There’s a particular magic to 90s-era top-down adventure games — a balance of curiosity-driven exploration, clever dungeon design, and that irresistible “aha!” moment when the final piece of a world puzzle clicks into place. UNDER THE ISLAND, developed by Slime King Games and published by Top Hat Studios, wears that inspiration proudly on its sleeve. It’s a love letter to the SNES era — think The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening — but it’s not content to simply imitate.
Instead, it reinterprets that formula through a lens of whimsy, creativity, and just a touch of chaos.
And for the most part, it succeeds brilliantly.
A Curse Beneath the Waves
You play as Nia, a newcomer to Seashell Island whose curiosity accidentally triggers an ancient curse: the island is beginning to sink. What follows is a sprawling quest across six distinct biomes, each brimming with environmental puzzles, eccentric characters, and strange enemies.
The narrative strikes a delicate tone. It’s lighthearted without feeling trivial, mysterious without descending into melodrama. The island itself becomes the central character — a vibrant, interconnected space filled with secrets tucked into nearly every corner.
Joining Nia is Avocado, a local girl who adds warmth and personality to the unfolding mystery. The supporting cast ranges from endearing to absurd, including cereal pirates and sentient greenhouse inhabitants. It’s playful storytelling with a genuine emotional undercurrent.
Exploration as the Star
If there’s one area where UNDER THE ISLAND truly shines, it’s exploration.
The island comprises around 40 interconnected map areas, many accessible in flexible order depending on the tools you’ve acquired. This design philosophy encourages experimentation. Spot a suspicious cracked wall? Maybe you’ll return later with the right artefact. See a blocked path in a frozen cavern? File it away for when you gain fire-based utility.
Progression feels organic rather than gated by rigid sequences. The game respects player curiosity, rewarding those who poke around off the main path. Hidden upgrades, secret shortcuts, and optional character side quests enrich the experience without overwhelming it.
Each of the six biomes — from eerie sentient greenhouses to chaotic sawmills and icy caverns — feels mechanically and visually distinct. They aren’t simple palette swaps; they introduce new environmental mechanics and thematic puzzle logic that keep the experience fresh.
The joy of mapping mental connections between regions, realizing how one ability unlocks multiple previously unreachable areas, is deeply satisfying.
Combat: Creative but Slightly Spongy
Combat is where UNDER THE ISLAND both surprises and stumbles.
Rather than wielding a traditional sword, Nia uses unconventional tools — a hockey stick, trumpets, and assistance from befriended animals. It’s charming and refreshingly offbeat. The hockey stick, in particular, allows for ricochet-style attacks that double as puzzle-solving tools.
Enemies are bizarre and memorable: vomiting eggplants, tunneling wolves, and other oddities that feel pulled from a fever dream picnic.
But while creativity is high, combat responsiveness is slightly less sharp than genre classics. Enemies can feel a bit “spongy,” requiring more hits than expected. Encounters occasionally drag longer than they should, especially when multiple foes swarm in tight spaces.
It’s not broken — just less precise and punchy than its inspirations. Combat here feels secondary to exploration and puzzle-solving, and the design reflects that priority.
For players seeking twitchy, fast-paced swordplay, this may disappoint. For those who value world design and clever encounters, it’s an acceptable trade-off.
Boss Fights Like No Other
If standard combat occasionally falters, boss encounters more than make up for it.
These are some of the most inventive battles in recent memory. One unfolds as a literal stage play, requiring you to manipulate lighting and fans mid-performance. Another is framed as a high-stakes cooking competition where mechanics blur between puzzle-solving and timed execution.
These encounters embrace absurdity without sacrificing challenge. They test observation and lateral thinking as much as reflexes.
In many ways, the bosses encapsulate the game’s philosophy: surprise the player, subvert expectations, and prioritize creativity over repetition.
A Pixel Art Triumph
Visually, UNDER THE ISLAND is stunning.
Simone Grünewald’s 16-bit-inspired pixel art elevates the experience far beyond simple nostalgia. The animation is fluid, expressive, and rich with detail. Environmental textures shimmer with life, from swaying grasses to flickering lights in cavern depths.
Character sprites exude personality. Small gestures — a tilt of the head, a subtle bounce in idle animations — make interactions feel warm and grounded.
This isn’t just retro homage. It’s retro refinement. The aesthetic blends SNES-era charm with modern animation techniques, resulting in a world that feels timeless rather than dated.
Performance across platforms is stable, maintaining smooth frame rates even in visually busy areas.
Puzzles That Reward Curiosity
The heart of UNDER THE ISLAND lies in its puzzles — both environmental and systemic.
Some challenges require clever item usage. Others depend on understanding biome-specific mechanics. Many reward keen observation of environmental storytelling.
Crucially, the game trusts the player. It rarely over-explains solutions. Instead, it plants clues subtly and lets you connect the dots.
When you finally solve a multi-layered puzzle that unlocks a new region or story beat, the payoff is immense. These are the “aha!” moments that defined 90s adventure classics — and they’re alive and well here.
Memorable Characters, Living World
Beyond mechanics, the island’s inhabitants lend emotional texture. Side quests — reuniting lost cats, helping locals, or engaging in strange competitions — make the world feel lived-in.
Interactions feel meaningful rather than transactional. Characters evolve, react, and occasionally surprise.
It’s a testament to thoughtful writing that even minor NPCs linger in memory.
Where It Falters
No game is without rough edges.
Combat pacing occasionally drags. Enemy durability can feel inflated. A handful of traversal segments lean on backtracking more heavily than necessary.
Additionally, players expecting a more combat-centric experience may find the focus on puzzles and world mechanics slower than anticipated.
But these flaws are more speed bumps than roadblocks.
Final Verdict
UNDER THE ISLAND is a remarkable achievement — a heartfelt homage to classic top-down adventures that confidently injects its own personality into the formula.
Its strengths lie in exploration, puzzle design, and unforgettable boss encounters. The island feels alive, interconnected, and brimming with secrets waiting to be uncovered. Its pixel art is among the best in the genre, blending nostalgia with modern finesse.
Combat, while creative, lacks the crisp immediacy of its inspirations. But that shortcoming is overshadowed by the game’s brilliance in world-building and design ingenuity.
This is a game for players who cherish curiosity. For those who love the thrill of discovering hidden pathways, deciphering environmental clues, and unraveling layered mysteries.
It’s less about perfect swordplay — and more about perfect discovery.
And in that regard, UNDER THE ISLAND stands tall among modern retro-inspired adventures.
