Under the Island: The Game Boy Tribute That Actually Tries to Trap You
Under the Island follows the story of Nia, a newcomer to Seashell Island, who must team up with a local girl named Avocado to save their home from sinking. Developed by Slime King Games, this 2D action-adventure captures a distinct ’90s charm across six diverse regions filled with puzzles and strange monsters. It is a top-down journey built on exploration and uncovering the mysteries of an ancient civilisation before the ocean claims everything.
Specs & HUD |
Gameplay Review |
Performance & Fidelity |
Settings & Control
Under the Island Playstation 5 Review: Specs & HUD
- 546.6MB download size.
- Full Platinum trophy support.
- Own in-game achievements are included, and they pop up when you earn them.
- Three save slots provided with the ability to copy and delete entries.
- Interactive button prompts show up when you can engage with the world.
- The map uncovers as you explore and fills in with points of interest as you move around.
- Two quick-access buttons allow you to assign any items for fast use.
- Find maps to see the full layout of dungeons.
Gameplay Review & Mechanics Breakdown
This is a game that is heavily and unapologetically inspired by the Zelda game on the Game Boy. You find weapons to attack enemies, but you also use them to break down blocks, cut grass, and bushes, all of which have a chance at dropping items or hearts. It uses a heart-based system where you collect or buy hearts to replenish your life, and you can find fragments to extend your health bar properly. Adventure gameplay is the focus here, and I like how the game flows; you can just roam around and make progress without feeling forced.
Tutorials are given to you via characters like the guide Avocado or by reading books in the library and picking up notes. You’ll find fast travel points to get around quickly, and there is a full day and night cycle with different weather effects to deal with. Shops and vendors are scattered about for you to spend your coins on, and you can unlock new abilities as you play. Sleeping in your bed at home advances the time but also fully heals you. You can interact with many elements in the world for a chance to find items and coins, and leaving a screen and returning will respawn grass and rocks so you can farm items. Items and weapons can be upgraded at the guy in the tent, and he will show exactly what materials and resources you need to get the job done.
The whole mission management is bad, as it doesn’t actually exist, so you end up just stumbling into progression. I was enjoying my time until I went into a greenhouse, opened a chest and then got stuck in it and had to lose a load of progress. I then got stuck somewhere else and just got fed up. In-game cutscenes and character interactions are text-driven, but you can fast click through them all, which is a result.
Under the Island Playstation 5 Review: Performance & Fidelity
- Awesome bright pixel art graphics.
- Beautiful top-down 3D game world.
- Features a smooth day and night cycle with weather effects.
- Character interactions and cutscenes are handled via text.
- Performance is generally smooth until you hit game-breaking collision bugs.
Settings, Customisation & Control Details
- Vibration toggle and screen shake toggle are available in the settings.
- Language options and volume sliders for both sound and music.
- Two quick-access buttons for item assignment.
- Controls cannot be remapped.
- No accessibility options, such as dyslexic font or colourblind modes.
- Settings are bare minimum.
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Under the Island Playstation 5 Review
Summary
GOOD STUFF
The pixel art graphics are awesome and bright, making this 3D top-down world look beautiful. It’s a tiny download at under 550MB and comes with a Platinum trophy and its own in-game achievement system. The Zelda-style heart system and ability to farm items by screen-hopping work well, and I like that you can just roam and make progress at your own pace. Being able to fast-click through text dialogue and having three save slots with a copy/delete function makes managing the adventure easy, while the weapon upgrade system and quick access buttons keep the mechanics feeling familiar.
BAD STUFF
The game settings are bare minimum, and the lack of remapping or accessibility options like dyslexic font is a letdown. Mission management is basically non-existent, leaving you to just stumble into progress without much direction. My biggest issue is the game-breaking bugs; I got stuck inside a chest in a greenhouse and had to lose a load of progress, then got stuck again elsewhere. It’s hard to stay invested when the game physically traps you and forces a restart, and the lack of a proper quest log makes the whole experience feel messy.
FINAL VERDICT
Under the Island is a beautiful Zelda-style adventure that I wanted to love, but getting stuck in chests and losing progress because of poor mission tracking makes it a frustrating grind.
