Under the Island review – A 2D action RPG with old-school roots but a playful new spirit

There’s something immediately inviting about Seashell Island. Its colorful biomes, offbeat residents, and puzzle-packed ruins make it feel like a dream destination for any tropical vacation. But soon after Under the Island begins, any rest and relaxation quickly turns into a mission to save the island from slipping away entirely.

In Under the Island, a new 2D action-adventure RPG out of Slime King Games, you play as Nia, a girl who moves to Seashell Island with her archeologist parents while they study the island’s mysterious ruins. The island, though beautiful, has a few strange characteristics about it, namely that for three months every year, storms encircle the island and close it off from the outside world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgdNC-xB6wQ Soon after arriving, you meet the local tour guide, a girl named Avocado, and when Nia breaks the “no-touchy-touchy” rule of the island god's shrine, the duo falls into an underground temple. It sounds like the beautiful beginnings of a life-long friendship, but really, it’s more like a trauma-bonding moment, as you meet a strange birdman and learn the real reason behind the storms: the island is sinking, and you need to collect four gears to save it and all of its inhabitants from impending doom. Conveniently, those gears are scattered across the island. So, of course, it’s up to you to recover them. Conveniently. Hrmph. 

Make no mistake, though: This journey is one you most definitely want to embark on. On your quest to collect these gears and save Seashell Island, you’ll meet the weird and wacky locals, gather equipment to take on dungeons, and solve tricky puzzles along the way. Seashell Island is absolutely teeming with hidden secrets, and weaving together all the loose threads the game gives you is an incredibly fun experience. And to top it all off, it’s done against a gorgeous 2D background with a ‘90s charm lifelong gamers are sure to appreciate.

It might not be a sword, but your hockey stick will serve you well. Screenshot by Destructoid You start your adventure armed with an old hockey stick, which you use to pummel monsters and smash just about anything that looks breakable, including the locals’ personal belongings. From there, Under the Island turns you loose, sending you zigzagging across the island’s many biomes, from icy peaks that house penguins who turn into kitchen appliances (yes, you read that right) to dusty dunes full of foodies. In each of these regions, hidden behind puzzles and boss fights, you’ll find additional tools—like bombs, animal treats, and a fireball-spewing plant—that aid you in clearing obstacles. It’s a classic, puzzle-first loop inspired by old-school The Legend of Zelda, but filtered through a world that’s more silly than sacred.

Puzzles range from logic grids and weight-based scales to block-pushing rooms that only make sense if you hunt down the correct sequence. Others require you to hit switches in a precise order, often with minimal guidance beyond a vague hint or environmental nudge. Under the Island rarely holds your hand, and that’s exactly why its puzzles land so well—even if most of them aren’t overwhelmingly difficult. Your success comes from careful observation and trial-and-error, not brute force, making each breakthrough feel genuinely earned.

In some puzzles, you'll need to line up the matching statues. Screenshot by Destructoid In others, you'll have to solve a logic grid. Screenshot by Destructoid That same trust in the player carries over into quests. Some quests aren’t marked or even clearly introduced at all. A random NPC might casually mention how they wish their house had more plants, while another tells you about their plan to settle family beef with the power of a picnic. It’s easy to brush those moments off as small talk or filler dialogue, but they’re often genuine leads that can spiral into optional objectives and hidden rewards. In Under the Island, part of the mystery isn’t just solving problems, but finding them in the first place, a design choice that perfectly rewards curious players who refuse to leave any stone unturned.

The good news is Under the Island is chock full of this type of intrigue. The bad news is that keeping track of all of these loose threads can be a bit of a headache. There’s no quest log, nor is there a map-marker system for you to make note of any blocked paths you might want to eventually return to. So if you’re aiming for 100-percent completion, you’ll just have to frequently revisit the island’s many regions, or somehow mentally store all of the locations you need to eventually head back to. Luckily, the island isn’t too big, and its fast-travel system significantly cuts down on the time it takes to retrace your steps. Still, I can’t help but wish it had some sort of journal or other quest-tracking device to keep its many leads from slipping through the cracks.

Shai Holok isn't too tough a fight, even when you find yourself in the belly of a beast. Screenshot by Destructoid While finding all of the island’s to-dos can be tricky, combat rarely puts up much of a fight. You can upgrade your health bar or your equipment, but I found most of those upgrades unnecessary. I didn’t even use the ramen to heal until halfway through the game, and I only restocked bombs once. That’s partly because resources are everywhere: grass tufts frequently drop hearts, bombs, and other essentials, and they respawn simply by leaving and re-entering an area. Boss fights follow that same forgiving curve, with most going down in just a few attempts, and one falling in under three minutes on my first try.

Under the Island’s combat may lack bite, but its sense of adventure more than makes up for it. The freedom to explore feels revitalizing, and the game’s honey-sweet humor had me chortling at the most random moments. And there’s just so much to do: you can fish, fill pages in a monster book, and collect hidden soundtracks. There are secret paths, a museum that doubles as an achievement showcase, and not one, not two, but four whole mini-games for you to play while on a break from the main adventure. You can enjoy a lecture on determinism from a ghost chicken at the local haunted coop or compete in a cook-off in front of a hungry crowd. Oh, and you can adopt stray dogs and pet all the island cats. Need I say more?

Top Chef looks a little different this season. Screenshot by Destructoid You don’t need to spend much time on Seashell Island before you realize just how much heart it has. Between the sheer variety of activities and the careful attention paid to every corner of the map, it’s clear that the developers respect players’ time and want the experience to feel consistently rewarding. The phrase “labor of love” gets thrown around, but Under the Island actually earns it. It’s a joyful, curious adventure that rewards exploration, respects your intelligence, and leaves you smiling long after the credits roll.

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