Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Feb 13, 2024
    90
    Islands of Insight is one of the most ambitious puzzle games I've played, with a huge open world and progression hooks that make it essential.
  2. Feb 13, 2024
    90
    With a massive scope of puzzles to solve, Islands of Insight has something for every puzzle enthusiast out there.
  3. Feb 13, 2024
    84
    Islands of Insight feels like the developers took the Korok challenges from the recent The Legend of Zelda titles and crossed them with The Witness. It’s a wonderful playground full of different kinds of puzzles, some deviously crafted into the environment itself. While there’s little story to latch on to and no real fail-state, the thrill of discovery has definitely kept us going far longer into the night than we thought possible. This review was tested before general multiplayer went live, therefore we can’t speak as to how well the MMO-like aspects blend into general gameplay.
  4. 80
    Story fans should probably steer clear, but if you enjoy a good challenge, pick out your favorite musical playlist and settle in to explore Island of Insight’s gorgeous puzzle-lover’s paradise. Just be sure to pack accordingly, as you could be there a long, long time.
  5. Feb 13, 2024
    80
    The sheer amount of puzzles on offer here is incredible, without ever being overwhelming. There’s a solid sense of progression, with goals to work towards – but you’re also free to explore however you wish, tackling the puzzles that interest you and, for the most part, ignoring the ones you don’t enjoy as much. It’s already great but with a few updates over time, Islands of Insight could really be something special.
  6. Feb 20, 2024
    73
    Islands of Insights soars when you’re sprinting and gliding through its sense world, solving different kinds of puzzles every few minutes. But since there’s no truly co-operative puzzles, the game’s online requirement is poised to perplex players.
  7. Feb 20, 2024
    70
    Still, despite a number of parts of Islands of Insight not connecting with me fully, what always did was the puzzles themselves. They’re so consistently engaging that I found myself ignoring the parts of the game that I didn’t love so I could keep engaging with them. Islands of Insight is a great game to jump into for ten minutes just to knock a few puzzles out before going about your day or to get lost in for hours as you try to solve every match 3 puzzle you can find.
  8. Feb 13, 2024
    70
    Islands of Insight is the modern reinvention the puzzle genre needs.
  9. Feb 13, 2024
    70
    I definitely had fun solving a bunch of puzzles, especially ones that involved finding the right visual path through a group of rings, or playing a sort of reverse Minesweeper with black and white squares. Others like hidden objects or hunting for nodes inside a boundary were annoying, but I never felt forced to try them. There’s a lot to like about that idea of zero pressure puzzle-solving. But everything else, like leaping, floating, and gliding around the open world, filling in the skill tree, or deciphering the map and other UI elements, bogged me down. Islands of Insight is a shot at blending together ambitious scale with cozy gaming, and has to try harder than it should to not collapse under its own weight.