Restore Your Island Review

 Restore Your Island is a nice and casual restoration simulator developed and published by Paiband Game Studio. Seeing the game called to mind the fact that in recent years we’ve gotten more incentives to go green, with initiatives to recycle and replace single-use plastic products, yet we still have a long ways to go before we can truly have a perfectly sustainable future.

I chose to review this game because it seemed like a good way to encourage players to go out and clean up the world… and also because there’s a dog, and who doesn’t love dogs (except dog abusers, but they are less than human)? So, is what awaits on this island a peaceful and productive getaway, or is this just a low-effort cosy slop game that only wastes more electricity?

The setup is that you play as a homeless guy (who weirdly looks like Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s Ichiban Kasuga) with nothing to his name (not even clothes). However, all that changes when some guy pulls up to the curb and reveals that his uncle has died and has left him a small island, before kidnapping him and dumping him on it. It’s full of trash, and all the plants are dead, but it’s a heck of a lot better than living on the streets. It’s time to Restore Your Island.

A paradise in the making.

I have to admit, I enjoyed the little story that was there. It actually made me chuckle a bit as I watched the poor guy get manhandled. And although I wouldn’t call the game stunning to look at, it is serviceable enough to create some nice sights to see, even if the play area isn’t all that big. I also really liked how the weather was done, because when it rains, it pours. It definitely evokes the feeling of being in the middle of a typhoon.

As for the music, it’s done diegetically by providing you with a music player and some cassette tapes. Although you start off with lo-fi beats, you can discover more tapes that have their own style. From calming tunes to jaunty beats, there is even a tape containing a few songs from Escape By Spoon, an upcoming game from Paiband Studios, which calls back to rubber hose cartoons. I didn’t find a single track bad by any means as I found myself switching cassettes as I played the game.

He's just as unlucky as Ichiban...

But enough about that, let’s get this restoration going! You start off with only a trash grabber stick and a bin you have to place the rubbish in. It’s slow going picking up rusty cans and dead fish one by one, but it’s honest work. However, you are limited by an energy bar. Once your trash bin is full, you sell it from the dock to a boat, where you can then buy upgrades, pizza to restore your energy, or fertiliser bags, which you can use on trees so that they’ll drop coconuts and bananas for you to eat.

The gameplay loop essentially becomes picking up and selling trash to earn cash to buy upgrades to make picking up trash a little easier. You also earn a little extra if you sort your rubbish instead of putting everything into one bin. With enough time, effort, and money, you’ll be cleaning up entire sections of the island in no time. It’s pretty satisfying once you get to a point where you’re completely maxed out and have nothing left to do but clean.

Damn this wasteful society!

That being said, you aren’t the only inhabitant on the island, as you’ll find a dog, an octopus, a toucan, and more on it. However, all the trash that litters it has hurt them in some way, like being wrapped in barbed wire or having their beak stuck in a can. Don’t worry, though, as you can quickly procure a tool to help free them. The dog in particular is special, as not only can you choose what breed they are, but they can occasionally dig up valuable items to sell… or leave poop for fertiliser.

BELIEVE IT!

That’s not all, though. There are a few secrets on the island you can seek out. There are treasure chests with buried keys, relics buried in the sand, and easter eggs. Seriously, I found pistol bullets, and it played a sound effect from Resident Evil! There was even a medallion with the Las Plagas symbol on it. It’s the little things that make the game a little more enjoyable (and I hope it doesn't result in cease and desist because some finds are really pushing it).

However, I did run into some issues as I played Restore Your Island. Unfortunately, as time went on, I started to drop frames until I was playing at 15 FPS and below. The only way to maintain a stable 60 FPS was to look at the ground. There was also a moment when I got softlocked and needed to restart the game. I didn’t lose any progress, though, as I think the game autosaves constantly.

#StopTurningTheOceanIntoParkingLots

I really enjoyed my time with Restore Your Island. It’s not the biggest or the most complex game I’ve ever played, but it’s a nice and short experience that you won’t regret playing. And hey, if you think the play time doesn’t make it worth it (I got all the achievements in 5.2 hours, and I left the game running to eat), there is more content on the way, with a much bigger island to restore and more upgrades to obtain.