ISLANDERS: New Shores Review – A whole new world

Reviewed July 9, 2025 on PC

Platforms:

PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

Released:

July 11, 2025

Publishers:

Coatsink, Thunderful Publishing

Developer:

The Station

In 2019, Grizzly Games released the “minimalist city builder” game ISLANDERS, where you slowly build a small civilisation from a procedurally generated island, using the building packs given to you each round. I got this game during the pandemic, and it was a great distraction from the stress of Tom Nook and his cronies, as it offered an alternative to the cozy island-building experience. Now, a sequel called ISLANDERS: New Shores is here, promising familiar gameplay with added elements. I was very excited when I heard that a part 2 is coming, but does the sequel live up to its predecessor?

Like the original, ISLANDERS: New Shores has players collecting points based on how they lay out each new building. The points collected advance the player to the next round, allowing them to add more buildings to their civilisation and potentially a new island on which to build. The sequel retains the same gameplay mechanics as the previous title but with a fresh coat of paint, as the graphics appear more defined and less “cube-like.” Additionally, the familiar, cozy soundtrack returns, offering the player a calm gaming experience, as this island city-building game shouldn’t cause undue stress.

Like the first game, certain buildings will either add or deduct points from your score, and a combination of these buildings can lead to bigger point bonuses. Once you know how each building interacts with each other, you can use that to your advantage as you can get more building packs in one go, allowing you to bank in more points as you progress. ISLANDERS: New Shores knew what made their first game work, and it’s great that its gameplay mechanic hasn’t changed. It keeps the familiarity for those returning. For me, I was able to immediately jump back in, as it had been a few years since I played the first title.

But ISLANDERS: New Shores is more than just a fresh coat of paint. It has added some new features, giving its sequel a fun twist and incentive that will get players hooked and up for a challenge. The first is this new bonus system called “boons.” Once you collect a certain amount of points, you get a special ability that can be used on that one island or throughout your gameplay session. Whether it’s destroying buildings, point multipliers, or shrinking building sizes due to space constraints, these will be very helpful as you progress through the game. These boons are a lifesaver and something that took a while for me to remind myself I can use. Since this was a new mechanic, there were moments when I thought my run was about to come to an end, but it turned out I had an extra trick up my sleeve, thus saving the day. One of my favourites is “Neighbourly,” which allows my buildings not to receive negative points if placed next to each other. It’s really helpful when you’re in a bind or your island doesn’t have a lot of space.

“…New Shores offers a fun twist and incentive that will get players hooked and up for a challenge.”

Speaking of buildings, another newly added feature is the ability to select your island. In the first game, once you decide to go to the next island, you don’t have a say on where you want to go. In this sequel, however, you do. You get a clue about what your new landscape will be and what new bonus building will be included. Each has a special requirement and will affect your progress through the round. One of my favourites is the islands that rise each round, slowly growing your new location, not just in terms of building population but also in terms of space. You think your new island is small, but it just needs time to grow. It was like seeing my world progressing alongside me. However, if you’re not satisfied with the options presented, you can use the randomiser boon to change your selection.

Next are the latest additions to the points system. Aside from your total based on the island you’ve played on, how you play each island will also affect your total score. Whether it’s the number of buildings you’ve placed, how many times you used the undo button, how many times you used boons, etc. Each of them will be taken into account each round and will be added to your overall score. This is ideal if you want to secure the top spot on the leaderboard. However, this requires a decent understanding of the relationships between each building, including the new ones added in the sequel. Personally, I like the added bonus points given post-Island rounds. It’s a nice reward for knowing the game’s system, despite making little mistakes, as my efforts and ability to build a functioning society are being recognised. While the points system might not be for everyone, it adds a challenge to a cozy city-builder game.

Don’t worry, as ISLANDERS: New Shores still offers an Endless mode, where you can build to your heart’s content. Like the previous iteration, you build on an island, either based on the choices placed in the Island settings menu or from the island you constructed during your last round of the game and choose to continue. It’s similar to the first game but with an improved UI, which is easier to use. And just like the last time, you can save these islands, too, in case you want to continue building on them at a later time.

The only annoying thing, which is a feature present in the first game, is searching for the best placement for your building. In ISLANDERS: New Shores and ISLANDERS, building and environmental interaction are key to progress. However, it feels like you’re playing a game of metal detecting rather than building a thriving society, as the best points are only found in a specific spot. For example, I was putting on a wall, and the most obvious placements would give me 20 points at most. However, if you move just a tiny bit to the left, just underneath a terrace, there is a single spot that will provide the ideal wall placement of 40 points. This massive gap is the difference between game over and next island progression, and it feels tedious, especially when you’re in the late game.

This drives me nuts sometimes, as it changes the way the game is played. You’re now hunting for points by finding that one single specific spot where it’s the perfect place to score more rewards, like fishing for Feebas in Pokémon. Sadly, this was also a thing in the first instalment, so have fun searching for good point placements when you’re on your 5th or 6th island. By this stage, your aesthetically pleasing island, which was doing so well, starts to become a mess.

8

Great

Positive:

  • Improved visuals while retaining the cozy vibe
  • New features adds a new challenge to what was already a successful game
  • Familiar gameplay mechanics for those returning

Negative:

  • It feels like you're playing metal detector to collect the most points

ISLANDERS: New Shores builds upon what made the first game great and why I got it in the first place back in 2020. It added new elements to keep players engaged, while also providing a fresh improvement from the first game, by featuring better visuals, music, improved gameplay mechanics, and a points system that encourages you to reach the top of the leaderboard. It’s a cozy game if you’re after something chill or an intense puzzle game if you’re after that top spot. Regardless, it’s addictive and will keep you hooked.