Well, after the huge Radiant Dawn review that I published last week, I figured I’d so something smaller, right?
Islets is a 2022 indie Metroidvania by Kyle Thompson, detailing the adventures of Iko, a rat trying to reunite the five titular islets after their cores malfunctioned.
It is a simple game in structure, with a familiar Metroidvania structure: you explore the world at your own pace, discover power-ups, and fight a few bosses before unlocking the next area. It boasts a simple plot, with colorful writing and graphics.
Not typically the game I’d play, so, did I enjoy it?
Casual Corner: Why Am I Even Playing This?
Well, after my roommate enjoyed Hollow Knight so much that I went looking for some other Metroidvania that could interest the both of us. I am not sure why, but upon seeing the maps come together and form new pathways, she practically begged me to buy it, which I did—not my usual cup of tea, but it looked okay.
I was pleasantly received with an accessible game, with a forgiving difficulty curve, no deep mechanics, and engaging writing. I will talk more about this soon, but here’s what she had to say:
Independently from what Quest and Roam has to say, I loved this game! So much that I would play it again several times. I could not stop laughing at the story, since it has emblematic characters and other ones that made me mad just looking at them.
The aesthetic of the game is pretty, each scene from the different islets (and sometimes within the islets themselves) is very well marked, going from tranquil visuals to more stressing ones.
I am not a super experimented player with lots of skill, and I still think that the difficulty of Islets is slow enough so that you get used to it, and enemies likewise advance gradually. I practically played around 80% of the main story by myself, ignoring bosses (I still needed help for those).I liked Islets so much that I convinced Q&R to get 100% of the collectibles. I think that if you are, like me, relatively new to video games, or if you want to play with someone that is just starting out, this is a good option, as they will not get stressed and they will be able to participate in the adventure, instead of simply being an observer, like it can happen in more complex games.
Always so modest. Here she is handling some more complex platforming by herself:
A Simple Structure
One of the things that makes Islets accessible is the way it structures its challenges. On very basic terms, you will get a save point, which will then lead you to a series of rooms that are not individually demanding, but can reasonably kill you when made in succession. You will then find the next save point, rinse and repeat until you find a boss, and that is how most of the game is structured.
This simple structure leads some very interesting challenges as the game goes on. Of course, rooms start out simple, with variations starting to show up as the game goes on, and at the later parts of the game, no room feels impossible, but they start to test you in aggregate. This makes Islets very welcoming to novice players, who will probably not be intimidated by any particularly hard part in the game, but also engaging to veteran players, who might be more interested in blitzing through the challenges.
Keeping it Fresh
Islets also does a great job at including variations and keeping its rooms fresh. I don’t want to sound repetitive, so I will just use a couple of late-game videos I recorded.
The bosses are very simply and can honestly be brute-forced by spamming attacks while dodging some of their attacks. A few did take me a couple of tries, but I’d say they are mostly unimpressive. Later sections also throw in a few bullet hell bosses, though they feel more like variety than a core gameplay mechanic. It’s not Furi, but they’re fun.
As for post-game content, there’s little power-ups that you can grab throughout the game that will give you a choice between three bonuses, things like slightly more damage, money, or an automatic attack when low on health. There’s 30 of them, and you can buy an upgrade to locate them, and they’re often behind platforming challenges.
What does getting them all get you?
A Simple Plot, Memorable Anecdotes
While I’ve been pretty lukewarm about Islets, there is one thing where I genuinely think that it succeeds: it tells a legitimately fun and comfy story.
Iko is a silent protagonist, but you meet several animals, and while there’s no overarching plot beyond “unite the 5 islands”, each individual isle has a lot of funny character moments and unexpected situations that frame the adventure in a very lively manner.
You might just be jumping around simple structures and doing platforming challenges, but maybe you’ll be meeting a guy that is clearly trying to feed you to ridiculously-named spirits, helping someone find their plant friends, or constantly run into an animal extremely full of itself.
Better yet, characters will show up on the hub world after you have connected their respective isles to it, which makes the whole adventure feel lively and interconnected. You will not get difficult questions about AI, shocking plot twists, or a deeply developed world. You just meet fellow cute animals, help them out, and later they’ll thank you with a letter or a friendly greeting from their ships.
I don’t like using this word for stories, but it is genuinely wholesome. My roommate would grin every time she saw that she had a letter in her inbox, and I was eagerly waiting for the next stupidly grandiose thing Snoot would say every time we encountered him. It was fun, and it made the journey much more fulfilling. It goes to show you that a good frame can make otherwise simple gameplay much more fulfilling.
Conclusion: Respecting a Simple Adventure
Islets is a cute Metroidvania, and is great for players who are otherwise not too acquainted with the medium. It has memorable comedic beats, a functional and polished structure, and enough depth that someone used to the genre could find a good time with it.
It’s also not terribly long, clocking in at around around 15 hours for a 100% playthrough.
It’s, of course, not my cup of tea, but I respect it for what it is and where it succeeds. If you are looking for a “breather” game, or something to play with someone who otherwise struggles with Metroidvanias or is into casual gaming, Islets is a great pick for you.
