Amber Isle
- October 10, 2024
- Ambertail Games
- 6h median play time
Get on SteamAmber Isle is a shop management and social simulation game where you run the only shop on a prehistoric animal-inhabited island. Gather, craft, and sell items to meet the needs of diverse Paleofolk customers, haggle for better deals, and customize your shop to attract more clients. With expanding floorspace, efficient layouts, and increasing popularity, bring Amber Isle back from the brink of extinction.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Charming and cute character designs with unique personalities.
- Engaging gameplay loop that combines shop management with resource gathering.
- Extensive character customization options that allow players to create their own unique dinosaur.
- Numerous bugs and glitches, including soft locks that can prevent progression.
- Clunky UI and controls that can be frustrating to navigate.
- The game feels unfinished and lacks polish, making it difficult to recommend at full price.
- gameplay366 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this title features a fun and addictive loop centered around resource gathering, crafting, and shop management, reminiscent of games like Animal Crossing but with a unique dinosaur twist. While many players appreciate the charming art style and character designs, they also note issues such as confusing mechanics, bugs, and a lack of depth in certain gameplay elements, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game offers a relaxing atmosphere and engaging progression, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate casual, cozy gameplay.
“Fun and addictive gameplay loop, and the cutest and most interesting character designs I've seen in a long time.”
“The gameplay loop is addicting, the best thing for me being that there's nothing stopping me from progressing (unlike in Animal Crossing where you were required to wait till the next real-life day to renew all the resources).”
“The gameplay is really fun and relaxing, and I definitely prefer this gameplay loop and the time progression in comparison to games like Animal Crossing.”
“For me, my primary issue is how shallow the game is in terms of both gameplay and character.”
“The game is absurdly stingy with resources after you clear out the initial clutter, at least in the first area (6 plants a day when even making just a memory book costs 10 plants doesn't add up), multiple UI elements either don't work the way you think they should or don't work at all (I'm not able to rotate items in the shop, among other things), the camera is too limited and clumsy, the haggling system is busted and hard to make sense of in the off chance it decides to work.”
“Extremely boring gameplay, 2 hour tutorial where they teach you basic skills in similar games.”
- story351 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally described as charming and engaging, with a simple yet captivating narrative that encourages player investment through well-developed characters and side quests. While many players appreciate the cozy atmosphere and the unique personalities of the NPCs, some express frustration with bugs that can disrupt quest progression and diminish the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a delightful blend of storytelling and gameplay, though it may benefit from further refinement and expansion in future updates.
“And it succeeded in making it an enjoyable story that had me captivated from start to finish.”
“There is clearly a lot of love and care poured into this game-- the characters, setting, and plot are pretty good, and the attachment to residents you develop and your desire to explore the rest of the isle are compelling.”
“The story is intriguing and the characters are well written, but the mechanics of the game feel like it's in late early access rather than a full release.”
“The story is just kinda flat.”
“The three quests for each character are also redundant, extremely easy, and leave no impact.”
“Also, aside from just generating money, most major quests are done by going to a location and talking to the same two characters and then the screen fades to black suddenly the issue of the quest is fixed, you don't even do anything.”
- stability217 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from a significant number of bugs and glitches, ranging from minor visual issues to more severe problems like soft locks and unresponsive mechanics, which many players find frustrating. While some users report that these issues do not severely impact their enjoyment, others describe the game as bordering on unplayable in its current state. Overall, players recommend waiting for patches and updates before diving in, as the developers are actively working to address these stability concerns.
“Runs great, full of fun but unobtrusive references, great variety of paleo life and designs.”
“It doesn't feel like I've played this for only 3 hours; honestly, I really enjoy running around and look forward to seeing how this ends up once it's bug free.”
“In its current state, Amber Isle is buggy bordering on unplayable.”
“The game suffers from a multitude of soft-locking bugs, visual glitches, and poor menu optimization on controller.”
“I really want to love this game, but it is still really buggy from what I've experienced in 5 hours of gameplay.”
- graphics172 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, colorful art style and adorable character designs, creating a vibrant and engaging aesthetic that enhances the overall experience. However, players have noted the presence of graphic glitches and bugs, which detract from the polished feel expected of a full release. Despite these issues, the delightful visuals and unique dinosaur-themed elements contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a recommended choice for fans of cute aesthetics.
“The game has beautiful graphics and a very charming soundtrack.”
“The art style is fantastic and lively, the characters are all so lovable.”
“Gorgeous graphics, adorable characters, super fun gameplay!”
“There's also many graphic glitches, especially with pathways, and some translation errors (playing in French).”
“I love the visuals, but the game is also a fair bit buggy and honestly, this very much feels like an early access game to me, nowhere near full release.”
“I bumped the graphics settings as low as they would go, and I was still getting stuttering.”
- music91 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and ability to enhance the cozy atmosphere, featuring a delightful soundtrack that is both relaxing and catchy. Players appreciate the subtle variations in music across different areas, contributing to the immersive experience, while the sound effects complement the overall ambiance. Although some find the music occasionally bouncy, detracting from the relaxing vibe, the majority agree that it is a standout feature that adds to the game's appeal.
“I adore this game's music and art direction.”
“The music is very relaxing and calming; I like to listen to the soundtrack when focusing on tasks!”
“The soundtrack to this game is also phenomenal - I would definitely recommend giving it a listen on its own.”
“The music suffers from the same problem; it sounds like a jumble of whatever they liked the most.”
“I found the music and sound effects serviceable, but after a while, I started listening to other stuff while playing.”
