I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I first booted up Islets but I was immediately drawn to the art style when glancing at the screenshots before playing this one through. Sometimes I like to step away from the genres I know and love and venture into the world of Metroidvania and platforming goodness. This is a game that has an excellent blend of both with a simplistic and laid-back approach for both casual gamers and the hardcore amongst us who just want to wind down from adrenalin-fuelled multiplayer carnage. Solo developer Kyle Thompson is back after the success of the popular indie title Sheepo and introduces us to another wholesome title with Armor Games Studios.

Introduction

After a brief cutscene, we are introduced to Iko who is a mouse on a mission. The aim is to explore the land and sky in the hope of establishing connections with a plethora of floating islands. Easier said than done though, as you’ll embark on an adventure to trigger the magnetic core to bring these lands together whilst fighting off anything that stands in your way. With your trusty melee attacks and bow and arrow, you’ll be required to overcome challenging platforms and puzzles in order to achieve success. As you progress you can become stronger as you make your way across all five of the Islets and their bosses, obstructions and hidden goodies.

Gameplay

The gameplay loop is similar to a lot of other platformers and Metroidvania-orientated games, but I was super happy not to see a skill tree or confusing mechanics here. There are lots of titles that turn me off when it comes to skill trees and assigning certain abilities to characters, but Islets keeps it nice and simple. The control scheme is as you’d expect as you jump, dodge and attack but it isn’t long until you can upgrade with additional skills. Soon you’ll be plucking up the courage to perform double jumps, ground smashes and more.

I enjoyed the variety and intensity of the boss fights and the way they were presented really made you feel like you were much smaller than them. There was a strategic factor to how you are required to adjust to the movement of the enemy and how you only damage them a minuscule amount with each attack. I personally like this as it felt more realistic and spontaneous even if there was a pattern to the boss’ behaviour.

Graphics & Audio

The visuals here are simply beautiful with artwork that looks like it’s been done to perfection with a paintbrush. It was a joy traversing through the islands and uncovering every nook and cranny the game had to offer. The enemy design had enough variety to stay invested with some well-crafted boss fights and intense animations throughout these scraps. The overall package has been engineered so that youngsters can also enjoy all the elements that Islets has to offer, so it’s perfectly safe to introduce your little ones to the game as I did. My son loved how even the critters across the environment were purposefully made cute to absorb within the atmosphere. It’s so well done that there is nothing to criticise here, it’s a joyous feast for the eyes. As for sound design, it ticks the boxes and does everything you’d expect from a game in the genre.

In Conclusion

Islets is one of those games that I enjoyed way more than I initially anticipated. I adored its simplistic gameplay whilst also engaging you enough to think outside the box. Sure you’ll find some exquisite titles that are similar out there such as Hollow Knight or the Ori series, but if you’re a fan of those types of experiences then there is absolutely something for you here and it beds in amongst the greats of the Metroidvania category. It is well worth its low price point of £14.99 and can be purchased on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.