Review of “Islanders: New Shores”

A chill, island-themed puzzle game follows up on its older brother.

ISLANDERS: New Shores—building on the 2019 game—dropped the subtitle but added a bunch of stuff. So, it’s all about chilling with puzzles. You’ve got your islands, and you’re stacking cities, lighthouses, woodmills—anything, really. I will say, if you like scoring points without a timer breathing down your neck, this is your jam. No rush. Just vibes, you know? The tunes hit right, and everything looks like a minimalist dream. You just get lost in it. Easy-peasy to recommend if you’re into something light but fun.

It all kicks off with a tutorial island. Shows you the ropes but not much else. You’re left to figure out the nitty-gritty on your own. Build stuff next to stuff. That makes you get more points. So simple yet not—kind of like life, right? You pick from two building cards like Brickmaker Pack or something seaweed-y. Then, it’s a game of earning points, leveling up, earning more cards. Repeat. But oh, New Shores has extras! Like special boons. They shake things up by giving you a points boost or letting you copy buildings with a catch. Once you hit a certain score, choose to jump to another island or stay for high score glory.

Switch islands, and bam, scores tallied up. Multipliers for boons and re-dos get thrown in. And start over with new islands, each with its own climate quirks and structures. I’ve been rambling about High Score Mode, but hey, there’s a Sandbox Mode too. Go wild designing your island—size, climate, everything. Pick any structure. Flex those creative muscles. I love that.

Played it on Switch 2. Mostly smooth sailing, but sometimes, it stutters when you’re trying to place buildings. Weird thing is the stickiness—you know, when you want to move a building just a bit, but it fights you? Annoying, cause you’re tweaking placements constantly to squeeze out those points. You’d think the Switch 2’s mouse mode would fix it—nope, still waiting on that. Oh, and it’s a Switch 1 release technically. Just saying.

Honestly, if you liked the first game, the more detailed menus and eye-candy buildings of New Shores will probably charm you. Kept my scores from island to island, and there’s competitive online boards for bragging rights. That “one more run” feel is addictive still, with simple gameplay giving those sweet dopamine hits when you score big or unlock new cards. ISLANDERS: New Shores isn’t just a game. It’s my nighttime chill ritual on the Switch. If you adored the original or are just stepping into these island wonders, you’ll probably get hooked too.