With such a fast-paced lifestyle in the gaming world, people want all of the action they can possibly get packed into their game. They want to enjoy every single moment that has brought them into the world they are playing in. But when is it time to take the backseat and just relax? Islanders developed by GrizzlyGames is the relaxing side to gaming that relaxes you and challenges you to beat your score in a minimalist way.
The concept is simple and the developers really want their players to hang out, enjoy the concepts they have put together and still have fun. In Islanders, players start with an island and a small inventory of buildings. Once a building is put down, there is a score that correlates to the surrounding environment, such as trees. The higher the score, the more points the player accumulates. The inventory restocks itself so there’s no loss there. Once the player has enough points a new island is unlocked.
Some islands are tropical, while others are from the desert or a snowy wonderland. The goal is to use the buildings given in order to make the highest score possible and keep moving forward. If the buildings run out before the minimal score is reached, then the level is over and the game has to be restarted. Compared to a game such as the Sims, Islanders doesn’t off interaction with characters or tasks. Simply put, you place the buildings and build your score and enjoy the environments to relax.
This game isn’t for everyone and may seem basic in terms of the landscapes but the concept is simple and that’s the best part. It’s just you and the game and your own will to compete against yourself. Your goal here beyond the score is to make a beautiful island that is populated with cities so that you can go on and create the next island.
Islanders is the second game GrizzlyGames has created and much like their first game, the goal is to create a gaming experience to relax and calm the mind. Likely against the grain, their games bring the polar opposite message to today’s games. Not only do they want their players to focus and just chill out, but they also want to minimize all of the outside factors that big mainstream popular games flood people with. GrizzlyGames is upfront with their audience about what type of game they are getting in to and offer a small price to enjoy their game.
Overall, Islanders is a minimalist game. The game itself looks nice and is very simple to play. There isn’t a lot to do in terms of reaching an end goal, but the action of trying to get the biggest score possible is what makes this game a strategy and adventure game. A price of $4.99 USD is a great price for the replayability and relaxation people will get with this one.
7 out of 10
Available on: PC
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1046030/ISLANDERS/?curator_clanid=34726070