“The sound design is very simple, but it works well for this type of game. The game depicts itself as a relaxing game; however, the music can be a bit bouncy at times, which can kill some of the relaxing vibes. I feel it might just need to be a touch softer.”
- character development51 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highly praised for its adorable and imaginative character designs, which evoke excitement and joy among players. The customization options are noted as generous, allowing for a variety of unique characters that enhance the gameplay experience. However, some users mention that the character designer has janky elements and bugs that could detract from the overall experience, particularly for those less tolerant of such issues.
“All the unique character designs and personalities make each hour feel so refreshing.”
“From very nice character creation options to amazing character design, this game has made me audibly squeal out loud from cuteness!”
“The character designs are adorable and well thought out.”
“If you're not 100% into the janky and buggy character designer and its limitations, you will bounce off the intro before the word go.”
“Definitely not one of those games that puts in all the character design effort into the NPCs and leaves players feeling not that special with their own characters.”
“I really really like this game--the gameplay, the character design, the character creator... but I can't in good conscience recommend any of my friends to buy it.”
- grinding50 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the cozy and quick-paced shop management, others criticize the repetitive resource gathering and tedious mechanics that can detract from enjoyment. The lack of farming elements, despite the game's focus on crafting and decorating, leaves some feeling that the grind is overly pronounced and not as engaging as in other farming sims. Overall, the game has potential but requires balancing improvements to enhance the player experience.
“Also, waiting for it to show every bonus and watching the price slowly go up each time someone comes up to the counter is so tedious.”
“It feels slow and tedious with nothing to really break up the monotony of the day-to-day.”
“The skill tree/alternate currency progression is too grindy.”
- emotional38 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is overwhelmingly positive, with players praising its lovable cast of characters, heartwarming dialogue, and overall wholesome atmosphere. Many reviewers describe the experience as cute, engaging, and reminiscent of childhood joy, despite noting some technical issues. The charming art style and mature yet wholesome writing contribute to a relaxing and enjoyable gameplay experience.
“The dialogue between the characters was some of the most wholesome and funny writing I've heard from any game I've played before.”
“Amber Isle is a wholesome, relaxing game where you manage a shop and connect with other paleofolk (villagers) with the objective of restoring Amber Isle.”
“An extremely wholesome game with loads of heart.”
- optimization38 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 42 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is currently lacking, with numerous performance issues, including stuttering, soft-locking bugs, and poor menu navigation on both keyboard and controller. While a patch is being rolled out to address some of these problems, players report that the game still feels clunky and requires further improvements to enhance stability and usability. Overall, there is potential for the game, but significant optimization work is needed to fully realize it.
“I hope that I'll be able to jump back in after a few patches and that the performance/optimization improves.”
“There are also performance issues that I have been able to negate somewhat by using V-Sync on every second V-blank, thus making it much smoother at the cost of a little input lag.”
“Maybe a higher resolution for higher performance PCs and some lighting editing would be great!”
“As of writing today, there is a patch being rolled out that fixes some of the worst issues, which is good, but there's a lot of jank under the hood that needs to be ironed out. This includes a need for more accessibility/control options, economy balancing, triviality of friendships by hanging out with NPCs for like 5 minutes, some NPCs bugging out during haggling and being impossible to appease, performance issues, and a confusing shop layout editor that I still grapple with after 12 hours of play.”
“However, the game suffers from a multitude of soft-locking bugs, visual glitches, and poor menu optimization on controller.”
“I also noticed weird performance issues and the impossibility to cap your FPS, so they're not super stable for me.”
- humor37 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its wholesome and witty dialogue, featuring a lovable cast of characters that are more fleshed out than typical villagers. Players find the interactions, especially during haggling, to be both amusing and endearing, with many noting that the game's glitches often add to the comedic experience. Overall, the writing and character dynamics contribute significantly to the game's charm and fun atmosphere.
“The dialogue between the characters was some of the most wholesome and funny writing I've heard from just about any game I've played before.”
“I found myself laughing at the dialogue and sound effects, and already connecting with the characters (Maple is so cute).”
“Plenty of fun humor, lovable characters, and freedom to arrange things how you wish, given the resources of course.”
- atmosphere17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its charm, cuteness, and relaxing qualities, making it an enjoyable escape for players. Character designs and interactions contribute to a heartwarming experience, although some users note that bugs detract from the overall enjoyment, giving it an early access feel. Overall, the atmosphere is described as delightful and engaging, appealing especially to fans of dinosaurs and whimsical art styles.
“The atmosphere is very relaxing and feels perfect after a long and stressful day.”
“This is an excellent game that delivers a cute atmosphere with many unique characters with diverse interactions amongst each other.”
“This game, the entire cute atmosphere and the quest puns and items are just so well done and definitely a sign of 'artisanal gaming'; there is a lot of love and care put into this game, and the fact you can play as a dinosaur, well... sold.”
“I love the character designs, the atmosphere, the art style-- but the level of jank feels on par with an early access title, not a full release.”
“However, while the game’s overall atmosphere is heartwarming and the characters have fantastic dialogue, there are one too many bugs that prevent it from being the experience I feel it could eventually be.”
“Very cute and charming atmosphere.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for improved replayability, contingent on future bug fixes that would enhance the game's overall playability. Many are willing to revisit the game once these issues are resolved, indicating a potential for increased engagement if the experience improves.
“I might change this review later when the game is at a more playable state, but for now I wait.”
“I'm hoping that in the future these bugs get patched out and the game becomes a little more playable, because I think if that is the case, then I'll give this game another chance.”
