People want different things from their games. Some want to be thrilled with constant action. Some like epic stories and gorgeous graphics. Some want hectic online games while they talk to their friends. Others, they just want to chill; to wind down with a calm game that doesn’t ask much, but still offers plenty of fun.
That is exactly what Islanders: New Shores provides. No stress, just a relaxing city building game with cosy graphics and calming music. No time limit, no disasters; just placing buildings on an island and trying to get as many points as possible. It fits right into the cosy city building genre with games like Dorfromantik, Townscaper, Tiny Glade, and of course the original Islanders.
In Islanders: New Shores the player starts out with an empty procedurally-generated island and just a few buildings to place. Each building placement gives a number of points based on the positioning. After reaching the next points benchmark, more buildings are added to the building pool. They don’t have to be placed in the order they are received, which gives a lot of freedom to fill the island as pleased and to maximise the score.
The game has a simple yet satisfying points system. Each building has a base point value; a house, for example, gives one point. However, more points can be earned by placing the building close to others. A house gives one extra point for every other house and park that is in range, and six points for a city centre. A good placement can immensely increase the score. Beware, though, because some buildings are incompatible and yield negative points. Placing a park near a brickyard, for example, subtracts three points from the score.
To get an idea of the point system, look at the windmill in the above screenshot. Its base score is 10 points. It gives four points for all 14 grain fields in range. It also takes a -20 hit for another windmill in range. A third windmill is barely out of range and does not affect the score.
All islands are unique and the order that buildings are added is always different. With more than 44 buildings the possibilities are endless. It all makes for a very satisfying gameplay loop: figure out good building placements, receive new buildings, try to plan ahead, and gradually fill the island.
The default mode is High Score, with the goal to get as many points as possible on 20 islands, each increasingly difficult to complete. After an hour or so on an island, the game gives less and less new buildings, until it completely dries up. At that moment, it is time to say goodbye to the island. There is a great photo mode where screenshots and clips can be enhanced with filters and other fun features. Take a few shots of the island and move onto the next.
While Islanders: New Shores can be played casually, it also offers a surprising amount of depth. Planning ahead gets greatly rewarded. With a bit of proper planning, some buildings can give a ton of points. The new guild hall, for example, gives points for every unique building in range, but negative points for every duplicate building. This means that a quick placement won’t do much good, but proper planning can result in a big score. It is very satisfying to slowly work towards a perfect placement and then finally see the points flow in.
There are several other ways to play the game. Sandbox Mode offers complete freedom in designing an island, with all buildings available to place anywhere without restrictions. The mode even has extra set pieces like stairs that are unavailable elsewhere, all to create an attractive-looking island. Challenge Mode has a variety of challenges available, like going for a high score within half an hour, or getting the best temple placement possible. All game modes (except Sandbox) have their own built-in online leaderboards, which keep track of people’s high scores (both all-time and weekly). There is an active online community and many players are sharing tips, showing off their best building placements and screenshots of their pretty islands.
The original Islanders launched in 2019 and was already a very complete and fun game. The sequel, New Shores, keeps the core mechanic but adds many features to make the gameplay feel fresh. Boons are one-time bonuses; for example, a 60% score increase on a building placement, choosing a building to get another copy of, or getting to demolish a building (to make room for a better one). Multiple boons are unlocked on each island as certain point requirements are met. Finding out which boons combine well with which buildings is a pleasure, and the boon system really adds another layer of depth to the game.
Another addition to New Shores is how buildings can give points. Some of them rely on line of sight; for example, the shaman that prefers to be tucked away in a corner, or the pyre that gives points for every city centre and other pyres in sight. There are new biomes (like fantasy, luminescent and lava) that give islands a very different look.
There are more updates planned for the game, so it should feel fresh for a long time. Cubed3 reached out to the publisher to ask when a patch is coming for Nintendo Switch 2. As of now, the team has trouble getting a development kit; a problem many small developers share. The update is planned, but could take a while. The game runs well on Switch 2, but when this update finally comes, a boost in graphics would be welcome…and perhaps the option to use the Joy-Con 2 as a mouse?
