Dreaming Isles

About

Dreaming Isles is a single player role playing game with a romance theme. It was developed by YawningDad and was released on January 13, 2025. It received neutral reviews from players.

A colorful sandbox action RPG and life sim that combines sword and sorcery, high seas adventure, farming, and relationship building. Unite the clans of the Dreaming Isles, farm the land, start a family, and find your purpose.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

55%

Audience ScoreBased on 56 reviews

story7 positive mentions

grinding30 negative mentions

The game has a charming atmosphere with beautiful pixel art and engaging music, making it a cozy experience.
The gameplay loop is enjoyable, combining farming, exploration, and combat, with unique mechanics like not needing to water crops and the ability to fertilize them for faster growth.
The developer is responsive to feedback and has a roadmap for future updates, showing potential for the game to evolve and improve over time.

The game feels incomplete and lacks depth, with many players noting it should have been released as Early Access due to its bare-bones content and unfinished story.
Combat mechanics are clunky and frustrating, with issues like buggy hitboxes and a lack of tutorials, making it difficult for players to engage effectively with enemies.
There is a lack of transparency regarding the game's development status, leading to disappointment among players who expected a fully polished experience at launch.

grinding
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that while the game incorporates farming elements, it is not a traditional farming sim, focusing more on exploration, quests, and combat. Players appreciate the simplicity of the farming mechanics, which make it accessible and enjoyable, but many feel that the lack of essential features like fast travel and quality of life improvements detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as a cozy adventure with farming aspects, appealing to those looking for a lighter, more casual gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay lacks a lot of things that farming sims should include, such as fast travel - especially because the day/night cycle goes by so quickly and there are no hours for the store whatsoever.”
- “Everything is just too simplified - farming, combat, crafting.”
- “Well, I tried it and right off the bat it seems too simple - perhaps it is geared towards children playing their first 'farming sim' or maybe it is just too early a state still.”
story
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
64%
11%
The game's story is currently incomplete, with players expressing excitement for future developments while also noting a lack of transparency regarding its unfinished state. While the main storyline and NPCs offer intriguing elements and potential for depth, many reviewers feel that the quests are simplistic and the overall narrative lacks sufficient backstory and variation. The developer has indicated that the story will be expanded in future updates, but some players feel the game should have been labeled as early access due to its unfinished content.
- “Honestly, I completely understand some people's views that this game feels kind of early access, but I do think it is still very enjoyable - you can tell a lot of love went into this game and it is really fun to play with an interesting story.”
- “The main quest is very intriguing and it will take you to some really cool locations where you will meet some awesome characters.”
- “Speaking of NPCs, they are all beautifully crafted characters, and each have their own story to tell.”
- “Unfortunately, I cannot give this game a positive review because of the lack of transparency about the unfinished story and content.”
- “The story apparently won't be completed until 2026, which I didn't realize until it was too late.”
- “While this game should have definitely been labeled as early access with its incomplete story, clunky controls, and some lack of basic settings (ex: changing screen resolution, controller sensitivity, etc.).”
gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with players noting issues such as awkward combat mechanics, clunky boat steering, and a lack of essential features like fast travel, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the farming loop and RPG elements, many feel the game is currently lacking depth and quality of life improvements, making it hard to recommend without significant changes. Despite its potential and stunning pixel art, players suggest researching gameplay before purchasing due to these shortcomings.
- “I like that the game throws you right into the gameplay without having a lengthy tutorial over several days.”
- “Gameplay consists of farming (obviously), piloting your very own ship, and exploring different areas such as towers, caves, etc. while you are out on your very own adventure doing the main questline.”
- “What I love about the gameplay is that there are lite RPG elements to the gameplay.”
- “The map is weird, combat mechanics are awful, and steering the boat is impossible.”
- “The art itself is stunning pixel art work, but the gameplay lacks a lot of things that farming sims should include, such as fast travel - especially because the day/night cycle goes by so quickly and there are no hours for the store whatsoever.”
- “As the game currently stands, I can't recommend it; it is in desperate need of many changes, both gameplay and quality of life changes.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and variety, with each location featuring unique tracks that enhance the atmosphere, from towns to the high seas. Players appreciate the cozy vibe captured by the developer, noting standout pieces that linger in their minds. Overall, the soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's charm and immersion, leaving fans eager for the official OST release.
- “Also, I think the artwork is beautiful and the music is lovely, and I'm super excited to see the upcoming updates for this game :)”
- “And the music changes depending on where you are, from the various towns to being out on the high seas. Each piece of music beautifully represents the location.”
- “The developer has done the music himself, and he captures the cozy vibe perfectly!”
- “The developer has done the music himself and he captures the cozy vibe perfectly!”
- “I have had music from this game stuck in my head countless times.”
- “And the music changes depending on where you are, from the various towns to being out on the high seas; each piece of music beautifully represents the location.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics of the game are praised for their stunning pixel art and full character animations, creating a beautiful and unique visual experience. However, some users noted inconsistencies, such as a blurry boat that detracts from the overall aesthetic. Despite comparisons to other games like Stardew Valley, the art style stands out on its own, complemented by lovely music.
- “The art itself is stunning pixel artwork, and the full character animation in a pixel-graphic game is awesome to see.”
- “I think the artwork is beautiful, and the music is lovely. I'm super excited to see the upcoming updates for this game :)”
- “The art style is familiar yet unique.”
- “The boat is blurry and fuzzy, and it doesn't match the graphics of the game.”
- “Comparing it to Stardew does it a disservice, and frankly, I'm sick of people comparing every game with a similar art style and any planting.”
- “Animations, music, and art style need significant improvement.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its great atmosphere, which enhances the overall experience, while also being easy to play.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the game's world.”
- “The game's ambiance perfectly complements the storyline, creating a captivating experience.”
- “Every detail contributes to a rich atmosphere that keeps you engaged throughout.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players report that while the game experiences issues with enemy hitboxes, their own character's stability remains intact, suggesting a mixed experience in terms of gameplay reliability.
- “Enemies have buggy hitboxes, but you definitely don't.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the immersion.”