Isles of Sea and Sky

About

"Isles of Sea and Sky" is an open-world, puzzle adventure game set in a fantastical oceanic world. Solve unique block-pushing puzzles, uncover a mysterious narrative, make new friends, collect items, and unlock extraordinary powers. The game features a beautiful soundtrack by Craig Collver and is created by Jason Newman with QA and production by Dan Collver. Join their Discord for updates and stay tuned for more.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 896 reviews

gameplay64 positive mentions

grinding16 negative mentions

The game features a clever combination of sokoban-style puzzles and metroidvania exploration, providing a refreshing and engaging experience.
The art style and atmospheric soundtrack create a charming and immersive environment that enhances the overall gameplay.
Puzzles are well-designed with a gradual difficulty curve, allowing players to feel a sense of accomplishment as they progress.

It can be frustrating to determine whether a puzzle is solvable with the current abilities, leading to wasted time on unsolvable challenges.
Some puzzles feel cluttered or overly complex, which can detract from the enjoyment of solving them.
The game has unimplemented content and areas that can lead to confusion, as players may spend time exploring parts of the map that do not currently serve a purpose.

gameplay
256 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
74%
1%
The gameplay is centered around sokoban-style puzzles, with each island introducing unique mechanics that encourage players to adapt and learn as they progress. The game features a well-structured difficulty curve, allowing for gradual mastery of its various mechanics, while also providing opportunities for exploration and secret-finding. Although some mechanics may feel underutilized or frustrating, the overall experience is enhanced by clever puzzle design and a satisfying blend of challenge and creativity.
- “I love how all of these mechanics tie into their respective elements in novel ways; it made me excited to learn about every new mechanic and it also helps when trying to remember what everything does.”
- “At its core, the gameplay revolves around sokoban-style puzzles, but each island introduces unique mechanics that challenge your previous approaches and encourage you to adapt and learn.”
- “The puzzles and mechanics are all really cleverly designed, and it's super fun running around exploring all the islands, figuring out their secrets, and slowly unlocking more and more abilities.”
- “The game doesn't explain its mechanics other than the ability to undo a step, or reset the room.”
- “A big however—I honestly hated the fact that through its non-linearity, some puzzles look very much possible to solve but aren't yet, as some mechanic necessary to solve it found much later in the game hasn't been unlocked yet.”
- “Don't be fooled by the graphics and music, the gameplay has glaring flaws that make this game extremely hostile for newbies to the genre.”
music
218 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
42%
1%
The music in the game has been widely praised for its atmospheric quality, catchy melodies, and ability to enhance the overall experience, often described as relaxing and well-suited for puzzle-solving. Many players appreciate the nostalgic and vibrant sound design, which complements the retro pixel art aesthetic, although some noted that the music can become repetitive over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and immersive environment.
- “The music and sound design are excellent, adding depth to the game’s atmosphere.”
- “The visuals and soundtrack are both extremely lovely, and despite often being on the same island for hours, I never got to the point of either of them being tiresome.”
- “The art, music, and overall vibe is phenomenal.”
- “The music can be a little too repetitive; some variety in each zone wouldn't hurt.”
- “(Count me in the vast minority who did not care for the soundtrack, though. Dunno why, just didn't vibe with it.)”
- “The high-definition music completely mismatches the pixelated rendering.”
graphics
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
58%
3%
The graphics of "Isles of Sea and Sky" are widely praised for their charming retro pixel art style, reminiscent of classic Game Boy titles and old 2D Zelda games. Players appreciate the vibrant colors, expressive character animations, and the overall aesthetic that enhances the game's exploration and puzzle-solving experience. While some critiques mention a need for polish in certain visual elements, the game's nostalgic appeal and cohesive art direction contribute significantly to its engaging atmosphere.
- “With its retro pixel graphics, Isles of Sea and Sky is a perfect match for the Steam Deck, offering a relaxing yet mentally stimulating experience.”
- “The graphics are simple, yet full of character with art and animations for any action you can think of.”
- “Excellent puzzle adventure with exquisite pixel graphics and a well-done difficulty curve that will have you scraping across the entire world for incremental progress.”
- “(also, a pet peeve: it has 'pixel' graphics but they're not actual pixel graphics. The pixels are fake and behave in impossible ways. Always feels chintzy and sloppy to me.)”
- “The menu visuals and cutscenes look pretty bad but otherwise I really like the art.”
- “Those were good games for their time but I have no interest in playing a Zelda game with a small world and bad graphics when better ones exist.”
story
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
7%
