Developer: Stairway Games
PS5 Review
As someone who lives by the sea and farms/farmland, this was the perfect game for me to jump into. My friend Krista from Leeks Cosy Corner and I had been speaking about it for a while when it was announced, and both wanted to play it as soon as it was available. I waited for the PS5 launch so I could throw myself into it; there was no regret at all when I was finally able to. Coral Island is heavily inspired by Southeast Asia, notably Indonesia. Players will notice that their surroundings and architecture have a lot of cultural influences from Southeast Asia; the developers, Stairway Games, are also based in Bali.
Coral Island centres around the life of the town called Starlet Town, which is made up of several locations within the game. They are in dire need of cleaning up the island after an oil spill destroyed the marine life, which made their island's ranking plummet. Now it's our chance to grab the job by the horns and get cleaning. There are 4 main ranks to build points for in order to get the town rank from F to S; these are 7 rankings altogether. It takes time to build your ranking. Once you get into the swing of things, it starts to come easily. Completing quests are youe best bet for getting into the swing of things. At times, they can be sparse, and other times, I would end up with loads at once. My tasks let me discover new and exciting details on Coral Island.
At first, I thought how daunting it would be, but I soon realised that everything I do throughout the day/night helps me with my points, and I can take as much time as I want. Some days I would clean up my farm and make the land easier to get around, other days were spent on me diving so I could clear the seafloor from trash and oil. But alas, my energy would dwindle, and I would need food or candies to build it back up so I could carry on with my tasks. I purposely would do tiring tasks towards the afternoon, so that when time passed, I was closer to nighttime and could rest after all my hard work. I slowed time down in the game so I could experience as much of each day on the island as I could.
The only and main way to save is by going to bed. At the time of writing this, thankfully, we now have a manual save. I felt satisfied each day after all the hard work I put in, and I would sleep as late as I possibly could in the game. As soon as I was able to craft a chest, I made sure to collect one or two of every supply or object I came across to use for quests or anything I would need to do later, especially when the season changed, and I needed it. I had a feeling I would unlock more features within the game that required me to donate what I collected, and I was right. The museum and the lake offerings both take a fair amount of time to complete, thanks to it taking its time. I was able to get better at fishing, which is always an issue for me in video games. This was one of the easier games to fish in, though.
I never felt a sense of urgency when playing Coral Island, even with the quests given to me in fact, each season is 28 days long, add slowling time helped me get so much done. Making the game open world was a great move. There would be some days I would come across something new randomly, digging spots were my favourite as I didn't know what I would end up finding each time. I loved meeting people on the island, learning new things about them and progressing our friendships, even forming romantic ones, which I actually have done out of spite with Mark because he was rude to me when we first spoke, so my revenge is making him fall in love with me. I know I'm petty.
If you pop on over to your inventory, you can change your character's outfit, add equipment and buffs for perks such as a ring of speed to increase tool speed. A great way to get things done in a timely manner, especially when mining. Within your inventory, you will find all you need from your journal to your quests and crafting. I like the way you can craft in inventory; it's so easy and much quicker than having to find a tool bench to work at. The Mastery is also very important. Make sure you check it to see if you have any skill points to use. It makes life a lot easier when you can use a perk to increase your chances when farming. I also almost forgot to mention it, the more you gift the lake temple, the more fast travel locations you can unlock, you can do this by collecting fish, bugs, plants, etc., that you come across on the island.
There are enemies that you face. I wouldn't say they are very hard; they are found in the mine, and you will be given weapons to defend yourself. I liked going down to the mines just so that I could hit them and collect any supplies they dropped. Don't be afraid to face them; they only take a few whacks, and they are done for. Coral Island is the perfect cosy game, I haven't got bored yet, I don't think I will either, it's packed full of so much and is so aesthetically pleasing. My favourite feature out of the whole game has to be the ability to adopt your own pet; the fact that the developers thought of bringing light to adopting animals is such a wonderful added feature. I really hope it inspires others to adopt, too, no matter the age of the animal. In fact, in the game, the animals are all different ages.
Have a cosy day
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