Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Busway Islands by developer Moraes Game Studio:
Busway Islands: (The Explanation)
Busway Islands is a budget puzzle game recently released for the Nintendo Switch. But don’t let the game’s price make you think it isn’t worth your time. While the overall presentation could use some love, the heart of the game’s puzzles are fun and well made.Â
Busway Island’s gameplay loop is simple, as well as a loop in a sense. Get your bus from one side of town to the other while picking up passengers. Where the gameplay stands out is how you get your bus to its destination. You swap tiles by selecting two different ones and pressing the A-button. You can rotate them with your shoulder buttons. The main idea though is to create a road system that picks up passengers at bus stops along the way before exiting the town.
Each puzzle gets bigger and more difficult adding ramps and inclines, railroad tracks and gate arms to prevent from running into oncoming trains, roads with tunnels, intersections, and more. The way you progress along from puzzle to puzzle is simple to understand even if the game doesn’t really tell you how to play. There were a few headscratchers in my early go during my EXPlay which required me to either restart or rethink my road layout.
If you are eager for a simple puzzle game with a unique bus stop mechanic and tile swap gameplay you will get your fill from Busway Island. There’s not a lot here in terms of presentation as the visuals and audio were a bit lackluster. I could see this puzzle game being a podcast game, where you just listen to something else while you work through the puzzles. But this game proves that gameplay is king and I had fun with this little puzzler. If you are itching for a puzzle and want to control the flow of traffic getting passengers to their destinations, Busway Island will entertain for a couple hours.
Busway Islands:Â (The Gameplay)
Game Specifications:
Developer: Moraes Game Studio
Publisher: QUByte Interactive
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Puzzle, Board Game, Study, Education
No. of Players: 1 (Single System)
Release Date: July 11, 2024
Price: $4.99
File Size: 1.1 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
