One of the flavors of play I don’t think I ever anticipated coming into existence, let alone that it would gain steam, would be the “casual” building sim. Whether we’re talking about creating cities, landscapes, or worlds, a new space has emerged that often feels equal parts puzzle, strategy, and simulation, but not in the headier ways you’d normally expect with such genres. Islanders, and now its sequel, absolutely tap into that vibe, and the result is an experience that throws some mild challenges at you, but still generally maintains a very pleasant overall feel.

Working from just a barren island, you’ll be given the choice of two different types of development to pursue. While ideally you’d choose something well-suited to the land you’ve been given to work with, at the start your options are typically wide open anyway. Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll then be given a few buildings and resources that are aligned with that goal, whether to build a city, some sort of resource processing, etc. The more effectively you position these buildings and resources, the more points you’ll receive for them, eventually unlocking a chance to choose other new development efforts, and so on. Your challenge is to figure out how to keep placing new buildings and resources in the space you have left to work with, to keep more points coming in. Then, once you run out of buildings and resources to place, it’s game over. 

On a general level, this sequel has the same core as its predecessor, but thankfully you’ll find that your options and opportunities have now expanded. New biomes bring new development possibilities, and each in turn has secrets to discover. That’s where the initial puzzle aspect comes into play, as you’ll need to experiment with new buildings and resources to try to get the hang of how they’re best used, what buildings may compliment one another, and which you’ll want to keep away from each other. It does take some time and trial and error to work this out, but honestly that doesn’t typically take that long. Once you’ve got your arms around that core aspect, and understand how best to place everything, that’s where the strategy kicks in. If there are certain natural resources or high-value spots available, you may want to plan around them, anticipating the opportunity to put the proper elements in place there to maximize their value. The thing is, you could honestly not take it all that seriously, and likely still have a decent time with it, simply content to watch your islands grow and prosper.

Of course, if you’d simply like to create, you could also opt for the Sandbox mode and just get down to building what you’d like, how you’d like. Though there’s much in common with the original, there are definitely fresh things New Shores will help you create, new boons that can help you out if you’re in a jam, and the opportunity to take it all as seriously or lightly as you’d like. For the average gamer this may not necessarily sound appealing, but for the intended audience the opportunity to simply take your time and enjoy yourself may sound charming.