Under the Island Review
Under the Island is a homage to classic Zelda games with exploration that shines.
Under the Island. Credit: Slime King Games / Top Hat Entertainment
Developers Johannes Grünewald and Simone Grünewald, previously contributors to games like The Pillars of the Earth and the Deponia series, have released Under the Island, their debut as Slime King Games, published by Top Hat Entertainment. It’s a top-down 2D action-adventure clearly inspired by The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The game looks and plays great, a confident homage that’s perfect for lovers of the genre.
You play as Nia, a teen forced to move to tiny Seashell Island with her researcher parents. After stumbling into an underground ruin with local girl Avocado, Nia discovers the island is in danger of sinking and sets off to collect four MacGuffins—magical gears—to stop it. The story and dialogue aren’t the focus, rather they exist to move you from place to place and give you a reason to keep exploring. The characters didn’t stick with me, but the island itself more than makes up for it.
Seashell Island is large, tightly designed, and packed with secrets across its varied biomes. The game does a great job pulling you back to earlier areas once you’ve picked up new tools, and the fast travel system is generous enough that revisiting never feels like a chore. Interestingly, the overworld is more engaging than the dungeons, which flips the usual Zelda expectation. I didn’t mind. I spent most of my time exploring just to see what I’d find. The game will also happily let you walk into areas you’re not ready for. It doesn’t spell it out, but if enemies suddenly start wrecking you, that’s your hint that you’re in the wrong place.
Under the Island. Credit: Slime King Games / Top Hat Entertainment
Combat sticks close to the formula. Nia swings a hockey stick for melee attacks and equips two tools that could be used offensively but mostly interact with the environment. These include bombs, a fireball-spitting plant, treats that lure animals, and more. Like in the best Zelda games, Under the Island finds creative ways to use the tools for boss fights. That part works well. However, moment-to-moment combat is simpler than I would have liked. You’re attacking in four directions with a basic combo and no dodge, which can leave you feeling exposed. Later abilities like the dash attack help, but they feel more useful for traversal than actually fighting.
The pixel art is bright and colorful, very much in that Game Boy Advance way, but with more life than most tile-based games. The environments feel active rather than static, and there’s a lot of personality in the enemy and character designs. It fits the tone of the game perfectly.
Under the Island doesn’t do much to reinvent the formula, but it understands why it works and injects its own personality. The combat is a bit thin, but the world carries the experience. I kept pushing forward thanks to the constant, addictive sense of discovery, always finding one more path, one more secret, one more reason to keep going. It’s a strong debut for Slime King Games.
Under the Island
Under the Island is a homage to classic Zelda games with exploration that shines.
