9/10

An excellent Nurikabe implementation.

What is it: This is a classic Nurikabe implementation: given a grid with some numbers on it, determine which cells are part of islands and which are part of the sea. The rules are few and simple, but solving these is a good mental exercise, similar to Sudoku or Minesweeper. There are four campaign worlds, starting with a long tutorial explaining the rules in detail and with plenty of easy levels, then some moderate difficulty levels, then two new mechanics not part of the classic Nurikabe rules, and finally a harder world with bigger levels. On top of that, there are daily levels, “infinite” random levels, and support for creating, sharing and importing custom levels and campaigns. If you’re a fan of mathy logic games, you can sink tens or hundreds of hours into this.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406927030

Normally games like this require nothing more than a black and white grid, but this one looks gorgeous, with a 3D presentation, lush vegetation growing when you make an island, a gentle breeze blowing sakura petals around, waves sloshing on the shores. And that’s just one of the themes. I usually dislike when simple logic games go for needless 3D flourish, but strangely, I really don’t hate this one at all. The devs managed to make it beautiful without being too intrusive.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406934472

Plus, you can disable most of the effects if particles and motion are too distracting for you. There are actually a lot of settings to customize the game to your liking, and to make it run smoother on lower end computers. There’s mid-level progress saving, unlimited undo, statistics, achievements, cloud saving, and a lot of other quality of life features. If there’s one thing I would still like added, a free drawing pencil mode, similar to what Tametsi/Liquidum/14MV do.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406929115

How hard is it: Easy to moderate, there’s no guessing and no 5-steps-ahead assumptions, there’s usually a logical move you can make at any step.

How long is it: 300 campaign levels in 4 worlds for 10+ hours, plus 3 daily levels, plus random level generator with different difficulties, plus level editor and level sharing. Each world is split into smaller 8-12 levels areas, and while all levels in an area are playable, unlocking the next area requires solving about half of the levels in the current one. There are no hints, but the game indicates which rules aren't respected.

Level design: Great, the campaign levels are varied in terms of size and difficulty, and many of them have a special feature, like using all numbers 1 to 9, using only twos, or having an animal shape.

Quality: Excellent. Undo, mid-level progress saving, good level select. Very good controls, fully configurable, works with either mouse, keyboard or controller. Lots of settings, including some accessibility. Cloud saving and achievements. Custom level editor, though not through Steam Workshop. Small, and it can be made fast and responsive even on low-end systems by reducing the graphics quality.

Worth the price: Yes.

Most positive aspect for me: Good implementation of a classic logic game.

Most negative aspect for me: Acknowledging that a level is solved takes a little bit too long for my impatient self.

What would make it better: Free drawing pencil mode. Steam Workshop support. Leaderboards for the daily levels.

Also consider:

Archipel Logic Infinite, another good Nurikabe game.

Liquidum and Tents and Trees, other interesting logic games.

For more puzzle game reviews, news and everything puzzle-related, follow Puzzle Lovers and check out our Steam group.

Follow IndieGems for more reviews like this one.

[b]9/10[/b] An excellent Nurikabe implementation. [b]What is it:[/b] This is a classic Nurikabe implementation: given a grid with some numbers on it, determine which cells are part of islands and which are part of the sea. The rules are few and simple, but solving these is a good mental exercise, similar to Sudoku or Minesweeper. There are four campaign worlds, starting with a long tutorial explaining the rules in detail and with plenty of easy levels, then some moderate difficulty levels, then two new mechanics not part of the classic Nurikabe rules, and finally a harder world with bigger levels. On top of that, there are daily levels, “infinite” random levels, and support for creating, sharing and importing custom levels and campaigns. If you’re a fan of mathy logic games, you can sink tens or hundreds of hours into this. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406927030 Normally games like this require nothing more than a black and white grid, but this one looks gorgeous, with a 3D presentation, lush vegetation growing when you make an island, a gentle breeze blowing sakura petals around, waves sloshing on the shores. And that’s just one of the themes. I usually dislike when simple logic games go for needless 3D flourish, but strangely, I really don’t hate this one at all. The devs managed to make it beautiful without being too intrusive. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406934472 Plus, you can disable most of the effects if particles and motion are too distracting for you. There are actually a lot of settings to customize the game to your liking, and to make it run smoother on lower end computers. There’s mid-level progress saving, unlimited undo, statistics, achievements, cloud saving, and a lot of other quality of life features. If there’s one thing I would still like added, a free drawing pencil mode, similar to what Tametsi/Liquidum/14MV do. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406929115 [b]How hard is it:[/b] Easy to moderate, there’s no guessing and no 5-steps-ahead assumptions, there’s usually a logical move you can make at any step. [b]How long is it:[/b] 300 campaign levels in 4 worlds for 10+ hours, plus 3 daily levels, plus random level generator with different difficulties, plus level editor and level sharing. Each world is split into smaller 8-12 levels areas, and while all levels in an area are playable, unlocking the next area requires solving about half of the levels in the current one. There are no hints, but the game indicates which rules aren't respected. [b]Level design:[/b] Great, the campaign levels are varied in terms of size and difficulty, and many of them have a special feature, like using all numbers 1 to 9, using only twos, or having an animal shape. [b]Quality:[/b] Excellent. Undo, mid-level progress saving, good level select. Very good controls, fully configurable, works with either mouse, keyboard or controller. [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406926394]Lots of settings[/url], including some [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406926212]accessibility[/url]. Cloud saving and achievements. Custom level editor, though not through Steam Workshop. Small, and it can be made fast and responsive even on low-end systems by reducing the graphics quality. [b]Worth the price:[/b] Yes. [b]Most positive aspect for me:[/b] Good implementation of a classic logic game. [b]Most negative aspect for me:[/b] Acknowledging that a level is solved takes a little bit too long for my impatient self. [b]What would make it better:[/b] Free drawing pencil mode. Steam Workshop support. Leaderboards for the daily levels. [b]Also consider:[/b] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3066440/Archipel_Logic_Infinite/?curator_clanid=25928931]Archipel Logic Infinite[/url], another good Nurikabe game. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716690/Liquidum/?curator_clanid=25928931]Liquidum[/url] and [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2310810/Tents_and_Trees/?curator_clanid=25928931]Tents and Trees[/url], other interesting logic games. [quote]For more puzzle game reviews, news and everything puzzle-related, follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25928931-Puzzle-Lovers/]Puzzle Lovers[/url] and check out our [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/puzzlelovers]Steam group[/url].[/quote] [quote]Follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]IndieGems[/url] for more reviews like this one.[/quote]