Fans of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley will be excited to hear about new farming simulator game Coral Island! A reimagining of the farming sim genre, Coral Island is a beautiful 3D farming simulator set on a tropical island. The game seems to draw inspiration from earlier titles such as Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon but innovates and pulls them together in a neat little package that will surely provide a great gameplay experience for fans of these series.
As seen in some of the Screenshots available on the Stairway Games official website, the island setting looks absolutely beautiful. From the waters of a temple to the colorful farm populated with not only crops and farm building but also chickens, (yay!), I’d say it is going to be a very peaceful, enjoyable time exploring the island.
The team at Stairway Games gives the following information about the setting on the game and story:
“Pufferfish Drilling Corp. has nefarious plans for Coral Island. More than ever, the coral reef
restoration project, along with the environment, is at risk. Having purchased the only plot of land
left on the island, you start a new life. Tend to your farm, explore the island, and get to know the
islanders. You’ll decide whether to help them revitalize the town or not.“
Now all of these may seem like staple Farm sim mechanics but Coral Island has more than meets the eye. In the trailer available on Coral Island’s Steam page, you can see there also features underwater exploration and NPC’s. One of the stretch goals in the Kickstarter was to include an underwater village for the folk that live under the water known as Meerfolk. This goal has already been reached!
A Cast of Colorful Characters
Coral Island has a great load of characters available to interact with. One of the features available in the game, along with exploring and getting to know the townsfolk is the ability to romance. We are not sure at this time about the romance options available in the game but it seems as though there will be a few different suiters to choose from!
Romance isn’t everything though. Just like other game you can probably expect some great stories and lore to go along with the characters. One of the draws and big parts of Stardew Valley for me wasn’t just the characters you could eventually marry and have help you on the farm, but the little stories along the way and people you can meet.
It has a very diverse looking cast of characters indeed. Many commenters on the Facebook posts I’ve seen for the game are loving the fact that there are finally some simulator games featuring people of color and some people with tattoos over their body. As someone who enjoys seeing diverse representation in-game it is really refreshing to see that most of the people that live on this island, actually seem like they would fit living on an island. Not another white-washed title!
Features and Mechanics
One of the best things about simulator games is the ability to do whatever you want, at your own pace. Having a big list of mechanics and things to do is essential in drawing the player back in and having something to do. Minigames like fishing and collecting are personally greatly appreciated by me as I don’t just want to grow crops all day. I want to mix it up! Luckily in Coral Island, you can do just that! From combat mechanics, to making money farming to customizing your house, the list of things to do seems endless and I love it!
Some of the mechanics in the game include character customization, actual farm customization and planning, fishing and exploring both on land and underwater and also another mechanic to do with the town. Apparently you can also participate in community projects around the town and help make it look nicer and help out the townsfolk. Very, very cool.
Don’t Farm Alone!
Another one of the stretch goals which has already been smashed by backers is Co-op support for the game. Yes, you will be able to farm and fight with a friend! The game will also be available on the Nintendo Switch. The team believes that the console release should come about 6 months after the Steam release for the game.
It seems that the game will have support for both online and offline couch co-op! That has me really pumped as my partner and I love jumping into games with couch co-op and I don’t think there are enough developers making couch co-op available these days. The official comment on the team about multiplayer is as follows:
What can we expect with multiplayer? We will be implementing several modes, including 4 player online farms and couch co-op, to name a few. Collectively progress through the game with your friends and see who can make the most gold, or race to see who will win someone’s heart first!
The game has also passed the stretch goal for mod support. One of the things that really keeps games alive well after their release is a strong modding community. Just look at titles like Skyrim and Rimworld, still going strong many years after their original release. Although I am pumped to see what the original game has to offer and will absolutely be playing Vanilla to begin with, I always love to see what ideas a game’s community can bring into the world.
A Genuine Passion Project From a Small Team
Coral Island marks the first title from Stairway Games. For a very first game for a new studio the game looks absolutely incredible and the message and heart behind it is something we can get behind here at Set Ready Game. Stairway Games is a small development studio coming from Indonesia. The team seems very proud of their Indonesian roots and are really happy to put Indonesia on the game development map.
You can check out the Kickstarter for Coral Island here. Check it out and see if you’d like to donate to the game. Help out a small developer if you’re interested and have the money to spare and wait excitedly. The release date is still yet to be announced but for now it sits at 2021. So you won’t have to wait to start your island farming life too much longer!
Are you excited to see what Coral Island offers? What are some of your favorite things you’ve seen about the game so far? Let me know in the comments below.
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