5/5 ★ – ohmightyqueen's review of Islets.

Playtime: 9.9 hours I started Islets on a bit of a whim after picking it up in a metroidvania bundle. It had been a while since I’d played a game in the genre, mainly because I’d burned out on Hollow Knight, which I found a bit too difficult. I’d heard of Islets before but didn’t know much about it, and going in I didn’t have high expectations. It ended up surprising me almost immediately. Id classify it as one of those 'Hidden Gem' games that i will be recommending forever. Movement feels incredibly smooth, and the combat is just as satisfying. The different abilities really gel together, and as you unlock more, you can feel yourself improving. Chaining moves never felt difficult, which makes the whole experience flow really well. Compared to other metroidvanias I’ve played, this felt much easier to pick up and far smoother overall. I started on Normal difficulty but switched to Easy about two thirds of the way through, as some of the bosses became a bit too challenging for me. Even then, the platforming and general gameplay still offered a nice level of challenge without becoming frustrating. One of the biggest quality of life features for me is that you don’t lose your loot on death. This is something that usually puts me off other games in the genre, as constantly backtracking can get frustrating quickly. On top of that, save points and portals are placed really well, often close to bosses and spaced out in a way that respects your time. I also really liked how the game is structured around travelling between islands using your flying ship. Having mini bosses in between and unlocking new areas as you go kept progression feeling fresh and rewarding. The story was actually really enjoyable. It’s not particularly deep, but it gives you just enough context and motivation to keep exploring and progressing. The characters and dialogue are kept fairly light and never drag on, which works in the game’s favour. I especially enjoyed the humour, which stayed consistent and landed well right through to the end. The game is genuinely gorgeous, with a really strong art direction throughout. The cartoony character designs give it a lot of charm and personality, and everything feels cohesive. Each area has a beautiful background that flows really well with the rest of the environment, making exploration feel visually rewarding as you move between zones. The music fits each area really well, helping to set the tone throughout the game. It can feel light and upbeat in some moments, while shifting to something more tense in later areas, which adds to the atmosphere nicely. I also loved the character voices, which gave off strong Banjo Kazooie vibes. That style immediately resonated with me and added a lot of charm to the overall experience. Pros: Lots of quality of life improvements that clearly build on what other metroidvanias do well, and improve them in meaningful ways. Engaging gameplay and a light but enjoyable story that kept me coming back for more. A well-paced experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome, with plenty of collectibles and a map system that’s very easy to follow. Cons: The only real issue I had was with the control indicators and button mapping. The game defaults to PlayStation icons, and even after changing them, the setting didn’t seem to stick. I ended up sticking with the PlayStation layout despite using an Xbox controller, and the start button didn’t work properly at times. Button remapping also felt a bit inconsistent, sometimes assigning the wrong inputs, which was frustrating even if I eventually worked around it. Overall, this is genuinely one of the best, if not the best metroidvania I’ve played. I gave it a 5 out of 5, mainly because the only real issue I had was with the control setup, which didn’t actually affect gameplay for me in the end. This especially means something because it was made by 2 brothers, just 2 people! I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys metroidvanias and is looking for a fun, well-paced experience that captures those classic vibes while still feeling modern and accessible. (Chat GBT helped me with this review - prompts and questions helped me structure something i usually have difficulty with!)