When you hear that the protagonist will be wielding a pickaxe as their primary means of adventuring in any game, first thoughts obviously tend towards Minecraft. However, Cursed Island is certainly more akin to Minecraft’s close cousin – Terraria – in visuals, with a dash of retro platforming in there for good measure.
Releasing today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, following a late-2021 launch onto PC, Cursed Island tasks you, a solo adventurer stranded on a mysterious island, to escape said island and all the horrors that it hosts.
Devs CrystallPunk and ChiliDog Interactive have bestowed just how you escape entirely up to you: do you play things out in a side-scrolling platform manner, or do you take the fight to the monsters, and shoot your way through proceedings? By the minute, the longer you spend on this island, the more dangerous it becomes, with the game throwing further waves of monsters your way as you (hopefully) get one step closer to freedom.
The agency extends out to procuring items also: whilst there are a number of caches containing a range of weapons across the island, you can also DIY and craft from natural resources you harvest on your travels. The choice really is yours and, as long as you make it out alive, how you get there doesn’t really matter!
So, whether you are looking for a new action-packed shooter, or perhaps wish to take your time and slowly craft your way to victory, Cursed Island on Xbox and PC has you well and truly covered. You can pick up a copy on the former platform for £4.19 via the Xbox Store.
Game Description:
Cursed Island is a story of a single person trying to leave the island full of mysterious horrors and unimaginable monsters. To achieve this task he has to smash his way through the island with his trusty pickaxe. Cursed Island blends the elements of some popular titles with nostalgic pixel-art graphics. We dare to say that this game is a unique gaming experience that will help you to enjoy slow-paced gameplay with emphasis on exploration, mining and fighting mythical beasts.
