Under The Island review: a cozy Zelda-style adventure

The Legend of Zelda games are great adventures, but they can also be very heartwarming, with quaint villages to explore and warm landscapes to admire. Under the island takes this idea a little further. It still offers the feeling of exploration and puzzle solving that makes Zelda games so satisfying, but it also takes place in a warm, light world with an energy reminiscent of Valley of Stars. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to stay even when you’re not killing monsters.

The game puts you in the role of Nia, a new resident on the seemingly normal Seashell Island. But it soon becomes clear that things are much stranger than they seem as Nia is drawn into saving the island from collapsing into the ocean. In the great tradition of Zeldait involves traveling around the island to collect important items, and while Seashell may be a relatively small island, there’s a lot going on; forests and beaches filled with monsters, dungeon-like buildings with plenty of puzzles to solve, and townsfolk who always seem to need a helping hand.

Under the island looks a lot like the 16-bit era Zelda games – think A link to the past – meaning it’s a 2D action-adventure game with lots of puzzle solving. Instead of wielding a sword like Link, Nia has a hockey stick, but its operation is much the same. You can use it to hit enemies, hit switches, and cut grass in hopes of finding money or health. Over the course of the game, you will unlock new weapons and abilities that will further open up the game in a literal sense. Bombs will reveal hidden rooms, while a fire-breathing flower can ignite vegetation in your path. The gameplay is a mix of action and puzzle solving, as you not only have to defeat enemies, but also figure out how to use your different items and abilities to move around the island.

From this familiar core Under the island does interesting things. Most notable are its very creative boss fights. I don’t want to spoil too much, because the surprise is part of the fun, but as an example, the first encounter of this type does not put you face to face with a gigantic monster; instead, you help the monsters put on a concert. You have to adjust the lighting, fight off legions of fans, fix an elevator, and more to ensure everything goes smoothly. It sounds weird, but it uses the same mechanics as an elaborate boss fight, only in a completely unique context. And it shows how Under the island is more than any other Zelda-even.

The other notable thing about the game is how relaxing it is. Sure, you’re saving the world, but that doesn’t mean the vibes should be turned off. It’s the tone that reminds me Stardew or even Attached to the earth: a little silly, very playful, and a nice mix of the real world and the supernatural. This is expressed in almost every aspect of the game. Enemies include walking onions that wield leeks as weapons and squirrels that throw explosive pine cones, and you can replenish your health by sipping ramen, which you can buy at a restaurant on a hot air balloon. This is also a game where I would recommend talking to everyone and not skipping the dialogues, because there is some very funny writing. At one point I encountered a group of skeletons singing Billy Joel.

There are obviously many ZeldaThere are classic-style indie games out there, but few manage to balance nostalgia and inventiveness in the same way. Under the island do. Even fewer manage to do it while being so damn charming.

_{Under the island is now available on PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox.}