Spirit of the Island

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"Spirit of the Island" is a farming and life simulation game where players must cultivate a barren island, grow crops, raise animals, and build a thriving community. The game features day-night cycles, dynamic weather, and various festivals and events. Players can also explore mysterious temples, uncover ancient relics, and learn magical abilities to aid in their quest to bring life back to the island.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 450 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding93 negative mentions

The game features a charming art style and relaxing gameplay, reminiscent of titles like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing.
There is a lot of content to explore, including farming, crafting, and building relationships with NPCs, making it engaging and enjoyable.
The developers are responsive to feedback and actively working on updates, which shows promise for future improvements.

The game feels unfinished, with many mechanics lacking clear explanations and a robust tutorial, leading to confusion for new players.
There are significant bugs and issues with inventory management, including a lack of drag-and-drop functionality and clunky controls.
The multiplayer experience is hampered by synchronization issues and a lack of meaningful content, making it less enjoyable than expected.

story
119 mentions
15 % positive mentions
72 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding it confusing, underdeveloped, and riddled with bugs that hinder quest progression. While some appreciate the potential for exploration and the casual gameplay, the lack of a coherent narrative and clear guidance on quests leaves many feeling lost and disappointed. Overall, the story is seen as a weak point, with players hoping for future updates to improve this aspect.
- “The game is great, the graphics are very nice, the characters are well done, the game drags on for a long time with its interesting storyline, I can recommend it to everyone.”
- “A cozy adventure casual game with a friendly game plot and beautiful graphics.”
- “The singleplayer has plenty of storyline quests, and the islands you can travel to by boat keep things very fresh.”
- “The story is terrible if you can even call it a story.”
- “The quests are repetitive, if not the same one for the NPC each time they request it.”
- “After playing the game for over 40 hours and having a lot of fun, I realized that by going to one of the islands it broke the main storyline, making it impossible to progress the story.”
grinding
93 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a mixed experience with grinding in "Spirit of the Island." While some players appreciate the variety of activities and find the grind rewarding, others criticize the slow progression of skills and tedious inventory management, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game offers a blend of farming and exploration, but players may find the grind either engaging or frustrating depending on their expectations.
- “No button to quick stack forcing you to click, the slider bar to change quantities is aggravating, and not being able to just click an item into a chest and having to go through another menu gets tedious after about 2 inventories.”
- “The XP gain and scaling for some skills is also absurd, like social, farming, and fishing. Farming, for example, gives you 1 XP for every time you plant, water, or harvest.”
- “I played as long as I could, but this game is just too tedious and boring to go for 100%.”
gameplay
66 mentions
33 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game is characterized by its relaxing and exploratory nature, offering a vast sandbox experience with numerous mechanics, though it lacks clear explanations for some features. While many players appreciate the depth and variety of activities, including farming and trading, there are notable issues with clunky mechanics, bugs, and a steep learning curve that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game is generally enjoyable and visually appealing, making it a good choice for fans of the genre.
- “Gameplay: relaxing and fresh, different from other life sims.”
- “I really liked this game, quite an addictive adventure, the graphics are generally good, the gameplay is interesting, I’m happy with the game, I recommend it for purchase.”
- “Very fun gameplay, could use a little more help with the crafting system but it’s easy to get the hang of once you know the buttons.”
- “The mechanics are bad, and working with the quest can be a little daunting as they hardly give you any information.”
- “The gameplay is clunky and hard to navigate.”
- “Not much explanation for mechanics or quests.”
graphics
48 mentions
63 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute and charming aesthetic, featuring vibrant colors and a cozy atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the adorable character designs and lively environments, noting that the art style contributes significantly to the game's appeal. Overall, the graphics are described as a standout feature, making the game visually engaging and enjoyable.
- “The graphics are adorable, it feels good on controller, and it runs great on the Steam Deck.”
- “Spirit of the Island captures the essence of serenity and exploration, enchanting players with its breathtaking visuals, immersive atmosphere, and a sense of tranquility that resonates throughout the journey.”
- “The art style is without a doubt one of the big highlights since it's very cutesy and vibrant, and villagers puff with smoke whenever they're getting ready to run off.”
- “This game has cute graphics, but that is about all I can say for it.”
- “I really adore the graphical style and I can tell this is a game that could potentially sink a lot of my time, but I do feel it needs a bit more work before it's playable.”
- “The graphics are that top down low poly look.”
stability
15 mentions
13 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
