeling of being a powerful yet fallible deity, constantly balancing between nurturing growth and surviving devastation. For players who enjoy complex strategy games with roguelike elements, meaningful progression, and the occasional chaotic twist of fate, it delivers a fresh and engaging experience. It may not appeal to those who prefer more traditional or tightly controlled mechanics, but for fans of genre hybrids and challenging survival sims, it offers hours of thoughtful, dynamic gameplay.
Rating: 7/10
Expand from humble beginnings to a sprawling island chain with farms, industry, fortifications and more, as you discover ever more advanced buildings and strategies that will help you answer your followers’ prayers and win the run!
Harvest cards to craft the deck you want. Manage the cards in your deck to ensure you can survive until the next harvest. Find powerful synergies with over 300 cards to play with to overcome the challenges in your way.
Will you survive these doomed isles? You'll face increasing challenges as waves of invaders and powerful bosses attempt to undo all of your hard work, turning your settlement to rubble and crushing any of your followers who dare to stand in their way. Learn from your failures and perfect your strategies to complete your followers’ prayers and reign victorious.
Each of the gods have unique god powers along with a host of powerful cards you can wield to carry your civilisation to survival. Rain meteors down on invaders or stir up a storm to sink them at sea; stack up powerful status effects on your enemies and make sure they think twice about invading again!