Moonstone Island

I played Moonstone Island around the time when it first released, and I didn't like it at that time. I waited until this year, assuming the game might be improved over time but unfortunately, it's still lacking. To start with the positives the art style of the game just oozes charm, and there's detail all over the place. The grass sways with the wind or when you walk past it, while you're traversing on a balloon your character adjusts their grip on the string every so often, the art is riddled with tiny details and charming things you won't even notice if you aren't paying attention. Unfortunately that's most of what I have to say positively about this game. Everything else is just... shallow. The combat is shallow, the farming is shallow, the environments are the same 3-4 islands repeated in different shapes, the dungeons are shallow, everything is just so surface level. Add on to that the intense tedium of traversing between islands once you're past the 3 hour mark, and the horrendous pacing of the RPG systems, and I just found myself not wanting to engage with any of it, because what little was there to engage with was just extremely minimal. It feels like the separate parts of the game barely intertwine, and none of them go anywhere on their own. I waited a very long time to actually review this game, because it's clear so much love went into certain parts of it, but all that's really been changed as far as I can tell, is that I can now buy a bunch of different decoration packs. So unfortunately I cannot recommend buying this game. play the demo, and if you like what's in there enough to play it for 20+ hours, knowing that there is NOTHING else to the gameplay, then get the game at a deep discount.

If there ever was a game that was a jack-of-trades and a master-of-none, it would definitely be Moonstone Island. Moonstone Island's inspirations are obvious, as this game mixes the creature collecting of Pokemon, the card combat of Slay the Spire, and the farming-romance gameplay of Harvest Moon. While all these mechanics are done fairly competently and I had a little bit of fun with the game, I can't say there is anything besides this combination of genres that really sets Moonstone Island apart. If you're really into this blend of genres, then go ahead and buy Moonstone Island, but I can really only give Moonstone Island something like a 6.5/10.

At times it feels like it flies a little to close to Stardew, but there is definitely enough here to make it well worth a play through especially with how frequently it goes on sale. If you're a fan of the cozy/farm sim genre it's definitely worth a look.

This game is super cute and has a very well organized walkthrough, as well as tons of clever pop culture references -- but I had a really frustrating experience where about 20 hours of progress disappeared, and I never got them back... I'm sad to say I'm abandoning this game. :( I tried all sorts of solutions found in forums online, but with no success. I even tried starting over from scratch, but when I went to save the game, the pop up save window stalled at 'loading', and froze that way. All in all, I recommend proceeding with caution knowing that people have complained about this issue several times, and not all solutions work out. I'm really disappointed.

可是费拉她说我可爱诶

I was pleasantly surprised by this game. It feels like a cross between Stardew Valley, Pokemon Yellow, and Slay the Spire. The combat is great so far (I'm still early/mid game, but the deck curation feels much like Slay the Spire with a bit more user agency), the exploration is fun, and although I haven't toyed all that much with decorating, it does seem like it has quite a bit of options for just making a cozy little home. Also, the devs get a huge thumbs up from me for putting this game on 75% off sale without paywalling content behind a bunch of DLC packs (like Icarus did). From what I've seen, all or most of the DLC packs are cosmetics (and they're inexpensive, so I may buy them anyway). You actually get the whole game for $5 on sale. To be honest, I'm surprised this game hasn't blown up already. It doesn't look like it has the same replay value as Stardew Valley, and there isn't multiplayer yet, but if they added renewable resources, long-term goals, and co-op, I legitimately believe this game could rival Stardew. At $5, it's a no-brainer anyway. If you were looking for a sign, here it is. Buy it! You won't regret it.

Moonstone Island kept me interested for a good while because its strongest period is the one where you are still figuring out how everything fits together. Exploring the islands, finding spirits, learning elemental weaknesses, working out dungeon layouts, improving your deck and gradually turning a slightly awkward little team into something absurdly efficient was genuinely fun. The dungeons were one of the highlights for me. They are not all the same: some are mazes, some involve switches or traversal puzzles, and sometimes reaching the boss is the puzzle. The temples also introduce mechanics that make the fights feel distinct. [spoiler]The Electric Temple boss, for example, repeatedly increased card costs in real time, which forced me to recognise and play cards quickly rather than simply rely on the same routine.[/spoiler] The card combat is much smarter than it first appears. Once I understood my deck properly, I could chain zero-cost cards, draw repeatedly, generate excessive amounts of energy and then use that energy however I pleased. In my case, that usually meant force-feeding spirits taming concoctions rather than building an elaborate damage combo. Other players may prefer poison stacks, armour reduction or raw attack builds. There is enough flexibility for several approaches. Spirit evolution was also satisfying. I became attached to a Hopsight I caught very early because it arrived with excellent attack cards, and it remained useful throughout the entire game. Evolving spirits and dragging newly recruited ones through high-level battles was enjoyable until I eventually solved the levelling process too efficiently. The game also gives you more freedom with decoration than it may initially seem. The basic premade furniture selection is not enormous, but recipes are found in mining chests, [spoiler]and there is a spirit that will allow you to get an additional mine per island and then three more once evolved [/spoiler] or bought from Paolo. The loom lets you design custom floors and walls. I managed to make a fake balcony inside my house - and I wholeheartedly recommend you experiment with it. That said, the game lost me once curiosity gave way to optimisation. By late winter of my first year, I had solved most of the important systems. I had reliable income from spirit research, an army of water spirits producing glass, several furnaces, easy access to growth fertiliser, shop-bought seeds for levelling, and a simple method for evolving new spirits quickly. Once I had beaten the Rift boss, the moonstone machines then removed the moonstone bottleneck almost entirely. At that point, starting another season did not feel exciting. It felt like maintaining a supply chain. The crop system is broad but not especially deep. There are crops associated with each element, but only a handful are particularly relevant once you know what effects you value. Farming gradually becomes less about discovery and more about tracking the correct crops for taming, levelling or particular concoctions. Maxing the greenhouse made this especially obvious to me since it forced me into crop administration. The game also lacks a strong secondary reason to continue after mastering its central loop. Fishing and relationships do not unlock major new systems, and many quests become formalities once your team is overpowered. The NPCs are charmingly designed, but most are not developed enough to carry the game after exploration and combat stop providing surprises. The postgame seems aimed primarily at players who enjoy collecting every spirit, perfecting decks and pushing the infinidungeon. That is a perfectly valid endgame, but it was not enough for me. Once I understood how the remaining progression would work, I no longer felt much desire to perform it. So, yes, I recommend Moonstone Island. It is inventive, relaxing (especially on the longest-day setting), mechanically clever and much more substantial than expected. I just do not think it has enough late-game depth to make me continue indefinitely or replay it. It has an excellent base and a satisfying discovery phase, but it needs one more meaningful layer: deeper relationships, new progression systems or mechanics that change how you play.

Got this game from a friend but as a Christian I don´t recommend it because it´s not my cup of tea. The beginner tutorial made me quit because of the occult themes and the bland start. It´s `Pokémon` disguised as `spirits` that live in a medallion and your character being an alchemist that flies on a broom. I´m sure other people enjoy this game but I cannot.

Leave home. Capture Monsters. Grow Crops. Fly to Islands. Kiss the cutest NPC. Bake Pies. Make Potions. Stay up too late. Upgrade your cards. Cut Trees. Build Many houses. Explore many dungeons, Save the world.