Unique atmosphere, great puzzles, weak game design.
Maybe "metroidvania + world-level puzzles" blend isn't supposed to work
Maybe "metroidvania + world-level puzzles" blend isn't supposed to work
I think calling Isles of Sea and Sky an "open-world" sokoban game is a little overblown: when it says there are "multiple ways to progress", it does not mean that there are multiple ways to solve any particular puzzle, just that you need X macguffins to get through a gate and there are more than X macguffins on your side of the gate. It's not Breath of the Wild, it's Super Mario Galaxy. None of this is bad, of course - intricately designed puzzles are the bread and butter of the genre, and going for truly open imsim-style design would probably just result in a mess. But a good amount of why I tried this was that it sold itself as unique and accessible in a way I don't really think it lives up to.
That said, there is a lot about its pacing and design that I can appreciate. Individual screens in the game tend to house two or three related puzzles which are squirreled off into their own sections, and you can get a rough estimate of their relative difficulty based on which flavor of collectible they reward you with. This lets the game be very efficient with its space, densely packing itself with puzzles without needing to be overly complicated right off the bat. I'm not really sure what the point of all that efficiency is, especially when it gets in the way of just navigating from point A to point B, but it's still neat in an abstract sort of way.
Another way the game paces itself is by giving each major island three "tiers" of puzzle, each centered around its own mechanic. The first type is available right away. Solve enough of those and you'll awaken that island's guardian, along with a bunch of elementals that become their own complicated push-block for the next tier of puzzle. Lastly, each island has a more abstract overarching puzzle that you'll need to explore the entire island to figure out. Your reward for doing this is an item that gives you a new ability which makes the last tier accessible. I've read a lot of other reviews that bemoan this pacing because it makes it more difficult to tell whether any individual puzzle can be completed or if it's actually in a higher "tier", but I didn't feel that way very often. Each island's mechanics are totally local until the very end, too, so if you are confused you can just beeline your way to the guardian and item and then you'll know you can do everything on the island.
Ultimately the reason I dropped this wasn't for what it did differently but what it didn't - the puzzles just got too damn complex for me. I just do not want to wrap my head around how to push a block that moves two spaces up, rotates 90 degrees, and spawns a frog in front of itself that you can use to cross pits but only if they have water in them already (to avoid spoilers I made that example up, but they really do get about that complicated).
Not scoring this because it would feel disingenuous to rate it highly when I didn't care to finish it, and equally so to rate it lowly when I think it does a lot of things well and few things bad. Wouldn't review it at all, honestly, but I feel like I need to so I can "exorcise" it from my backlog instead of feeling vaguely guilty about not booting it up for two weeks.
That said, there is a lot about its pacing and design that I can appreciate. Individual screens in the game tend to house two or three related puzzles which are squirreled off into their own sections, and you can get a rough estimate of their relative difficulty based on which flavor of collectible they reward you with. This lets the game be very efficient with its space, densely packing itself with puzzles without needing to be overly complicated right off the bat. I'm not really sure what the point of all that efficiency is, especially when it gets in the way of just navigating from point A to point B, but it's still neat in an abstract sort of way.
Another way the game paces itself is by giving each major island three "tiers" of puzzle, each centered around its own mechanic. The first type is available right away. Solve enough of those and you'll awaken that island's guardian, along with a bunch of elementals that become their own complicated push-block for the next tier of puzzle. Lastly, each island has a more abstract overarching puzzle that you'll need to explore the entire island to figure out. Your reward for doing this is an item that gives you a new ability which makes the last tier accessible. I've read a lot of other reviews that bemoan this pacing because it makes it more difficult to tell whether any individual puzzle can be completed or if it's actually in a higher "tier", but I didn't feel that way very often. Each island's mechanics are totally local until the very end, too, so if you are confused you can just beeline your way to the guardian and item and then you'll know you can do everything on the island.
