Islanders is more Puzzle than City Builder

When I was watching the Nintendo Indie World Showcase yesterday, Islanders was a game that quickly caught my eye. It looked like an interesting, unique city building experience that I could lose hours in. And while that might not be the case, at least after a few hours of playing, there is something very unique here that will have puzzle fans excited – and yes, I said puzzle fans…not city building fans!

Islanders has two different modes you can play, one that tasks you with placing buildings to score points, while the other is more of a relaxed city builder where anything goes. I love the relaxed city building one, but find islands just a bit too small and the number of available buildings limiting, at least early on – hopefully more unlock?!

The puzzle aspect, however, is pretty intriguing. You are still building a city, but this time you earn points based on where you place certain buildings. After selecting a group of buildings to work with, you will need to place them all before getting another batch of buildings. Once you put something down, you cannot move it or delete it. Points are earned or lost based on proximity to other buildings, and maximizing points is key to winning the level and moving onto the next island.

For puzzle fans, this will be a great experience and one that could provide hours of entertainment. For those looking for a relaxing city building game, there is fun to be had here, but not one that will keep your interest for long. Still, updates could make this game much better over time, so it could be a waiting game to see if I’ll pick up Islanders again.