At last! Moonstone Island is the Pokémon/Stardew Valley hybrid I've been dreaming of
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SHOULD I PLAY MOONSTONE ISLAND?
If you’re a fan of cozy life sims, this is a must-play. Moonstone Island gave me so much to do—there’s farming, creature collecting, decorating, deck-building, and more—but it never felt messy or overwhelming. The final package is a near-perfect combination of some of my favorite games of all time. It’s got the relaxing vibes of Stardew Valley, the decorating tools of Animal Crossing, and the adorable creatures of Pokémon. It even has dungeons that feel like they’d fit right into an old-school Zelda game. I enjoyed every minute I spent with Moonstone Island, and I can’t wait to spend more time with it.
TIME PLAYED
So far, I’ve played around eight hours of Moonstone Island, which got me through spring of the first year. I’ve also completed several dungeons, expanded my farm, and built a very cute team of monsters. While Moonstone Island does have an in-game clock, I never felt any sort of time pressure. Once I got through the tutorial, I could build, explore, collect, and farm at my own pace.
WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT MOONSTONE ISLAND?
• Fun battle system. Moonstone Island blends monster collecting with card-based combat, and it’s a pretty great combination. Instead of sending my monsters out one at a time, I could fight with up to three creatures at once. Every creature has its own deck of cards, and when I leveled up a monster, I could choose new cards to add to their deck.
The deck-building mechanics are satisfying, but they’re not the only element that makes battles interesting. Since it’s a monster-catching game, I had the option of feeding monsters during battle and luring them over to my side. Moonstone Island also gave me ways to temporarily disable my opponents and avoid deadly attacks. The combination of simplicity and strategy made every battle feel engaging.
• Exciting exploration. Despite its name, Moonstone Island doesn’t take place on one lone island. There are tons of floating islands to explore, and discovering them might be my favorite part of the game. At first, the only way I could get around was by balloon, so I was jumping off cliffs, clinging to a balloon string, and hoping I’d spot a land mass before my stamina ran out. Later on, I crafted a broomstick, which helped me go on longer expeditions.
All of the islands are procedurally generated, so no two playthroughs are exactly alike. Most islands had a small dungeon, but sometimes, I’d stumble upon other exciting discoveries, like strange new plants or a massive temple. Finding new islands was also a way to catch new monsters, which was great motivation to explore.
• There’s tons to do. I spent a lot of time battling and exploring, but Moonstone Island is filled to the brim with other exciting activities. In addition to farming, there’s fishing, mining, and an enormous amount of crafting. The decorating tools are pretty robust, so I really felt like I could make my home feel like my own. While I was free to make my own fun, characters regularly gave me quests, so I always felt like I had specific projects to work on.
• Slice-of-life vibes. Moonstone Island is influenced by a lot of amazing video games, but it also takes inspiration from other sources, like Studio Ghibli movies, and that gives its world a ton of charm. When I arrived at the island and met the locals, I felt like I was in Kiki’s Delivery Service. Sometimes when I was exploring, I’d be approached by a walking house that was home to a strange magician. I really loved spending time in such a magical and colorful world.
WHAT SUCKS ABOUT MOONSTONE ISLAND?
• The pacing feels off. Moonstone Island is undeniably addictive, but there were times when I had issues with its pacing, especially when it came to monster collecting. At first, I could only store creatures in my medallion, which meant I couldn’t have more than three monsters at a time. I got a quest to build a barn early on, but completing that quest took a surprisingly long time.
To finish that quest, I had to catch a level 5 monster, which required me to venture out onto more distant islands. Then I had to craft an enchanting table that let me make more complex items. To make the barn, I needed valuable resources that were hard to find outside of dungeons. Once the barn was built, I needed to craft a stall for every monster I wanted to store. I eventually got it all done, but I was playing for hours before I could properly collect monsters, and that doesn’t seem right.
• Weird dialogue system. Moonstone Island has lots of appealing characters, but the process for getting to know those characters is a bit strange. Every day, I could chat, joke, or flirt with the locals. If those interactions were successful, our bond would improve, but if they failed, I’d lose heart points. It’s a cool system in theory, but the execution felt a bit off.
When I interacted with a character, I wouldn’t actually say anything; I just saw my heart points go up or down. If I flirt with someone and totally bomb, I’d at least like to know what I said! Moonstone Island actually has a lot of great dialogue, so it’s disappointing that these interactions are just a roll of the dice.
💬 Will you be exploring the skies in Moonstone Island, or would you rather stay on the ground? Share some of your favorite cozy games in the comments!
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