I find "minimalist city builder" a little misleading:
It's a high-score chaser where you put buildings next to resources to get points, and optimizing building placement gets you more points.
This puts it closer to Dorfromantik in genre. Of course, because Dorfromantik is tile-based, it allows for a bit more precision - and in turn, Islanders grants a bit more variety and complexity.
On the whole, I think Dorfromantik is better for its simplicity - Islanders can be a little illegible at times. It can be hard to remember which bonuses apply to which buildings, or which buildings can be placed on which surfaces. Because it's 3d you spend a bit of time finessing the exact placement of buildings pixel by pixel to eke out the extra points. Sometimes you get a building that seems to be totally unplacable and you have to cast around wildly to see where it can actually go.
That said, it's still a fantastic and relaxing game that I would highly recommend. I just wish it came with a little extra oomph - a bit of metagame progression, or a bit more help to get the finnicky stuff down pat.
It's a high-score chaser where you put buildings next to resources to get points, and optimizing building placement gets you more points.
This puts it closer to Dorfromantik in genre. Of course, because Dorfromantik is tile-based, it allows for a bit more precision - and in turn, Islanders grants a bit more variety and complexity.
On the whole, I think Dorfromantik is better for its simplicity - Islanders can be a little illegible at times. It can be hard to remember which bonuses apply to which buildings, or which buildings can be placed on which surfaces. Because it's 3d you spend a bit of time finessing the exact placement of buildings pixel by pixel to eke out the extra points. Sometimes you get a building that seems to be totally unplacable and you have to cast around wildly to see where it can actually go.
That said, it's still a fantastic and relaxing game that I would highly recommend. I just wish it came with a little extra oomph - a bit of metagame progression, or a bit more help to get the finnicky stuff down pat.