Radiation Island

Radiation Island is a good survival horror premise that sadly never delivers.

In essence, Radiation Island is a zombie-infested survival adventure game on a budget. It is yet another mobile game that has washed ashore on Nintendo Switch and one that fails to ever become a memorable experience on the portable home console. It has clear potential but ends up feeling incomplete, in needing more content to help keep the player both engaged and motivated.

This Radiation Island review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Atypical Games.

This isn't a game that compels me to play for hours on end. However, it provides ample entertainment, and is one I can easily come back to for some good-old-fashioned island adventuring (plus zombies).

I really liked Radiation Island. As a kind of low-budget, design-by-subtraction experiment in crafting and survival systems, Atypical Games crafts a rewarding feedback loop that keeps players on their toes for the entire experience.

Atypical Games obviously put a lot of effort into making Radiation Island stand out among the recent flood of survival games from indie developers and I applaud them for it, but the Switch version is a deeply disappointing port in desperate need of major patches.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how engaging Radiation Island is, especially as someone who typically doesn’t find the genre interesting. It seems to have a very accessible and friendly crafting system, isn’t too hard or easy, and allows you to take your own pace whether that’s suicidally aggressive or simply taking your time. If you’re not familiar with the genre or are a fan who is willing to perhaps pull back on your expectations Radiation Island is worth the trip.