Coral Island Review

Game: Coral Island
Genre: Farming sim, RPG
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer|Publisher: Stairway Games | Humble Games
Controller Support: Yes
Steam Deck: Verified
Price: US $29.99 | UK £24.99| EU € 29,99
Release Date: November 14th, 2023

No review code used, backed the game myself on Kickstarter

Former Kickstarter Project

Coral Island is a farming and crafting sim that started as a Kickstarter project. Stardew Valley marked the start of more farming sims with a twist flocking to the market that Harvest Moon had dominated before that. The fact that Coral Island was funded in 2021 in less than 36 hours is not surprising: there’s an avid audience for this kind of game, including myself. I was one of the backers and had originally hoped to play it on Switch. As the future of the Switch version is unsure now because of restructuring at Publisher Humble Bundle Games, Stairway Games was kind enough to recently send me a Steam version instead.

Screenshot of Coral Island features the character standing in front of their house, ready for an upgrade. The screen shows an upgrade menu indicating the required resources, including wood and stone, to advance the house to Level 1. The house has a charming design with a stone foundation and a blue tiled roof. — You get several options for how your house should look, like this lovely one. And even a very modern one!

Because of this, it’s only now that I’m playing this game, while it’s already been out since October 2022. In Early Access first, and a year later in the full version, and not just on Steam: it’s available on Xbox and Playstation as well. Normally, I can’t help myself, and I want to try a new game as soon as possible. But in this case, I think Coral Island is all the better after having been nurtured by the developer for a few years.

Staple Elements Are There

You leave the big city of Pokyo behind and immerse yourself in the idyllic life tending to your own farm. At least this protagonist still has their memory! It’s not just your farm you have to take care of, you are also the one that is chosen to revitalize the town, stave off the threat of a big corporation called Pufferfish trying to use the town for their own gain and more.

Screenshot of Coral Island displays the Tree Planting Festival screen, which features a festive and decorative banner with illustrations of trees, gardening tools, and accessories like gloves, a watering can, and a flower pot. The background shows a blurred view of a prepared planting area, emphasizing the game's focus on community and environmental care. — Aside from the day-to-day chores, festivals are included too. Get to know your townsfolk!

Coral Island includes all the staple elements that make a good farming and crafting sim. And when exploration and some fighting are added to the mix of farming, crafting, mining, fishing, socializing and romancing, you have a well-balanced game.

What makes Coral Island special for me is the addition of the underwater world. One that you have to clean up as soon as you earn a diving suit. When you find a solar orb and activate it, the effects are truly spectacular. A beautiful ray spreads over the ocean floor and revives the corals in reach. Lovely!

The image shows an underwater scene from Coral Island, where the player character is exploring the ocean floor. The character is wearing a diving suit and surrounded by vibrant marine life, including colorful corals, red and green seaweed, and scattered debris. In the center, a glowing solar orb device is placed on the sandy seabed, which appears to be part of the task to activate solar orbs and heal coral sites. The interface displays objectives related to ocean conservation, highlighting the game's environmental themes. The serene underwater setting emphasizes the exploration and restoration aspects of the gameplay. Published on: LadiesGamers. — The solar orb is activated and sends out rays of the sun, revitalising the coral!

How Can You Spend the Time?

Believe me, you will be short on time every day; there is so much to do. It’s best to focus on just a few things daily; otherwise, I think the gameplay will start to feel stressful. Coral Island goes pretty deep too, setting goals for 8 masteries, like fishing and farming, and striving for 6 skills in each mastery. Levelling them up will give you recipes and can increase your daily energy.

Screenshot of Coral Island shows the in-game map used for fast travel, highlighting different key locations across the island. The map is colorful and stylized, featuring icons for various buildings, paths, and landmarks, including the "Lake Temple," which is selected with a pointer. The design reflects the game's vibrant, friendly atmosphere. — Fortunately, fast travel unlocks as there only so many hours in a day

Farming

The farming works along the same lines as any farming game. Having to water daily and seeds that are tied to the season. Soon, though, you can upgrade your tools, and you get recipes for items that are very helpful. Crafting sprinklers works wonders, saving you a lot of watering daily. The crafting recipes come in at a good pace. You will find trash everywhere from the start, and when you make a recycler, you can make scrap, which you can use to make a sprinkler.

Screenshot of Coral Island shows a player character standing in front of a cozy blue-roofed farmhouse surrounded by lush green grass and a wooden fence. In the foreground, there are neatly arranged vegetable crops, including cabbages, cauliflowers, and turnips, with sprinklers in between. Various tools and crafting stations are visible around the garden, reflecting a well-maintained farm setup. — I was able to get some sprinklers in, cutting down on my time spent watering

Ranching

Ranching comes into play once you can build a coop or a barn, and petting your animals will encourage them to leave produce for you. Set up some production lines for making things like mayonnaise from eggs, or metal bars from bronze and other ores, make essences in the extractor and a lot more. In most farming sims it takes a while to make progress, Coral Island rewards you very quickly, even in your first spring.