Ultimately the reason I dropped this wasn't for what it did differently but what it didn't - the puzzles just got too damn complex for me. I just do not want to wrap my head around how to push a block that moves two spaces up, rotates 90 degrees, and spawns a frog in front of itself that you can use to cross pits but only if they have water in them already (to avoid spoilers I made that example up, but they really do get about that complicated).
Not scoring this because it would feel disingenuous to rate it highly when I didn't care to finish it, and equally so to rate it lowly when I think it does a lot of things well and few things bad. Wouldn't review it at all, honestly, but I feel like I need to so I can "exorcise" it from my backlog instead of feeling vaguely guilty about not booting it up for two weeks.
A really neat game that combines sokoban puzzles with Zelda-style exploration and secrets and unlockable abilities. Had a great time playing this with my brother, the puzzles are pretty clever and there’s lots of really fun mechanics to play with. My only real complaint is that the game doesn’t do a great job signposting if you have the necessary abilities/unlocks for a puzzle to be solvable, and even worse, there are several extremely conspicuous places that I wasted a bunch of time looking for secrets in only to look it up and find out there’s nothing there… yet. Turns out they’re related to some planned future content for the game, but for the moment they’re just annoying red herrings that occasionally get in the way of the otherwise very enjoyable secret-hunting.
Um Sokoban com elementos de zelda, super divertido e algumas vezes irritante. O unico problema com esse jogo foram as tentativas de resolver alguns puzzles sem ter as ferramentas necessarias ainda, fora isso minha experiencia foi otima!
Super super super good! The density of puzzles is really high. On each screen there will usually be multiple puzzles to unlock different things using the same objects, which is really fun. I'd never played a Sokoban game before but the puzzles all felt really satisfying and not too hard.
Until the final main world... (the ice one) and everything after that. My brain couldn't handle the endgame puzzles. Part of it is probably because I'm too dumb for them. But also a lot of the later puzzles can be cheesed, so it felt like I wasn't doing some of them the intended way.
Overall the game is amazing, this is a very strong 4/5. Style is great, lovely music, really fun puzzles, and a ton of secrets!
Until the final main world... (the ice one) and everything after that. My brain couldn't handle the endgame puzzles. Part of it is probably because I'm too dumb for them. But also a lot of the later puzzles can be cheesed, so it felt like I wasn't doing some of them the intended way.
Overall the game is amazing, this is a very strong 4/5. Style is great, lovely music, really fun puzzles, and a ton of secrets!
I enjoyed the variety of mechanics, and the way some of the puzzles seem somewhat open ended.
Unfortunately the game just feels unfinished, with a bunch of hint toward puzzles that don't yet exist. I was happy to explore the world and search for all the puzzles, but was left unsatisfied by the amount of notes I took that didn't end up mattering.
The Polynesian theme feels pretty fresh, it's just a shame the story elements feels somewhat shallow.
Unfortunately the game just feels unfinished, with a bunch of hint toward puzzles that don't yet exist. I was happy to explore the world and search for all the puzzles, but was left unsatisfied by the amount of notes I took that didn't end up mattering.
The Polynesian theme feels pretty fresh, it's just a shame the story elements feels somewhat shallow.
Holy shit this is good
Good if you love puzzles
Completed it and the ending kinda glitched out on me, oh well. Didn't play it for the ending, played it for the challenge. There are some issues for sure, such as some content not being complete yet, and not knowing if you can complete certain puzzles with your current load out. Despite all that I thoroughly enjoyed piecing this puzzle together. I figure some new content will be added later on; we'll see how substantial it is.
I loved this game. Crazy I would have never heard of it at all if not for a GMTK video. Really cool block-pushing+metroidvania game. There were a few puzzles I got stuck on, and it wasn't always clear whether I just needed to keep trying at something, or move on and come back later with a new ability or upgrade. Altogether very fun and satisfying to play through.
Absolutely phenomenal puzzle game that feels more like an adventure/Zelda-like because of upgrades and how it unlocks different islands/rooms as you go. As someone who typically does not enjoy puzzle games, it went out of its way to make me feel extra clever when I completed a challenge, and it was a joy to explore and find new goodies around the world. Huge recommend!
