1sland is a dreamy game of exploration and competition Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. 1sland is a dreamy game of exploration and competition A certain flare. Feature by Christian Donlan Features Editor Updated on 28 Jul 2020 2 comments 1sland moves slowly out of the fog and surf, a dreamy sort of game that has had me in a dreamy sort of spell these last few days. It sells itself as a "paddle royale", but any sense of violence or even urgency is swept away by playing it. Water laps at the hull of your little boat, ice dissolves quietly on impact. "Good morning," the game tells me when I first check in each day, soothing, like the greeting on arrival at a spa. This is a competition, though it's one I don't take in an enormously competitive spirit. Your mission in 1sland - everyone's mission - is to find the island that lurks somewhere in a vast ocean. You see this ocean from above, as much of it - not much - as will fit on the phone screen that's centered high over your little boat. The first to find the island gets big points. Everyone else gets...smaller points, I guess. But it's not the points anyway - it's the simple lure of being told there's an island out there. You use flares to track it down. One kind tells you how far away you are from the island. Another tells you which rough direction it lies in. A third allows you to place a buoy that will help you in getting a sense of how far you've travelled. Using these three bits of information, and spending in-game currency to buy new flares when you need 'em, you're off on a leisurely quest. Along the way the sun rises and sets and the sea changes colour. Visibility draws in at night, icebergs cluster in certain parts of the sea, and there's always someone else's boat to drift past. Add on little challenges and collectibles and ship upgrades and, of course, a season pass, and that's 1sland. The hunt for the island refreshes every few hours and all day I seem to get messages about a new island, then about someone having been the first to find it. It's competition but it's actually extremely pleasant, a tidal rhythm of other people's distant achievement. I dip in when I want to and, if I make it as far as the island, I picture myself wading up the sand, dragging my boat and then lying down on my back. What's next? A quick snooze, I think. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. 11 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 34 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store