Fans of idyllic, cozy life simulators have long been fans of the farming simulation game Stardew Valley. Its retro art style, immersive world, and never-ending story are beloved by gamers of all ages, and a resurgence of the farming and life simulator genres can be partly attributed to its success. This resurgence means that fans of Stardew Valley often have new games to be excited about that use similar styles and formatting.
Players in Stardew Valley get to farm, fish, socialize, explore, and much more, and while there is a magical element in the game, it's mainly centered around simulating farm life. Fans of more fantasy-oriented games like Pokemon or the Zelda franchise may be looking for a cozy life simulator with more magic. The upcoming game Moonstone Island combines elements of Pokemon, retro Zelda, and Stardew Valley to create an adorable, magical experience.
What is Moonstone Island?
Developed by Studio Supersoft and published by Raw Fury Games, the publisher behind Call of the Sea and Backbone, Moonstone Island features a retro, top-down art style reminiscent of old-school Legend of Zelda games. It was unveiled during MIX Next in 2022 and features an adorable white-haired protagonist wearing a blue pointed cap, not unlike Link's iconic green hero outfit. Promotional art also invokes the imagery of Studio Ghibli with beautiful scenery, quaint towns, and interesting flying machines.
Moonstone Island is described as an open-world deck builder RPG. Unlike Stardew Valley which keeps players mostly within the main area of Pelican Town with the exception of a few external areas, Moonstone Island will have more than 120 islands that players can explore. These islands will serve to provide resources and benefits to the main hub world of Moonstone Island, which is struggling, and players will venture out to attempt to bring prosperity back to their homes.
In the adventures players embark on in Moonstone Island, they'll be able to tame nature spirits. These nature spirits can be seen in promotional images and trailers and resemble everything from newts to coffee mugs to lamps. Not only do these adorable spirit creatures follow players around, but they also participate in battles against enemy spirits, just like Pokemon. The combination of the retro, pixelated art style and these creature battles will likely scratch a nostalgic itch for fans of Game Boy Pokemon games.
Unlike Pokemon games, Moonstone Island's battles are card-based, meaning that players will need to build their decks up by collecting cards in the world as they adventure. The deck-building and combat system is reminiscent of Slay the Spire, which combines roguelike and deck-builder elements in a fantasy setting. Beyond exploring, collecting, and engaging in combats, players will also be able to return to Moonstone Island and tend to a farm, socialize with NPCs in the community, and build up the town around them.
With Stardew Valley being nearly a decade old, it's not surprising that many fans of the game and genre have turned to other farming simulator games. Moonstone Island isn't out yet but is set to release in 2023, and it will not only appeal to fans of farming games, but RPG and deck builder fans as well. Gamers looking to satisfy a craving for card battlers, retro Pokemon games, or old-school RPGs like Legend of Zelda should definitely keep an eye on Moonstone Island and check it out upon release.
Moonstone Island is set to release in 2023.