Fishing and Catching Bugs

Fishing uses a meter that you have to watch to ensure it doesn’t turn red and you lose the fish. You can also catch bugs, which I felt was more difficult than fishing. It is hard to be accurate in your swing of the net. You can donate your catch to the museum, just like the artefacts you find in the ocean.

Screenshot of Coral Island displays the character on a wooden boardwalk near a diving area by the beach. The boardwalk is wet from recent rain, and a colorful sign with a diving octopus is nearby, indicating a spot for underwater exploration. The ocean water is clear, with small boats docked alongside the pier. — On the fishing pier, ready for a dive

Mining and Fighting

The mining works in the same way as in the current Harvest Moon games and is annoying. You have to find the entrance to the next level by taking a pickaxe to the rocks strewn about, and let me tell you, those floors aren’t small. Fortunately, once you’ve reached floor 5 you can go straight to that next time, same for floor 10 and so on. You’ll walk away for a lot of stone and the occasional ore or coal. Meanwhile, monsters try to hinder you, so you can take them out too and collect their spoils.

Socializing and Romancing

And then there’s socializing and romancing. I’m impressed at how alive the people you meet feel. No standard lines that they repeat, they go about their business and don’t hang out of the street or in the houses waiting for you to show. You actually see a dog jumping into the fountain for fun, going to work at the lab taking place at their computer or tending their own livestock. For me, romance is always the least interesting part, but looking at the description of Coral Island, you have 28 dateable humans and merfolk, too!

The image shows a character interaction in Coral Island at the beach near the Beach Shack. The player character is meeting Yuri, a friendly NPC with green hair, tattoos on her arm and shoulder, and wearing a colorful bikini with "Water Banana" printed on it. She is smiling warmly and says, "It's nice to finally meet you!" The conversation takes place on a sunny beach, with palm trees, sandy ground, and beach decor in the background, reflecting the game's relaxed, tropical setting. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Look who is soaking up the sun? Yuri!

Controls, Graphics and Sound

Coral Island handles well. I played the game on Steam Deck alone, and even without a controller, it was a breeze. However, it must be said that my Steam Decks’ vent was working overtime (I have the original model). I noticed that it could feel like the screen had to catch up on where I was moving, and sometimes, like when walking under branches that formed an arch, I would keep seeing myself, but the branch would disappear. Minor things for me: it didn’t interrupt my gameplay.

Screenshot of Coral Island captures an interior view of a modern bar or lounge area. The space is spacious with stylish wooden flooring, small round tables, stools, a bar counter, and unique decor, including a piano and a sculpture. The character stands in the middle, highlighting the serene ambiance of the location, which serves as a social hub within the game. — Detailed graphics, like here in the bar.

The graphics are really gorgeous and so detailed that I often just paused what I was doing to check out the area or room I had just entered. I mean, the pub looks like you could just walk in there with lighting fixtures on the tables, lighter trim to the wood making it more pleasing to the eye and a well-stocked bar. And in the lab, it wasn’t just the workstation where someone was sitting, but it had all the equipment and desks needed.

The graphical designers really did a wonderful and detailed job, especially for me: I’m not one for retro graphics. The soundtrack is good, with laid-back tunes that give you the island feel. This is also available on Steam and I’ve found it on Spotify too.

Screenshot of Coral Island captures an interior scene in a modern laboratory filled with advanced equipment, such as robotics and aquariums. The player character is interacting with another character at a workstation, indicating the integration of technology and marine research within the game. — This laboratory is just ready to sit down and work!

Conclusion for Coral Island

Since the first release in Early Access Coral Island has made quite a journey. I’m aware that I’m playing the game at its prime time when all bugs have been ironed out, and additions have been made. It makes for a well-balanced and exciting adventure with a lot of exploration, a wonderful world under the ocean and more. The developers took a good look at all kinds of sim games and learned what works best for every game component.

Screenshot of Coral Island depicts the character exploring a lush, green forest area with large trees and a mystical-looking tree wrapped in rope. The environment is filled with dense foliage, rocks, and tree roots, suggesting a place of discovery and adventure. — There are even some monkeys close to home!

I would like to give Coral Island our highest rating for a beautiful and well-thought-out farming and crafting sim. As a big fan of the Nintendo Switch, I hope the game will make the leap to that handheld as well!

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up