Top-down Zelda games have always been my preference over the 3D games, and so I've ended up trying out more than a dozen indie Zelda-likes since the inception of the Switch. The best among these have a good grasp of what makes an action-adventure compelling while adding its own unique flavor. Under The Island has a bright, cartoony aesthetic that works well for its levity and lightheartedness. It's reminiscent of Link's Awakening and Minish Cap, but marches to the beat of its own drum enough to stand out.

The plot focuses on a teenager named Nia who is relocated from her hometown by her parents who have a one-year research project on Seashell Island. Nia encounters a girl named Avocado, and the pair end up being given a quest to collect four mechanical gears to stop the island from sinking into the ocean. There's also a central town you'll return to frequently to purchase upgrades and find out where your next destination is. As you might expect from a Zelda-like, there are numerous sidequests to undertake that reward you with upgrade materials and heart containers, and it's fun to explore the map as your repertoire of tools expands.

The 10 to 15-hour adventure takes you across forests, beaches, and a snowy mountaintop, with main quest progress often requiring a detour or two before you get into one of the major dungeons. Your tools include a flower that shoots out a ball of flame, handy for lighting up dark passages, burning down plants, or damaging enemies; and a bag of animal snacks that help you guide turtles, rams, and sheep to step onto switches or ram into sealed doors. One neat mechanic is the way fast travel is unlocked around the island by solving a block-pushing puzzle. Another interesting feature is how multifaceted the boss fights are; one even begins with an Overcooked-style cooking competition.

While Under The Island does run well and look good both docked and handheld, there are some minor annoyances. Your sword stand-in, a hockey stick, can feel a bit awkward with its three-hit combo attack, which makes the game's challenging final boss all the more difficult. There are also swamp areas and other small bodies of water where the game doesn't visually discern between shallow and deep water, so there's a trial and error to exploring these spaces that just makes for a frustrating time overall. The difficulty curve is such that you'll know when you're exploring an area you shouldn't be yet, but the final boss really pushes the envelope in that direction, so you'll want to be as prepared as possible before heading into the final dungeon. The dungeons themselves don’t require a ton of backtracking or headscratching, and so veterans of the genre may be left wanting in that regard.

Under The Island didn't take long to sink its charming teeth into me as I had been itching for something a little lighter, both in tone and runtime, after making my way through a handful of long RPGs. Along Nia’s adventure, you end up encountering a variety of different gameplay types, including stealth sequences and arcade-style minigames, and so what has become a well-trod genre does feel quite fresh. If you're in the mood for a whimsical Zelda-like with some unique items and boss fights, the dozen-plus hours you can spend on Seashell Island are absolutely worth your time.