Under The Island | Switch 2 Review
Under the Island, developed by Slime King Games, takes the concept behind The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (being stuck on an island with something threatening the otherwise peaceful land) and brings it into the modern era. Our heroine Nia, forced onto Seashell Island by her researcher parents, can only hope that her stay isn’t so utterly awful that she dies from boredom. Then she touches a statue that definitely shouldn’t be touched and falls into an underground facility where it’s revealed that the island is sinking and only she can save it! Or at least, she has nothing better to do and a fun adventure is a fun adventure.
Island Adventuring
The Link’s Awakening comparison is apt: you get a hockey stick rather than a sword, but the bombs are there, the hidden caves, the dungeons, the hearts that restore life, and so on. But everything’s modern, for lack of a better term. Contemporary. The island isn’t some fantasy wonderland. There are roads and cars traveling on them, one of the game’s dungeons is a sawmill, and you’ll even take part in a Cooking Mama-esque contest. Yet at the same time there are the absurdist touches that feel right out of that classic Zelda game: the common enemies are walking onions, your upgrade NPC is a bear in some sort of extradimensional space, and you collect four heart pieces for another heart container…by then giving them to a gym bro who pumps you up, somehow.
The gameplay itself is quite familiar: explore, smack enemies with your weapons, find ways into dungeons, clear dungeons, and so on. The exploration portion is quite enjoyable and you’ll constantly find little nooks and crannies that you may or may not be able to reach, but it will become obvious once you have the correct tool, that yes, now you can go there and get whatever hidden rewards may be present. The island allows for fast travel as well, so you’re never backtracking too far. The dungeons are similar to what you might expect, as well. Puzzles, keys to find, and a boss at the end; though the game presents some of those bosses in unique ways.
Choices Were Made
That said, there are some unusual design choices that probably could have used another round of polishing. One particular item necessary for progression is used once and then promptly forgotten about. I couldn’t find any other place to use it, whether in exploration or combat. This isn’t the case with other items in the game, which do see repeated use. Another odd choice involves a particular area where you have to navigate a swamp and avoid deep water, which you fall into akin to a bottomless pit and take damage. There’s no way to see the deep water, and the item that supposedly illuminates hidden pathways doesn’t work in this area. The result? You wander blindly through and use what few clues are available and hope the safe path doesn’t turn anywhere while you’re walking. Probably the most puzzling is the game’s characterization of Nia and Avocado (Nia’s first friend upon arriving on the island). At first they’re in it together, friendly, working to keep the island from sinking into the sea. Then upon reaching the third ‘dungeon,’ they’re suddenly antagonistic toward each other. This seemed rather abrupt since they don’t really interact in between the first call to adventure and when they meet again at the third dungeon.
Bottom Line
These are nitpicks, however. The game at its core is exactly what it looks like: Classic gameplay in a modern setting with a healthy dose of absurdity, mining that concept for all it’s worth. It’s not elaborate, it’s not super deep, but it’s good clean fun. Probably its biggest flaw is that it isn’t very lengthy. It’s an under-10 hours kind of game, though if you feel like trying to find everything the game has hidden away, it might take closer to 15. It’s currently available on Steam and all major consoles for $20 USD, and if you’re looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the mainland, Under the Island is a nice personal vacation.
To hear me talk more about Under the Island, be sure to listen to the February 17th episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.
This review is based on a Nintendo Switch 2 copy of Under The Island provided by Off Base for coverage purposes. It is also available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC via Steam.
Under The Island
$19.99
Pros
- Fun Exploration and Dungeons
- Interesting Characters and World
- A New Twist on the Action-Adventure Genre
Cons
- Relatively Short
- Some Areas Could Use Polish
