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.

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.

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.