Over Islands, a fantasy action-adventure from indie developer and publisher Aridide Production, has officially released a new demo on PC via Steam.

In Over Islands, players will explore and reconnect flying islands, rescuing the people from demonic armies and managing their restored cities. There are also elements of platforming, shooting, puzzles.

Over Islands does not currently have a release date. It’s a single-player game, and plans to launch into Early Access for a period of about three months.

In addition to today’s demo announcement, the developer also released a brand-new gameplay trailer yesterday on their official YouTube channel:

I haven’t had the chance to play the demo itself. However, I am drawn to Over Islands’ sheer variety of gameplay. The Steam page even mentions the potential for other “mini-games as well as new maps” for the full version.

The page also includes a nod to Indiana Jones, quoting “fortune and glory”. Accordingly, Over Islands features some of Jones’ classic adventure tropes. This includes both FPS gunplay and temples with traps.

These mechanics are rarely paired with the city building genre. It’s interesting that the protagonist must continue rebuilding the cities they save.

Ideally, the city building aspects are streamlined enough to encourage more exploration though. It’s clear that discovering new islands will be a highlight.

Over Islands has promise, with islands that seem to be full of charm and weirdness. They also have distinguishable environments, and hints of steampunk. The new trailer’s air pirate battle really stands out, and feels right out of The Last Crusade.

I’m optimistic that Over Islands could potentially find a fresh combination of familiar mechanics for a fun adventure. Spending some time in Early Access to balance things out is a smart move.

Aridide Production previously released action strategy indie Steel Graves into Early Access in 2021.

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