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Islets Review

Game: Islets
Genre: Action, Adventure
System: Steam (Windows & Linux) (also on Xbox and Nintendo Switch)
Developer|Publisher: Kyle Thomson | Armour Games Studios
Controller Support: Yes
Price: UK £15.49 | US $19.99 | € 16,79
Release Date: August 24th, 2022

Review code provided with many thanks to Game if You Are.

Floating Island Adventure

Islets is a 2D action adventure game developed by what seems to be a solo developer, with his brother helping with the music. When I went into Islets my thoughts were; ‘here we go with another Metroidvania game’. But as I continue to learn, I shouldn’t be so quick to judge. From the moment I booted up the game I was sucked into the experience which left an emotional mark on me I didn’t expect. Maybe this is an experience unique to me, yet Islets is a game I highly recommend and I’ll try to spend the remainder of this review explaining why.

You play as a plucky young warrior, Iko. Your quest is to explore various floating sky islands and reignite their magnetic core to fuse them back together as they once were, thousands of years ago. You soon learn you’re not the only warrior on this quest. Throughout your adventure you’ll meet a variety of characters both friend and deceptive foe. Each of these encounters is presented with simple text dialogue, often with a bit of humor sprinkled in. I found myself actually missing certain characters when we went our separate ways. It was quite a joy to reunite again with them later on or read about their endeavors in the form of postal messages.

The story of Islets also features an ongoing rivalry with yourself and another warrior which brought back memories of the original Pokemon game with you and Gary. These encounters are often your rival proclaiming how amazing they are whilst totally dismissing that you’re the warrior making the actual progress in the adventure. It’s a loveable tale which I feel is suitable for absolutely everyone. If you are a parent playing it for your kids this is a great one to put the kooky voices on for.

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I should have packed my umbrella

Set Out on Adventure

Islets initially follows a familiar template for a typical 2D adventure game or a Metroidvania as the cool kids want to call it. You explore a large map seeking out the next objective whilst defeating a variety of enemies and seeking out abilities which will enable you to access new areas. When you enter a new screen your progress is logged on a handy map, which you can bring up at any moment to get your bearings.

Islets doesn’t make it clear exactly where your next goal is which becomes a bit tricky as you unlock more areas. You are able to get some assistance with this from a NPC but it comes at the price of orbs. Orbs which are used as the game’s currency obtained through defeating enemies and smashing various pots littered throughout the world. The orbs are also used to purchase more upgrades and stats like health and attack upgrades to your character. You can unlock new abilities and increase your stats by finding these face icons which you’ll discover at a frequent pace. Each time I sat down for a half hour playthrough it felt like I found several of these icons which made the pacing of the game very addictive and hard to put down. Each time you find one you are given three upgrade options allowing you to choose how to upgrade your character.

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Talk about throwing everything you got at me

Draw Your Sword and Take to the Skies

Combat is simple and satisfying. Initially Iko has a basic sword stab, a dodge roll and special arrow move to keep the evils at bay. It won’t be long before you unlock more moves, all of which are explained with simple on-screen tutorials. Movement and combat goes at a nice steady pace with most enemies only requiring a few hits to take down.

Boss encounters are very satisfying, requiring a good mix of dodging and avoiding threats and waiting for that right moment to strike with a flurry of attacks. The boss pattern also changes the more its health depletes, mixing up the formula further. These encounters are never repeated twice, they are quite memorable.

Another gameplay feature that feels different from the adventure game formula are these segments where you jump into a little airship and fly to your next location. These make for nice relaxing segments, later on you will be able to upgrade your small little wooden ship into something better.

On the base medium difficulty I felt Islets offered just the right level of challenge. A good mixture of platforming, combat and exploration. There was rarely a moment I was bored, even when I was getting lost in the levels. Should you struggle (or find it too easy) the difficulty can be tweaked even during the game without starting from the beginning. The game saves regularly at shrines making this also suitable for long or short gaming sessions. 

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Take to the skies

Moomin Vibes

Graphics for Islets are beautifully hand drawn. The characters have a distinct but elegant design to them that gave me kinda Moomin vibes. If you’re not familiar, this is a popular Finnish book series which was converted to a TV series and even films. Maybe it’s something in the eyes but it almost feels like this game is set in that universe. The level designs, while simple platforms, feel ancient and intriguing with different environments to visit. Each of which has its own vegetation which can be chopped down with your sword.

There’s also the game’s moving soundtrack which really just brings the whole experience to life. Nicely suiting the tone of mystery and exploration. As of yet it’s not for sale on the Steam store but hopefully that will change soon. 

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Could use more Otters

Something Special

Islets may look like it follows the basic adventure game template. But within the first hour of play you can see it’s so much more. Islets did what few games tend to do, it took me on a gripping adventure of mystery and intrigue. I met memorable characters, fought huge bosses and, most of all got, kind of emotional in places. If a game is able to do that then I could only think of one fitting rating to give it. Of course I’ll step back and admit not everyone may have this experience. But if you love your 2D adventures Islets ticks all the boxes whilst offering a few new sounds on the formula itself, with its regular upgrades and air travel segments. I may have reviewed this on PC but when finances are agreeable I’ll be picking this up on Nintendo Switch too. 

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up

Two thumbs up


When I was playing this game it reminded me of my older brother. When I was younger he was the sibling I connected with the most. We would bond over games like Streets of Rage 2. I would even play a multitude of football games (soccer) with him (even though I secretly hated those) because the time spent with him was important to me. But as is life we would grow and go our separate ways. But the rare times we would see each other we would often play some co-op Halo on legendary difficulty just like old times. Now even those times are passed. Playing through Islets just seemed to bring back all those memories, the good and the bad turning this into quite the emotional roller coaster. It’s fascinating how some games do that to a person. So I’m grateful to the developers for that. Lastly I dedicate this review to my older brother, maybe someday our drifted islands can be brought together again.

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