Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure

“Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure” provides a simple, clean survival-crafting experience with a tropical twist. If you enjoy exploring mysterious islands and don’t mind measured, incremental progression, it’s worth a try!

I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun the mellow journey within Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure is. Once I picked it up, I found myself not wanting to put it down as it rewards you for almost everything you do and it has a long list of activities and items to keep you busy. Hopefully, the developers iron out the glitches soon as this cosy game is certainly something special. 🏝️

Ikonei Island fills its niche in the kids' game segment quite nicely. It's maybe a little thin for grown-ups by themselves, but it makes a great way to spend time with the kids without worrying about what they're likely to come across.

Ikonei Island An Earthlock Adventure is a mesmerizing game to look at but playing it is a whole different ball game. It has its moments of greatness with its mechanics however it just doesn’t deliver an equally great experience thanks to its design choices and awful controls. It felt like a drag to just go through Ikonei Island An Earthlock Adventure for the most part which is a huge shame to people playing it alone compared to being played alongside friends that help alleviate some of its mishaps. If you’re playing it with friends, then by all means, it will give you some form of fun but as a solo experience, it might not have that same effect.

It is capable of providing everything one expects from a cozy game, and adds a few things of its own. The characters are well-designed, the art is exquisite, surpassing many of its competitors, such as Hokko Island. I won't make a comparison with Animal Crossing, because you'll pounce on me, but it has some really cool features, like being able to play with friends even if only one has the game, which the Nintendo cozy would envy. In summary, if you're into this type of game, Ikonei Island is going to leave you with a very good impression.

If you are a fan of Animal Crossing, I would say there is a big chance you will like the gameplay loop of Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure. I do like how it is unnecessary to play Earthlock, even though Ikonei Island is a side story to that game. I enjoyed the title as a standalone experience. Additionally, Ikonei Island supports co-op play of up to 4 players, with only one player needed to own the game. Give Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure a try here using the demo. The game has a fun gameplay loop with a relaxed atmosphere and can even be played on the Steam Deck!

Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure may have a promising premise, but its execution falls short of delivering an exciting and captivating experience for its $32.50 CAD ($24.99 USD) current price point at the time of writing this review. The bullet points on the Steam game page mirror the disappointing reality of the game itself, leaving players yearning for a deeper and more engaging adventure. Despite its alluring concept, Ikonei Island ultimately fails to ignite the excitement it initially suggests.