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I can second Islanders, it's a lovely and relaxing game. After playing a level to completion I'd find myself just gazing at it for half an hour or more just imagining life and society on the island. Any game that can so playfully stimulate my imagination is an instant recommendation.

My only complaint when last I played was that they didn't let you save a previous island after moving on to the next level, which makes progression somewhat bittersweet.

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Oh I find that lovely actually, that bittersweetness is one of my favorite parts of the game. It makes me imagine god was a painter, moving from one piece to the next. Each creation perfect to its time and place, but evaporated along the temporal axis as well.

My friend gifted me this and I really struggled to get it. My conclusion was that it was solely about finding the right spot to place things, given the constraints of the tile and the world.

Is that right?

Mostly, yes. It's a simple but neat game.

There is however some strategy involved in planning ahead. In the early game you might want to place buildings less optimally, to leave room for later game buildings that are worth more points, or set up large bonuses from other buildings.

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