The game features a unique, non-verbal storytelling approach, relying on wordless cutscenes and visual elements to convey its narrative, which many players found engaging and immersive. While the story is minimal and can be somewhat murky, it offers a satisfying mystery to uncover alongside the puzzles, enhancing the overall experience. Some players expressed a desire for more backstory and character motivation, but the game's mythological themes and polished presentation were generally well-received.
- “The game offers no verbal explanation about the story or puzzles at all, which I really enjoyed as it allowed me to discover by myself how each element works and what the story is about.”
- “Isles of Sea and Sky is one of the closest experiences I've had while playing a video game to being told the story of a myth, and without a word of dialogue or narration, I'm swept away into a captivating world.”
- “Every piece of story that the player receives feels as intriguing as the game's puzzles, and while this game would be great as an aimless puzzle game, having a greater overall mystery to uncover through the progress the individual puzzles grant you makes it all the more so harder to put this game down.”
- “The story is dialogue-free and I didn't fully understand it or look into it too deeply.”
- “And finishing the story is possible way too soon, when having collected just half of the collectibles, before gaining all the abilities, and an entire big island doesn't even need to be visited.”
- “As for the story of this game, there are no words outside of the title screen and save file select (that I have encountered so far), with little pieces of what I assume to be a backstory granted as you progress through the islands.”
atmosphere
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
21%
13%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a charming retro and tribal pixel aesthetic, complemented by an excellent atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the immersive experience. Players appreciate the distinct and interconnected environments, which are filled with character and invite exploration, while the soothing music and clever puzzle design contribute to a chill and engaging atmosphere. Overall, the game successfully combines elements from various genres to create a mesmerizing and inviting world.
- “The music and sound design are excellent, adding depth to the game’s atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is impeccable, with soothing music and charming art.”
- “The atmosphere is impeccable, soothing music with charming art.”
- “Really strong atmosphere that pulls you in from the start.”
- “It results in every area having a distinct atmosphere which truly builds the character of the game and makes every screen worth of space feel full of character.”
grinding
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players appreciate the game's approach to grinding, noting that it has been improved through developer updates that reduce confusion and tedium. The difficulty scaling is well-received, and while most puzzles are engaging, some players find certain aspects—like revisiting areas for upgrades and searching for hidden breakable walls—can feel tedious. However, features like the "undo last move" mechanic enhance quality of life, making the experience more enjoyable and less frustrating.
- “Eventually you figure out that the secret walls and tiles have an indication to let you know they are near, but it can be frustrating when you have to tediously search for breakable walls like in the bad old days.”
- “It can be tedious having to revisit old areas after you get an upgrade, because most of the tiles that you can newly interact with are subtle and blend in well with the un-interactable tiles.”
- “The puzzles in this game are mostly phenomenal, but a few here and there feel tedious or obscure.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with some players noting that it is buggy and that certain interesting glitches have been intentionally ironed out, leading to frustration among those who enjoy exploring these elements. However, the presence of instant undo and reset options has mitigated some of the issues, making the overall experience more manageable despite the bugs.
- “The game is buggy.”
- “I know it's not the most important thing to be annoyed about, but it sucks to spend so much time trying to break the game in half only to see most of the really interesting stuff ironed out. It feels like those of us who hunted down all those glitches were being punished for our hard work.”
- “Sometimes some of the elements felt a little buggy, but considering the instant undo and reset options, this didn't feel like a problem at all.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its cool graphics and amusing animations, which add a lighthearted and entertaining touch to the overall experience.
- “The game features cool graphics with funny little animations that really enhance the experience.”
- “The humor in the game is highlighted by its cool graphics and amusing animations.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players note that the game offers replayability, particularly after allowing some time for puzzle solutions to be forgotten, enhancing the challenge and enjoyment of revisiting the game.
- “There is replay value, in my opinion, once you let enough time pass for the puzzle solutions to fade a bit.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players report that once they understand the puzzle mechanics, the optimization of solving the puzzles is efficient, typically taking no more than thirty seconds to complete. This suggests a well-designed system that allows for quick execution after the initial learning phase.
- “Once a player knows what to do, the actual performance of solving the puzzle should never be more than about thirty seconds, tops.”