Very solid puzzler!
The more open design means that you can solve at your own pace – mostly. Some puzzles are unsolvable until you get certain upgrades, which isn't always clear, so it's easy to spend time trying to do something that is actually impossible. In this way and the way that certain collectibles are gated it does seem like most puzzle groups have an intended order, which is a little frustrating when you can't figure out exactly what it is you're missing.
However that's ultimately a minor complaint! I actually much prefer this game's focus on (mostly) free exploration and self-discovery than if it were a straight corridor of puzzle rooms. Even when I was stumped I found myself captivated in the mere act of trying.
The more open design means that you can solve at your own pace – mostly. Some puzzles are unsolvable until you get certain upgrades, which isn't always clear, so it's easy to spend time trying to do something that is actually impossible. In this way and the way that certain collectibles are gated it does seem like most puzzle groups have an intended order, which is a little frustrating when you can't figure out exactly what it is you're missing.
However that's ultimately a minor complaint! I actually much prefer this game's focus on (mostly) free exploration and self-discovery than if it were a straight corridor of puzzle rooms. Even when I was stumped I found myself captivated in the mere act of trying.
A very enjoyable block-pushing puzzler in an open world. Highly recommended for people who enjoy puzzle games but get stuck as the difficulty ramps due to how the puzzles/world is handled. One puzzle too tough? Explore for a bit and you'll likely find tons more that are waiting to be solved.
The game does fall apart a bit with some of the 'secrets', as either the game is not yet finished or the solution is way too obscure. This also means that there a lot of red herrings - either small clues that are meaningless or puzzles that are not yet able to be completed. It would be fine, but it's not always possible to tell at first glance, and usually ends up wasting a lot of time.
The game does fall apart a bit with some of the 'secrets', as either the game is not yet finished or the solution is way too obscure. This also means that there a lot of red herrings - either small clues that are meaningless or puzzles that are not yet able to be completed. It would be fine, but it's not always possible to tell at first glance, and usually ends up wasting a lot of time.
fun game, brain hurty
Isles of Sea and Sky is a retro, Zelda-inspired adventure game where instead of fighting monsters.. you solve Sokoban puzzles. It's a fantastic combination. A genre that makes you want to explore - and a gameplay mechanic that is entirely about figuring out how. This is combined with metroidvania style elements where new "powers" change existing puzzle rooms and encourages non-linear exploration. IOSAS also fills its world with clever hidden secrets that add a second layer to the puzzle solving and feel fantastic to uncover.
This is a real gem of a game.
This is a real gem of a game.
I liked it. I was quite done with it by the time credits rolled but overall I am glad I played it.
I think that the puzzles were well made and tight early on and got looser and sloppier the later in the game you went. By the end, the mix of powers and types of terrain and blocks etc made it so I felt I was constantly solving stuff in unintended ways. Don't feel the need to 100% it.
I think that the puzzles were well made and tight early on and got looser and sloppier the later in the game you went. By the end, the mix of powers and types of terrain and blocks etc made it so I felt I was constantly solving stuff in unintended ways. Don't feel the need to 100% it.
Great puzzle design that stands out due to its layers of engagement. On any given screen, you may have your focus on a puzzle for navigation, a puzzle for a key, the environment, or a multi-screen puzzle. Does not punish players too much for experimentation or failure, as you are always just one click away from an undo or a frame reset. Allows for non-linear progression and has clever, metered, enticing progression that includes metroidvania-style upgrades and recontextualizations. All-in-all, it's an extremely well-thought-out game wrapped in a consistent and endearing art style.
Fell in love with this game through its demo, eagerly awaited its release, and have been rewarded even beyond some lofty expectations. Anyone who likes puzzle games should give it a shot (and immediately get hooked).
Fell in love with this game through its demo, eagerly awaited its release, and have been rewarded even beyond some lofty expectations. Anyone who likes puzzle games should give it a shot (and immediately get hooked).