Introduction
Are you up to the task of escaping from a polluted island? The catch here is that you are a crab. An unknown force drops many chemical barrels on your island. Luckily you are one of the few crabs that survive but can you keep It that way?
This game is an action-adventure puzzle-solving game.
You will have a boomerang to fend off the polluted crabs that attack you. You are able to carry some items that you will need for quests or puzzles. The puzzles are not too complicated though they are fun. There are no FAQS for this game so you will need to solve the puzzles for yourself or ask me. This should not be too hard but you can be stumped sometimes since there are barely any hints. You will visit multiple islands and the story has no real ending yet but the game handles the ending quite well.
This game is perfect for when you are in the mood for a smaller game. You should be able to finish this game in five hours if you play this game casually.
What did I think of adventures on the polluted island before playing?
The game was on sale in the Steam summer sale it was pretty cheap and it looked like one hell of a ride. Did I get to be a crab with a throwing boomerang? That sounded pretty weird to me.
The idea of playing a crab as a character sounded really fun, the graphics looked okay but the details were really good. I did not really know what to expect but this sounded like a few hours of fun!
The gameplay looked so good both me and my wife bought it! It probably has nothing to do with our cat being named Krab in Dutch which means crab. As soon as I had some free time I opened the game wondering what I would encounter.
Story
The game has small cut scenes that act like a comic book that is flipping pages. You start the game as a crab playing a game with other crabs throwing boomerangs. You end up hitting some seagulls and enjoying all your free time on the island.
Suddenly helicopters come out of nowhere and drop barrels on your island. Green goo spills out of the barrels but you manage to avoid the green goo. Oh no, one of your friends is caught in the green goo. You start by rebuilding your shelter and helping the crabs and animals on the island that survived the attack.
With your boomerang, you are able to fend off the crabs that attack you. After you have built your shelter you decide to work on the raft to escape the polluted island. You find your friend who was infected with the green goo but he is not himself anymore, he has become a giant evil crab. You get your trusty boomerang and make sure he suffers no more. After putting your friend out of his misery, you manage to repair the raft and you decide to leave the island.
Your goal is to find a safe haven. You reach another island but it is not the safe haven you are hoping for. The island is dark and creepy but you manage to find your courage to explore this new island. You find out the pollution has reached these parts too as well. There are even different kinds of crabs here that have been infected. You get the hint from a crab to turn on the lights, the raft is broken so you decide to go turn on the lights. What could possibly go wrong? There are many different traps here compared with your previous home island. After you have faced many terrors on this island you manage to put the lights on. Suddenly a dark terror from the shadow’s creeps on you, crab Cthulhu wants your soul! You decide you won’t go down without a fight and throw your trusty boomerang at his face! Miraculously you manage to defeat the crab Cthulhu. You manage to find new parts for your raft and without hesitation or looking back you set sail once again to find a safe haven.
You get caught in a storm that crashes your raft but you manage to make it to shore. Finally, you have found a safe haven! You are welcomed by other crabs that have also arrived here. There is almost no pollution on this island. The crabs here managed to contain the pollution. Finally, you get a good night’s rest. The crab elder assigns you a tent, this seems to be the end of your story. At night you hear terrible shrieking and screaming. The next day you talk to the elder who explains there is a temple on the island that holds a creature but at night it roams free. He explains it is coming closer each time. Your adventurous spirit boils up, maybe this creature caused the pollution? The elder points you to the temple. With the help of some other crabs on the island, you manage to solve the riddle to open the temple doors. A dark creature comes out of the temple and flies away over the sea. You quickly return to the beach and find the crabs have already made you a raft. You take one last look at the island, this was supposed to be your safe haven but if you don’t stop the creature they could all end up like your friend. You manage to find the island where the creature is hiding. Shadowy crabs are everywhere but they seem friendly, have you seen them before? You enter a huge temple where the dark creature is waiting for you as if it knew you were coming.
You grab your trusty boomerang and lunge into battle. After a hard battle, the creature seems weakened yet undefeated. You notice the switches on the wall and activate them while simultaneously dodging the creature’s attacks. Light beams emit from the temple and destroy the creature! Is this the end of pollution? Is everyone safe now? Your raft is waiting at the shore. You decide to set sail. Where will your adventurous spirit take you next?
To be continued!
Gameplay
The gameplay is quite simple and nothing too exciting but it keeps you hooked. It reminded me a bit of the Legend of Zelda gameplay system. You play as a crab that has avoided the barrels with pollution. All you have is an adventurous spirit and your boomerang. You have health points that drain when you get hit by enemy crabs or bosses. To restore your health you will need to hit a tree and throw the coconut at a rock. Drinking coconut milk will restore your health. Another way is to hide in the shelter that you have to build, this will also save your game. You can pick up many items to throw at your enemies but you will also need to carry items to complete quests. Quests need to be completed before you head off to another island. Completing the quest will earn you items to build your shelter or the raft. On the second and third islands completing a certain quest means you can upgrade your boomerang to a higher tier. The game is balanced well in difficulty and has no weird spikes.
When you leave with the raft you will need to steer the raft yourself, this was unexpected and also fun. The boss fights are designed really well and can be a tough fight if you are not prepared for it. The endgame boss could have been a little more difficult. You will need to solve puzzles in order to continue your exploration of the islands. Some are really simple but some can be hard if you just don’t see the solution.
Sound and graphics
The game has medium graphics but they look very well polished. The best thing that I have seen is the shadow crabs that lurk in the corners of the screen or on some rocks.
The sound was fine and the sound effects matched really well with what happens in the game.
What did I think of Adventures on the polluted island after playing?
The game was smaller than I had expected but I did have a lot of fun playing the game. It took me around two hours to finish the game. If there ever is a second game I would love to see what the crab will be up to.
The gameplay was really satisfying with a good mix of puzzling, questing, and exploring. One puzzle had me a bit baffled and gave me no hint but after fidgeting around a bit I managed to complete the puzzle.
I was also shocked the game continued on other islands, I was really afraid after having ended the first island it would end but gladly it did not. The concept is really unique and makes this game good even though it is way too small.
I want more adventures with the boomerang crab!
My personal rating for this game is a 7.5
Pros and cons
Pros
– The game uses a unique concept that I have not seen before.
– The difficulty curve is balanced in the game.
– The story is simple but works really well in combination with the gameplay.
Cons
– I wish the story was bigger but at least there is a happy ending.
– In my opinion, the end game boss fight should have been harder.
I really liked this game and I think people who love exploration and questing would also love this game. I recommend this to many people who are looking for a short but fun game.
I give this game a …drumroll…
7!
This game was more fun than I had anticipated. I hope anyone who also plays this game will also like it. Leave your thoughts in the comments
You can purchase the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/496690/Adventures_On_The_Polluted_Islands/
I hope you liked reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review.
