Restore Your Island is a calm and cosy experience where time and stress are out of the window. Instead, they are replaced by a desert island that is filled with rubbish. This disgusting sight would put off many mere mortals, but you are willing to accept the challenge and clean everything you see. I have recently covered Clean Up Earth, and I enjoyed it despite its flaws. Thankfully, this is more polished, and it refrains from a sci-fi edge.
Paiband Game Studio has published and developed this cleaning simulation experience. It is a single-player title that uses a first-person perspective. This offers an immersive design that works with the filthy environment. On top of the beach cleaning, you must save the local wildlife and find treasure hidden deep beneath the sands.
Restore Your Island tells the tale of loss and discovery.
Losing a family member is a heartbreaking and troubling time. However, when you’ve already hit rock bottom, you can’t get any lower. The protagonist in Restore Your Island has inherited a small desert island. With no house and mountains of mess, this was an epic cleaning challenge.
Starting with limited tools and few skills, you must work methodically to clean each location. There are 4 categories of rubbish to collect, and plenty of upgrades to unlock. If you keep the food, glass, plastic, and metal separated, you’ll earn more money. Accordingly, some minor planning helps to line your pockets.
The cleaning element dominates proceedings, but there are some base building elements to restore the island. This was rudimentary, and any expansion was linked to rebuilding the piers and little else. Therefore, if you want a deep and rich building experience, this won’t be the game for you.
Help the environment and the animals.
The mountain of rubbish feels never-ending. However, as the game develops, you’ll unlock an automatic grabbing tool, a sand sifter, and other wacky items. The automatic tool eventually upgrades to a powerful hoover, and this is when the rubbish melts away. I liked the upgrade elements, but they made the game too easy. Therefore, I think the developer needs to balance things out.
As you clean the beaches, stranded animals appear. With plastic around their necks and other items hurting them, you must cut them free and assist them. This was nice to see, and it was good to help the seagulls, seals, and other sea creatures. Although this has little bearing on the action, it supported the theme and was heartwarming.
Restore Your Island looks fantastic.
Restore Your Island has a realistic edge with some nice visuals. The rescued animals were a treat to look at, and I liked the animations. Furthermore, the use of a day-night cycle and appropriate lighting worked incredibly well. I had no frame rate problems, and there were no glitches during my short playtime. Subsequently, it is nicely polished and pleasant to look at.
The audio is a relaxing blend of animal noises, crashing waves, and gentle winds. Additionally, you can purchase cassettes to listen to uplifting music if that takes your fancy. This was a nice edge, even though it wasn’t essential.
Excellent controls.
If you prefer a gamepad, Restore Your Island has you covered. I tested this with a mouse and keyboard, and controller, and I couldn’t find fault. Either way, the layout was easy to understand, and the inputs were responsive.
I think I invested around 4 to 5 hours, found every hidden treasure, and thoroughly cleaned every grain of sand. Consequently, there is no reason for me to return. This was disappointing because the base game was enjoyable and relaxing.
Restore Your Island is short but sweet.
If you want a deep indie game that offers hours of replay value, this won’t be for you. However, if you want a relaxing time and a heartwarming theme, Restore Your Island is a great game. It looks good, and I enjoyed the pleasant audio. Furthermore, it is easy to play and cleaning a filthy island is always good for your soul. Accordingly, I like it and recommend buying it here! Can you make this desert island your home? Grab your tools, organise the chaos, and rebuild your piece of paradise.
