Away from home for over a week...

If you're used to other games in the genre affectionately nicknamed "farm simulators", you'll certainly feel right at home with the introduction of Moonstone Island. Right from the start, we are introduced to our character, who is an alchemy student who, to finish his training, will have to stay away from home and his family for a year. But before we "see you later", our father teaches us the basic functions of the game, such as planting, watering, and harvesting, as well as a brief tutorial on how the mechanics of capturing and battling nature spirits work, which is nothing more than nice creatures inspired by Pokémon and Cassette Beasts, among other games of the genre. And just like in the traditional Nintendo game, you can choose your starting animal, which will accompany you throughout your journey.

It's worth noting that after the tutorial on how the duels work, our mother explains that we can carry up to three nature spirits with us at the same time, which is very useful because of the differentiation and special characteristics of the creatures. She also tells us how the spirits evolve and how important it is to take the best possible care of them.

With all the warnings and cautions passed on by the parents and the items collected, it's time to pick up the magic broom and set off to train as an alchemist. But during the long journey, a tragic accident occurs, in which our character ends up falling on a mysterious island, losing all the goods donated by his family in the crash. Still unconscious, we wake up in a mysterious tavern and discover that Osono, one of the island's inhabitants, has saved us, and she will help us recover and show us how to build a house and survive in this new world.



If you're playing this type of game for the first time, you'll have the great feeling that everything you've learned so far will be used throughout the adventure and in a very didactic way, making it easy to learn. But if Moonstone Island is just another of the countless simulators you've played before, none of this will come as a surprise. The good news is the combat, but we'll talk about that in more detail soon.

A world to explore

When the adventure begins, we are introduced to the game's open world, which is fabulous, with lots of activities, mysteries, and charismatic characters. A very valuable tip is to get to know every corner of the map to collect as many resources as possible for your initial base, as well as stop talking to all the NPCs, as they are responsible for offering different types of quests with very valuable rewards.

Moonstone Island is notable for the number of islands that can be explored, especially since each biome is procedurally generated, giving you a unique experience each time you visit the same place more than once. It's worth mentioning that to make life easier, it's possible to get to other places more quickly with magical means of transportation, available at a certain point in the adventure.

Talking a little more about the NPCs, the game has a good variety of inhabitants, each with a different skill and a specific function on the island. With each character, it's possible to have a conversation, give gifts, and even build a romantic relationship or just strengthen bonds of friendship. These relationships are responsible for improving your character's attributes.

As mentioned earlier, successful missions on Moonstone Island generate great rewards and valuable items, but if you're not an experienced player, you may end up getting lost in the many mechanics and building tools that are presented in a very short time. Not only that, but even with so many possible activities to carry out, there is an energy bar that, when completely consumed, forces the character to rest. So it's not always ideal to do whatever you find first. To help you figure out what to do first, pay attention to the "To Do" menu, which guides you through the basic actions in the game.



It's duel time

Moonstone Island has a combat system that is very similar to that of the Pokémon franchise, since right at the start of the campaign you select a creature to accompany you on your adventure, and it can battle with others so that different animals can be part of your deck.

In all, there are 66 monsters to be found all over the island, divided into grass, water, and land creatures. You can duel with all of them, as well as have the possibility of studying and capturing them, as long as you win the duel, of course.

Battles take place in turns, with confrontations being able to take place with up to three nature spirits, and this is because our backpack is limited. It's worth remembering that this amount is for carrying because once the breeding ground is built, each creature is captured and transferred to the site.

To win duels, you need to reset your opponent's shield to stun them so that you can deliver blows and reduce their life bar. It's worth noting that the idea of having simple combat is very appealing, but as the battles happen more often, it becomes a little tiresome.

All the visual charm

If there's one thing that won me over early on in Moonstone Island, it's the pixelated and colorful graphics, bringing all the charisma and nostalgia of classic games of the genre, such as Stardew Valley, for example.



It's quite striking how expressive the island's inhabitants are, which means that bonds of affection are quickly formed with each NPC. Unfortunately, the island could be more inhabited and lively, but the population can practically be counted on the fingers.

I can't say that the dedication implanted in the inhabitants was the same in comparison to the creatures because they are generic, which means that the interest in capturing all the nature spirits diminishes considerably. They make up the environment in a satisfactory way, but there is nothing that makes the island stand out.

Moonstone Island has a comforting soundtrack that blends in perfectly with the game's setting at all times, becoming lighter during the day, changing to something more agitated during battles, and becoming denser when we're exploring caves.

Being an alchemist is no easy task

The Supersoft studio has sought to go far beyond a life simulator, bringing battles between creatures to Moonstone Island, even more so when it comes to a genre that is set in stone. Not only that, but the fact that the scenarios are procedurally generated makes each adventure unique and special.



Something that can become tiresome for those looking for a casual experience is evident in the capture of the little monsters, which requires a series of items to collect more creatures. The learning curve for the basic mechanics is great, but it takes a lot of study to delve deeper.

Another point that caught my attention is how the game is more accessible on keyboard and mouse, which perhaps explains why Moonstone Island wasn't released for consoles. The menu navigation leaves a lot to be desired, as does the difficulty in organizing items in the backpack. Not only that, but to select smaller items, I had to abandon the controller. This doesn't happen with the precision of the PC peripherals.

Moonstone Island was kindly provided by Raw Fury, and the analysis was carried out on an ACER Nitro 5 notebook.