Isles of Sea and Sky

Isles of Sea and Sky is a 2024 puzzle video game. The player explores a series of islands and is presented with block-pushing puzzles in the style of Sokoban. The game is nonlinear and uses an open world setting: the player can explore the world and approach puzzles in an open-ended order, and puzzles are not necessarily solvable when the player first encounters them, requiring abilities and tools unlocked later. Developed by three-person indie studio Cicada Games and published by Gamera Games, the game was first funded via Kickstarter in 2020 before being released for Windows in May 2024. The game received generally favorable reviews. Reviewers praised its puzzle design, and compared its structure to Metroid and The Witness. The open world aspects, and particularly the gating of certain puzzles behind progression milestones, received mixed feedback. The visual style was described as reminiscent of Game Boy Color games, in particular The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and drew positive feedback. The game was a finalist for "Excellence in Design" at the 2024 Independent Games Festival, and was listed by multiple publications as one of the best puzzle games of 2024.