It’s a lot of fun trying out new board games, with talented developers coming up with far-out concepts and incredibly unique themes. But, not all games truly stand the test of time, which is why a glow-up of a classic is always a different kind of exciting. Survive The Island is a 2024 remake of the 1982 “Survive: Escape from Atlantis!”, which sees players avoiding sharks, Kaiju and erupting volcanos on their way to escape, and it holds up incredibly well forty years later.
The concept of the game is that you’re trying to lead your Explorers from a sinking central island to safety on one of four islands nearby. They can get there by raft, or by swimming, but they’ll have to avoid dangerous hazards along the way, and it’s up to you to prioritise the order of who moves, and where, to win.
The set-up of the game involves laying hexagonal tiles on a game board, placed randomly, meaning there’s always going to be elements of chance to keep you coming back. Surrounded by sea monsters, you’ll then place Meeples of your colour on different terrains, alternating one player at a time. The idea is that you’ll want to try and place them in tactical spots so that you can get them onto rafts, and eventually get them to one of the corner islands to evacuate.
Of course, it’s not that simple; if they’re in the path of a monster, they’ll be removed from the board entirely. Each Meeple has a different number value (treasure) on the bottom of it, and you’ll want to prioritise saving the ones that are worth more points. This becomes a bit of a memory game, but it’s hard to keep track; inevitably, not everybody is going to be saved, so I tried to spread out the high points across the map as much as possible, before forgetting where I put them after a few turns because my brain is like that of a goldfish.
“…this race to safety becomes chaotic and exciting, especially when the monsters get involved.”
That risk versus reward mechanic, with elements of randomness thrown in for good measure, makes Survive The Island an intense and cut-throat experience instantly. Even if you save the highest volume of Explorers, you won’t know their point value until scoring at the end of the game. With the main island literally falling apart on every single turn, this race to safety becomes chaotic and exciting, especially when the monsters get involved.
With each turn, players perform three actions: moving Meeples up to three spaces, removing a land tile, and rolling the creature die. Meeples have certain movement restrictions, though; Explorers in water can only advance one space and control of rafts depends on having the majority of Meeples on board.
After moving, players remove a land tile, flipping it to reveal potential actions. Red tiles unleash immediate effects: creatures attack, whirlpools swallow Meeples and rafts, and volcanoes signal the game’s end once the third appears. Green tiles, meanwhile, offer bonuses like extra powers or rafts, which players can secretly activate later to fend off sharks, and sea serpents, or even use dolphins to help Meeples reach safety.
Finally, rolling the creature die triggers one of three types – Sharks, Kaiju, or Sea Serpents. Sharks hunt nearby swimmers, Kaiju target boats, and Sea Serpents ruthlessly destroy anything in their path. Meeples will certainly die, and sometimes, there’s no avoiding it. This means each turn is filled with strategic movement, challenging survival, and constant threats, along with key decisions that will help you while severely hindering others. And that’s all very much part of the fun.
In terms of key differences from the 1982 OG, Survive The Island now supports up to five players to make things even more wild. Other than that, the new player boards are well-made, offering a refresher on how the game works, and what each monster can perform. Visually, it has a more cartoony aesthetic, with high-quality meeples (particularly the Kaiju) and a colourful island map, with adorable little rafts to boot.
But the heart of the experience remains the same, and I mean that as a massive compliment. It’s easy to learn, but the competitive nature of our group made for some dastardly decisions and cunning escapes that had us “oohing” and “aahing” throughout, and some new grudges formed. The unexpected twists of the dice roll and the randomness of the tile abilities bring a certain chaotic energy that means it doesn’t necessarily favour experienced board-game players over newbies, which is a nice touch.
There’s a reason why Survive The Island has been going strong for forty years, and this new version is set to bring a whole new generation of fans, with its simple premise backed up by cheeky, ruthless, dog-eat-dog gameplay that makes it a thrilling addition to board game nights. As long as nobody takes it personally.
Survive The Island is available now in all good board game stores. Thanks to VR Distribution for providing a copy for this review.
About the Author
Luke Mitchell
he/him
Luke spends his time making radio, playing video games, binge-watching TV, getting unreasonably invested in wrestling, hosting bear events and hanging out with his beautiful pets.
