The Islander

About

"The Islander is a single-player Simulation game set in a Polynesian-inspired island, where you build, farm, and customize your own island. Experience grinding and leveling up to unlock new plants, animals, and decorations, while taking advantage of the trusty cocobot assistants to help with harvesting. With around 5 hours of playtime and the option to save and start anew, The Islander promotes relaxation and creativity in building your dream farm island."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 184 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

grinding19 negative mentions

The Islander offers a relaxing and casual gameplay experience, perfect for players looking to unwind.
The game's cute graphics and charming pixel art create an enjoyable atmosphere.
It's a simple and easy-to-learn idle game that can be played while multitasking or watching something else.

The game frequently crashes and lacks an autosave feature, leading to potential loss of progress.
There is minimal content and gameplay depth, making it feel repetitive and short-lived.
The absence of a tutorial or clear instructions can leave new players feeling lost and confused.

graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
59%
14%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute, colorful, and pixelated art style, which adds charm and aesthetic appeal to the overall experience. Many players appreciate the smooth animations and the visual design of the animals and environments, noting that the graphics are a standout feature despite the game's simplicity and limited gameplay. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere.
- “It is a beautiful game, visually and audibly speaking, in cute pixel graphics with nice animations.”
- “Cute and very fun to play, easy to get the achievements, lovely graphics.”
- “I was attracted to this game because of the cute graphics, but after playing it for a few minutes, I have to say that the graphics are its best quality.”
- “Graphics are what you'd expect from an indie game like this.”
- “Cute graphics but it's boring, small island and not much to do.”
- “The only thing stardew-like in this game is the graphics and the presence of plants and animals.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The gameplay is characterized by a simple, repetitive loop that primarily involves clicking mechanics, reminiscent of clicker games, which some players find charming due to its graphics. However, the lack of depth, strategic elements, and essential features like tutorials and save options detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration for some users. While enjoyable for short sessions, many reviewers express a desire for more content and variety to enhance long-term engagement.
- “To cut a long story short, I recommend this game; though rough around the edges, the relatively simple gameplay loop lends itself to the kind of spontaneous creativity which very often leads to delightful creations.”
- “It's definitely got a fun gameplay aspect that's worth the admission cost - I would, however, like to see more added to it.”
- “There isn't much there in terms of gameplay, as it's basically a clicker game, but there's a lot of charm to it due to the Stardew Valley-esque graphics.”
- “As there is no tutorial, this mechanic is never explained.”
- “There's no progression saves, and the lack of design to properly implement this decoration mechanic also makes it fail as a designer/creative game.”
- “Every object requires the same interaction, as they will all grow on their own and simply need to be harvested, so the gameplay is repetitive.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The Islander is described as a grindy idle farming simulation game that combines farming with building elements, offering a relaxing yet sometimes tedious experience. While it features charming aesthetics and potential for fun, players note that the grinding mechanics can feel repetitive, particularly when collecting resources and managing crops. Overall, it appeals to fans of clicker and farming games, though it may not satisfy those seeking depth akin to more complex titles like Stardew Valley.
- “The islander is a grindy idler game where you have to plant crops, collect coins so that you are able to expand your island and create your ultimate island!”
- “I enjoy idle games, clickers, these kinds of farming games...but this one was just bland.”
- “It's an idle/grinding game that feels like it should be on mobile or a free browser game.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The music in the game is generally described as calming and pleasant, providing a relaxing backdrop that enhances the gameplay experience. While some players note that it can be repetitive, many appreciate its gentle and quirky nature, which helps distract from the game's repetitive mechanics. Overall, the soundtrack is well-received, contributing positively to the game's ambiance, though some players express a desire for more variety.
- “Onto the positives though, the game has a very nice soundtrack.”
- “This combined with the music made it a really relaxing experience.”
- “The music is cheery and relaxing.”
- “There only seems to be one musical track which plays on repeat.”
- “Just quiet background music and a half a dozen sound effects.”
- “The cute music that, even though it's repetitive, was calming enough to not feel repetitive, the beautiful little pixel art that all works together very well, these aspects were great - which was its greatest downside as much as its benefit because it kept making me want more of it.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
29%
57%
The game lacks a traditional storyline, focusing instead on a simplistic gameplay loop centered around planting crops and accumulating wealth. Players note the absence of quests, achievements, or character interactions, resulting in a gameplay experience that prioritizes mechanics over narrative depth. While some find this lack of story acceptable given the game's nature, it leaves a sense of emptiness for those seeking a more engaging narrative.
- “There's no storyline.”
- “It has no storyline and only one goal: to gain more money.”
- “There's no story or substance in this game; your 'character' does not interact with his environment in any way, and the only point of the game seems to be planting crops and making money to unlock more of the same.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The monetization model of the game is praised for being fair, as players can progress without spending real money on in-game purchases. While it resembles a free-to-play mobile game, it avoids forced wait times and microtransactions, making it a refreshing experience for users. The developer's asking price of 2.99 euros is seen as reasonable and justified.
- “You won't need to fork out actual money for in-game purchases to get anywhere.”
- “This is where the inaccurate advertising starts.”
- “Feels like a free-to-play mobile game, but thankfully there's no forced wait times and microtransactions.”
- “The developer of this game does indeed deserve the 2.99 euros it's asking and I commend it for not being a cash grab like many other mobile games with in-game transactions.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Overall, players appreciate the game's graphics and smooth performance, but they highlight significant optimization issues, including crashes, a lack of a save feature, and problematic AI behavior that obstructs gameplay. Users with high-end systems report unexpected performance problems, suggesting that the game requires updates to enhance stability and overall optimization.
- “I'm working with a beefy enough system to run Ark for 6 hours straight without any performance issues while I have over a dozen tabs open looking up crafting information for various things in the game on my second monitor, so something like this game should not be having a problem with me moving a few wheat fields around.”
- “Easy, fun, relaxing, addicting, but needs more content and optimization.”
- “To start with the positives, I really love the graphics in the game; it runs smoothly and is visibly aesthetic.”
- “This could be improved with an update to stability and performance to avoid crashes, adding a save feature, and perhaps changing how cocobots work so that they do their jobs as intended and do not block your field of vision for your island. Why design if you can't see your designs?”
- “I'm working with a beefy enough system to run Ark for 6 hours straight without any performance issues while I have over a dozen tabs open looking up crafting information for various things in-game on my second monitor, so something like this game should not be having a problem with me moving a few wheat fields around.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is criticized for being poor, with users reporting significant bugs, particularly with the save function, leading to a perception that the game is broken and potentially abandoned.
- “In my tests, the save function for this mode is buggy.”
- “Game is broken, buggy, and appears abandoned.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
The game has mixed reviews regarding replayability; some users find it lacks value and is completed quickly, while others praise it for its infinite replayability.
- “The game offers infinite replayability.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more.”
- “It doesn't have replay value, and believe me, the game is not long, so you're done quickly.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is characterized by the presence of amusing collectors, often depicted as quirky aliens, which adds a lighthearted and entertaining element to the gameplay experience.
- “The game is filled with hilarious characters and funny collectors that keep you entertained throughout.”
- “I love the quirky humor and the absurd situations the aliens find themselves in!”
- “The witty dialogue and comedic scenarios make every moment in the game a joy to experience.”