Summer Islands

About

Summer Islands is a single player and multiplayer casual real-time strategy game with a business theme. It was developed by Marttalin Games and was released on January 25, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Summer Islands is a real-time business strategy game where players can create and manage their own holiday paradise, from building cabins and amenities to managing finances and consultants. Play solo, with friends in co-op mode, or against enemies in PvP, on maps of various sizes and terrains. Survive natural disasters while attracting tourists and expanding your island empire."

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79%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

A nostalgic throwback to Holiday Island with improved mechanics and gameplay.
The game offers a fun and engaging experience, especially in multiplayer mode, with a lot of potential for creativity.
The developers show dedication to improving the game, responding to feedback, and adding new features over time.

Severe performance issues arise when the tourist count exceeds 5000-6000, making the game nearly unplayable.
The user interface and overall polish are lacking, with many design choices feeling clunky and unintuitive.
The gameplay can feel shallow and repetitive, lacking depth in management mechanics and requiring excessive waiting for resources.

gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The gameplay is generally engaging and nostalgic, appealing to fans of business sims and city-builders, though it suffers from performance issues in late-game scenarios. While some players appreciate the fun and relaxing nature of the mechanics, others find them shallow and lacking depth, with repetitive tasks and limited interaction. Overall, the gameplay offers a mix of enjoyable elements and areas for improvement, particularly in modernizing certain mechanics.
- “I never played Holiday Island, the inspiration for this game, but as a fan of business sims (and city-builders), the gameplay was very engaging.”
- “It still has some issues with performance when in the late game, and it's more of a match buildings together to make them happy. Every x number of tourists adds more utility plants, but it makes for fun, short, and relaxing gameplay.”
- “The good things about this game are the gameplay, the soundtrack, and the highly invested developer.”
- “The game mechanics are shallow and not very interesting.”
- “But this in no way makes up for the actual gameplay not being remotely worth the time or the cost.”
- “The gameplay is too basic.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its retro style and upbeat, cheerful vibe that complements the gameplay. While some users prefer the original soundtrack, the in-game music is noted for being well-crafted and not overly repetitive, enhancing the nostalgic experience. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, though opinions on its quality vary.
- “The music fits the retro style of the game.”
- “The soundtrack is well made without it getting too repetitive and annoying.”
- “Music is bad, expected the original one.”
- “I had the old game soundtrack playlist running on YouTube and muted the in-game music. Felt just like 1996 all over again.”
- “The ingame music is also a resemblance of its older brother and catches the holiday vibe.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the clean and simple style that enhances usability, while others criticize the presence of graphical glitches, blurriness, and odd water animations. Despite these issues, some users express a nostalgic fondness for the graphics, suggesting they align well with the game's overall aesthetic. Overall, while the graphics are generally well-received, they are marred by technical flaws that detract from the experience.
- “I personally love the graphics, but I am biased since I started gaming in the 90s.”
- “The graphic style suits well for this particular game.”
- “Love the graphics and the gameplay.”
- “Graphical glitches all over the place.”
- “The game isn't simulating agents, it's not taking into account inflation or complicated economics, there are no 3D graphics... what is it even processing?”
- “This game, considering its graphics and depth of simulation, should be able to run fluently with millions of tourists on any hardware.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, particularly in the late game, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some users appreciate the gameplay experience, they note that slow performance and lag hinder their ability to engage fully, making it feel less polished. Overall, the game struggles with optimization, impacting user experience negatively.
- “It still has some issues with performance when in the late game, but it makes for fun, short, and relaxing gameplay.”
- “It felt like a browser game - low resources being used while having a good performance for what you have.”
- “I do like this game, but the performance is so bad that it ruins my fun in hunting the achievements.”
- “However, the game has a huge performance problem.”
- “I do like this game, but the performance is so bad that it ruins my fun in hunting the achievements. I have 100k tourists, and it's just unplayable.”
- “The game performance feels really slow when you try to move around.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent graphical glitches and initial startup problems that require troubleshooting. While there is potential for improvement in user experience, players should expect to encounter various bugs during gameplay.
- “Graphical glitches all over the place.”
- “It took some troubleshooting to even get the game to properly start and to be able to interact with the main menu.”
- “This means you will encounter some glitches.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The story aspect of the game is perceived as lacking depth, with players noting a disconnect between the narrative presentation and the gameplay experience. The initial campaign features an overwhelming amount of text, and the character design appears inconsistent, detracting from immersion. Overall, the narrative seems to prioritize a relaxed experience over a challenging city-building challenge.
- “What's with the wall of text at the beginning of the first campaign mission?”
- “Why doesn't it resemble the person in the story animation?”
- “What's with the huge generic-looking pixelized avatar in the campaign mission window?”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted as a refreshing departure from typical economy management titles, providing a funny and enjoyable experience that stands out in its genre.
- “Overall, it's a funny gaming experience that offers something completely different compared to all those other economy management games that I can't stand.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining.”
- “I found myself laughing out loud at the witty dialogue and hilarious situations throughout the game.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game’s strong replayability, indicating that it offers a compelling reason to return for multiple playthroughs.
- “The game has exceptional replay value, keeping me engaged for hours.”
- “I love how each playthrough feels fresh and offers new challenges.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes makes me want to replay it multiple times.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game offers extensive financial management features, including banking, insurance, and advertising, allowing for significant gameplay depth. However, some mechanics, like advertisement placement, are criticized for being overly simplistic and lacking engagement. Players also need to navigate complex logistics, such as establishing travel rights and routes, adding to the overall strategic layer.
- “Beyond some standard mechanics like advertisement, which is simply pressing a button, you don't do anything.”
- “On top, you had to create travel rights and routes from countries to your islands and choose what type of advertisement you want to place on each of them.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game's wholesome gameplay as a key emotional aspect, fostering feelings of warmth and positivity throughout the experience.