Island Cities
- August 30, 2022
- Mens Sana Interactive
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Island Cities" is a relaxing 3D puzzle game where you build vibrant cities on island dioramas over calm water. With no time limits or challenges, players can swap blocks and memorize island layouts at their own pace, while enjoying a soothing soundtrack. The game features over 20 unique island designs, offering a peaceful, immersive building experience.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Relaxing and enjoyable gameplay with cute graphics and animations.
- Simple mechanics that make it accessible for all ages, perfect for casual gaming.
- Offers a satisfying experience as completed puzzles come to life with animations.
- Limited replayability with only 22 levels, which some players may find too short.
- Repetitive music and sluggish animations can detract from the overall experience.
- Gameplay may feel overly simplistic and not challenging enough for some players.
- graphics16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cute, child-like aesthetic and polished visuals, enhancing the overall experience with smooth animations and pleasing sound design. While some players feel that graphics are not the main focus, many appreciate the modernized visuals and artistic references that contribute to the game's charm. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, adding to the enjoyment of the gameplay.
“It's a very polished memory game with cute graphics and smooth music/sfx!”
“Great visuals, animations, sounds, etc. pleasing to play.”
“The graphics and music are quite good, especially given the price of the game.”
“Technically, Island Cities is a small improvement with slightly more modernized visuals and more general animation on levels, but you would have to play both of the games in fairly close succession to really notice this.”
“Same gameplay with better visuals.”
“Graphics don't matter for this game.”
- music14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as calming and relaxing, contributing positively to the overall experience, though some users find it repetitive and prefer to turn it off in favor of their own playlists. While the sound effects are generally satisfying, the limited variety in music can detract from prolonged gameplay for some players. Overall, the music is appreciated for its soothing qualities, despite its lack of diversity.
“It's got nice calming music, satisfying sound effects, and options to turn on sparkle effects to let you know when you've placed a piece correctly.”
“The music is relaxing too.”
“The graphics and music are quite good, especially given the price of the game.”
“The only cons I could find is that you quickly run out of 'islands' to complete and the music is so repetitive.”
“Music is repetitive, although this game was a lot less like having tinnitus than Island Farmer, and other sounds don’t go much beyond a ‘plop’ or ‘splash’ effect from moving blocks.”
“I turned it off and listened to my own music in the background, as I often do with games like this.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a cute and relaxing puzzle experience that combines memorization and exploration mechanics, focusing on unscrambling tiles to recreate scenes. However, players note a lack of replayability due to the absence of endgame mechanics and a compelling story, alongside some frustrations with sluggish pacing and a desire for a more engaging logic-based gameplay loop. Overall, while the game is easy to learn and enjoyable, it could benefit from deeper mechanics to enhance replay value.
“Cute, chill puzzle game, with a fun combination of memorization and exploration mechanics.”
“The gameplay is to exchange the places of two tiles until you unscramble all the pieces and recreate the original scene.”
“Simple, easy to learn gameplay.”
“There is no replayability in this game as there are no end game mechanics, no map metrics to try to beat, and no engrossing story to return to.”
“The only thing I disliked about the gameplay is that you can end up playing this game, just like Island Farmer, faster than it will let you, and that can feel a bit frustrating.”
“Overall, the game is a cute little relaxing experience, but I wish it had more of a logic-based gameplay loop (even just adding pegs and holes like a jigsaw puzzle, but even this requires an entire rewrite of how the gameplay works) rather than just looking at the preview and then moving the piece to where it should be.”
- replayability9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is generally viewed as limited, with many reviewers noting a lack of end game mechanics, challenges, or engaging narratives to encourage returning play. However, a few users find it cute and relaxing, suggesting it may offer some casual replay value for those seeking a laid-back experience. Overall, expectations should be managed as the game does not provide significant incentives for repeated play.
“Infinitely replayable (or almost)”
“Cute, relaxing, and replayable”
“Just go into it knowing what it is and don't expect a difficult game, many levels, or endless replayability.”
“There is no replayability in this game as there are no end game mechanics, no map metrics to try to beat, and no engrossing story to return to.”
“[*][b] replayability: [/b] none”
- story8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game lacks any narrative or background, resulting in a complete absence of story elements. This deficiency contributes to a lack of replayability, as players find no engaging plot or endgame mechanics to revisit. Overall, the consensus is that the game offers no story to enhance the experience.
“Moral of the story, you never know what life holds in store for you, and if I would have given up when all the odds were stacked against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“There is no setup story for the game.”
“There is no story, background, or setup to the game.”
“There is no replayability on this game as there is no end game mechanics, no map metrics to try to beat, and no engrossing story to return to.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally well-received, with users noting that it effectively complements the gameplay, despite some criticisms of being somewhat simplistic. The vibrant puzzle strategy enhances the overall experience, contributing positively to the game's ambiance.
“Good atmosphere and vibrant puzzle strategy.”
“On the one hand, this seems a bit lazy, but on the other, they do fit in with the game’s atmosphere well enough, so why fix what isn’t broken?”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express satisfaction with the emotional value of the game, particularly appreciating its affordability during sales, which enhances their overall enjoyment and connection to the experience.
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary significantly across different hardware configurations.
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, players report a high level of stability, with no significant glitches or crashes encountered during gameplay.
“I experienced no glitches or crashes during my time playing.”
“The game ran smoothly without any interruptions.”
“I was impressed by the overall stability; everything worked as intended.”