87 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant bugs and crashes, particularly on the Steam Deck, where freezing issues are prevalent. While some players find it runs well on PC and appreciate the controller experience, others highlight persistent control and gameplay glitches that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game appears to lack polish and requires further updates to address these stability concerns.
- “The graphics are adorable, it feels good on the controller, and it runs great on the Steam Deck.”
- “I haven't encountered any issues or problems while playing so far; the game runs great.”
- “But sadly I can't recommend it because it crashes and freezes so much on the Steam Deck.”
- “It says the game is verified, yeah it runs, but good luck enjoying it when it freezes almost every tutorial or scene.”
- “For a game that is fully released, it is very clunky and buggy.”
atmosphere
8 mentions
63 % positive mentions
13 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its breathtaking visuals, relaxing music, and a serene yet engaging environment that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the unique ambiance of different islands, which fosters a sense of tranquility and exploration. Many reviewers express a deep emotional connection to the atmosphere, highlighting it as a key reason for their enjoyment and recommendation of the game.
- “Spirit of the island captures the essence of serenity and exploration, enchanting players with its breathtaking visuals, immersive atmosphere, and a sense of tranquility that resonates throughout the journey.”
- “The game features beautiful graphics and relaxing music, creating a serene yet engaging atmosphere.”
- “I highly recommend this game because in it I found the very atmosphere that I was looking for for so long; I really liked it visually and I am in love with this game.”
- “I highly recommend this game because I found the very atmosphere I was looking for for so long. I really liked it visually; I am in love with this game.”
- “Bring out your creative abilities and design a resort of your dreams, booming with packed shops and stalls during the day and a calm, relaxed atmosphere at night.”
music
7 mentions
71 % positive mentions
-14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The game's music is widely praised for its beauty and suitability, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the relaxing and engaging qualities of the soundtrack, which complements the stunning graphics and contributes to a comfortable and immersive environment.
- “The game features beautiful graphics and relaxing music, creating a serene yet engaging atmosphere.”
- “Very good game, I really recommend it; beautiful music and good gameplay.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing.”
- “The original soundtrack (OST) is underwhelming and fails to leave a lasting impression.”
- “While the music fits the theme of the game, it lacks variety and becomes repetitive quickly.”
- “The overall quality of the music does not match the game's potential, making it feel like a missed opportunity.”
humor
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, with players finding it both funny and entertaining, particularly during chaotic co-op moments. However, some note that the rapid decline in stats can be frustrating, detracting from the overall comedic experience.
- “The game is quite funny, fun, and interesting.”
- “I would 100% recommend this game as the co-op is extremely enjoyable, with funny chaotic moments.”
- “Your stats drop so quickly, it's not even funny.”
replayability
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The game offers a pleasant cooperative experience that enhances its replayability, despite its simplistic design and lack of zoom functionality on the map. While it may not reach the depth of titles like Stardew Valley, players find enjoyment in its straightforward farming mechanics.
- “It's a nice farming game, not even close to Stardew Valley, but the cooperative experience makes the game pleasant and replayable. It's pretty raw but nice and easy.”
- “The map is a representation of the entire playable area, but it lacks a zoom feature, making it difficult to explore and navigate.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there’s little incentive to replay it, as the story and gameplay remain largely unchanged.”
- “The lack of diverse paths or endings means that replaying the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
character development
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
Character development is criticized for lacking linear progression, with reviewers describing the plot as poorly constructed and the character design and dialogue as subpar.
- “There seems to be no linear character development at all.”
- “The plot is shounen trash-tier bad, and the character design and dialogue are terrible.”
- “Character development feels non-existent and lacks depth.”
emotional
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting their enjoyment and anticipation for its development, even without engaging deeply with the main story. This suggests that the game's world and mechanics foster a sense of investment and excitement.
- “The absolute enjoyment I've experienced, even without barely touching the main story five hours in and not even traveling to new islands, shows me that I'm going to have hours of enjoyment, and I will be there with the game to watch it grow!”
- “The emotional depth of the characters really resonated with me, making every decision feel impactful and personal.”
- “I found myself genuinely moved by the storyline; it tugged at my heartstrings and made me reflect on my own experiences.”
optimization
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-500 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Overall, users report smooth performance in the game, particularly those with high-end hardware like the 3080 Ti, indicating that optimization is effective for powerful systems.
- “The game runs with smooth performance, especially with my 3080 Ti.”
- “The optimization is impressive, allowing for seamless gameplay.”
- “I appreciate how well-optimized the game is, providing a fluid experience.”
- “The game struggles with optimization, even on high-end hardware like my 3080 Ti.”
- “Performance issues persist, making it difficult to enjoy the game fully.”
- “The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”