The game begins on a boat after the player creates a crew of characters. The crew can consist of one to six Sims. After the crew's creation, a slide-show starts of some mobile phone pictures that are taken showing the trip and also showing the storm that wrecks the ship. The player's starting Sim wakes up on First Beach on Shipwreck Island. The Sim finds books detailing the goals the Sim must follow to survive on the islands and escape. Shortly after exploring Shipwreck Island, the Sim discovers a second island, Airplane Island, this one considerably larger and more interesting than the first, and builds a raft to reach the new location. After arriving on the island, the Sim is reunited with some of their lost crew. The player then has the option to form a tribe of Sims if the relationship is strong enough. While exploring Airplane Island, the player finds radio parts that are required to complete a goal later in the game. A third island, Volcano Island, can be reached once the player finds the second beach on Airplane Island and builds a canoe. On Volcano Island, the player will discover the remains of the llama people. The player has the option to return to civilization on this island. They can either build a boat or travel to the volcano's summit and use the radio parts to send an SOS signal to a nearby ship. The player can also repair a broken ceremonial forge on Volcano Island that will cause a fourth island, Crystal Island, to rise out of the sea, however this is optional and is not required for the player to escape the island. The game contains many discoverable secrets, including secret areas such as Hidden Lagoon and the Secret Pirate's Cove. These areas can only be accessed once the player has gathered objects such as hieroglyphics and treasure map pieces, however this is a relatively extensive process.