Alien Island Rescue Game Review

Alien Island Rescue Game Background

Alien Island Rescue is a retro-themed puzzle game inspired by Sokoban. Instead of pushing boxes, however, you are tasked with herding imperiled alien creatures to portals.

This game was developed by GameDevApps.

How to Play Alien Island Rescue

To select, left click with your mouse or tap on the touchscreen with your fingers. On the welcome screen, select anywhere or press the space bar on your keyboard to load the welcome screen. From there, select an unlocked level’s number to begin.

On a desktop, press the arrow keys to move. On a touchscreen device, tap on the screen with your fingers and swipe in the desired direction to move.

Basic Gameplay Advice

Your goal is to herd the alien animals to the portal to save them from the island’s destruction. To herd an animal get behind it by one space. The animal will move toward the nearest wall of foliage; if they move toward a corner, they are effectively trapped. There must be at least one space between you and the animal for it to move. Place yourself in the same line as the animal to have it move in the opposite direction. Repeat the process until the animal enters the portal.

The line of sight trigger’s the animals’ movements and extends from the horizontal and vertical spaces the animal is in. The animals will not flee from you if there is any object between you or them in their line of sight.

Later levels introduce monsters, which will be drawn to you rather than drawn away from you. Should they make contact, they will maul you, forcing you to restart the level. Your task is to use yourself as bait to move them toward the portal.

Levels have a number of features that will help you coax the animals to the portals.

• Portals take animals off the island. They can only be used once, so be sure to herd each animal toward the most convenient portal.
• Isolated clumps of trees can be used both as stoppers and as places to hide. However, you cannot move them.
• Fruits will attract animals to them. They are useful in luring animals away from corners. Once an animal eats a fruit, it’s gone. While monsters don’t eat fruits they can serve as barriers stopping them from mauling you.
• Stones function much like trees. Unlike trees, however, you can push them around.
• Holes allow animals to move from one area of the level to the next.

Like in Sokoban, pushing any item into a corner will render it immobile.

The game has 15 levels, which are unlocked sequentially. You can replay any of the levels you’ve previously beaten. Your web browser automatically saves your level progress. To clear your previous game data, select the trash button on the bottom right corner of the screen.

If you ever find yourself stuck, select the reset button on the top right corner to restart the level.

Advanced Playing Tips & Strategy

Pay attention to the layout of the level and the tools you have at your disposal. Often, you must herd an animal in a specific direction to get it into the target portal. Use stones and berries to your advantage, particularly when keeping out of the animal’s line of sight is not always possible.

Educational Aspects

This game hones a player’s spatial logic and problem solving skills. It also teaches a valuable lesson on conservation: much like the monsters in the game, dangerous and uncharismatic animals also deserve to be protected.

Player Age Recommendations

This game is suited for school-aged players and above. We recommend it for players who like Sokoban-inspired puzzle games.