Moonstone Island Reviews

Moonstone Island is ranked in the 86th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
5 / 5.0
Sep 20, 2023

Moonstone Island is an addicting blend of various genres that still maintains its own identity.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2023

Whether you're into tending to crops or collecting adorable monsters, Moonstone Island is a game you really shouldn't miss out on.

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80 / 100
Jun 18, 2024

This game feels perfect for portable play sessions. I almost never use my Switch in handheld mode, but this was an exception. I loved firing it up, getting in a day or two worth of labour, and shutting it down. The quest system, combat, and need to explore kept me coming back. I wish moonstones were a bit easier to find, but otherwise? Moonstone Island is an excellent time. I highly recommend checking it out on the Switch.

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82 / 100
Oct 5, 2023

Moonstone Island transcends its initial appearance as a cozy life-simulation game and offers a rich and diverse gaming experience. Its harmonious blend of gameplay elements, stunning visuals, and a touch of freedom for players make it a worthwhile addition to the world of indie gaming. While it may not delve as deeply as some might hope into every aspect it offers, the overall package is undeniably enjoyable. So, if you’re drawn to alchemy, creature collecting, or simply enjoy life-simulation games with a twist, don’t hesitate to dive into the enchanting world of Moonstone Island.

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Sep 20, 2023

Overall, Moonstone Island is a wonderful blend of deckbuilding, creature collecting, and traditional cozy life-sim. It is a game that makes it easy to lose track of time as players may be left feeling like they could do just one more day before logging out. The quickness of the passage of time, and the fact that the main story ends after one year is disappointing, but only because there is so much engaging content that Moonstone Island gives players to do that it feels like there should be more time to do it all, and more story to go along with it.

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4.5 / 5.0
Sep 20, 2023

Set up a home on any one of 100 randomly generated Islands, unlock recipes to craft items and decorate your space, discover hidden treasures, bond and build relationships with your new friends, aim to discover and tame all wild specimens, or perhaps even set out to hunt for a Holographic Spirit (shiny) – What will you do first? The choice is yours.

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75 / 100
Dec 22, 2023

Moonstone Island's world is a feast for the eyes, offering stunning pixelated visuals reminiscent of the world of Studio Ghibli. It does an amazing job fusing together Stardew Valley aspects with the likes of Pokémon and its new-age retro style compliments the game well. With the art and gameplay comes the unique and strategic deck-building battle system that is arguably the most distinguishing factor of Moonstone Island. Despite the bugs, Moonstone Island is a perfect game for those who enjoy a farm-and-fight adventure with a unique spin on combat!

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8 / 10
Sep 29, 2023

Moonstone Island refreshes my love for games like Stardew Valley and Pokémon, but still exerts its own unique identity. But sometimes with an amalgamation of genres, the details can get a little blurry, and there are certain aspects that sour the experience. Overall though, this was, and continues to be, a very adorable and compelling game.

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Unscored
Sep 24, 2023
Moonstone Island | Review in 3 Minutes - YouTube video thumbnail
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2023

Moonstone Island is an excellent game that combines what I like from other games and improves on them. Whatever your path may be, it'll be a fun one.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2023

Moonstone Island offers a more thrilling experience than a cozy one. Taming cute Spirits and partaking in combat is far more exciting and rewarding than staying put and building a farm or talking to NPCs. If only its life-sim aspects were as fulfilling as the game's other elements, Moonstone Island would have been a much more consistent experience throughout.

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7 / 10.0
Jul 4, 2024

Moonstone Island is certainly not among the best representatives of any of the genres it explores and may not be very appealing to those who are already very familiar with works of this type. However, it still manages to bring a fun adventure, ideal for those who want a more comfortable experience or are new to farming simulators, RPGs or deckbuilding.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

9.2 / 10.0
Jun 20, 2024
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9 / 10
Jan 11, 2024

Moonstone Island is a nice change of pace with its enjoyable farming and creature collecting. It was no surprise that I sunk many hours into it and still was eager to play more. It was one of those games where you are like “I’ll just do this then I’ll come off” but you end up spending a couple more hours on it. The art style was another selling point for me as I love these sorts of games, the card-based combat was interesting and worked well for me and I loved being able to collect spirits and look after them.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2023

Moonstone Island is a beautiful life simulation game with a lot of content and an entertaining card combat system.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Oct 23, 2023

The time I’ve spent in Moonstone Island was a much needed breath of fresh air. It feel like we’ve only scratched the surface in this genre. Playing the game between keyboard and mouse, controller, I feel that this game is better played off a controller. With the tool wheel, it’s a bit of a hassle to switch between weapons with a mouse and keyboard. Where a controller is made for the tool wheel’s function and capability. The villagers themselves have such rich and vibrant personalities that makes me want to know more. Dating them all just is the only way to get more lore about them. But, my heart will always belong to Ferra because I just love the chaotic innocence she represents in my heart. The achievements they placed in the game are by far well worth the look and fun to obtain. I cannot wait to continue this venture throughout the islands. And I’ll finally get my answer on what is going on with Wally and his Baba Yaga home. Also, be kind to your muscle girlfriends, you never know what poetic justice they might deliver.

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3.5 / 5.0
Sep 24, 2023

Moonstone Island is easily going to become the favorite game of many. When people rattle off games they’ve dumped an insane amount of hours into, Moonstone Island will fall somewhere between Stardew Valley and Potion Permit. While I do think there are a few aspects that are objectively holding it back (and a few that are subjectively distracting), the fixes to those issues are a few quality of life updates away. At the end of the day, Moonstone Island has done more than given players a chance at capturing cute creatures — it’s given them a chance to capture pure magical whimsy.

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3 / 5.0
Sep 26, 2023

Moonstone Island is mostly frustrating and has little fun to it. There are too many time restrictions, almost as if the developers were unsure if it should be a survival simulator or a causal sandbox. The card-based battles make fights a slog, especially when you can’t properly build a deck without using consumables. Moonstone Island is mostly for those who want challenging and obtuse grinds. Maybe Studio Supersoft is making more balancing changes, as the team is very responsive on both Discord and the Steam forums.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2023

Moonstone Island is a game with clear strengths and faults in its mechanics, both inside and outside of battle. However, there is something about that title that I absolutely love; between the characters and battles, I found myself constantly returning to the game. It manages to stand out among its peers in the farming sim genre without feeling bloated or too different. It’s a fresh take that I can’t wait to see others have fun with.

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Rectify Gaming
Will "fncwill"
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2023

Moonstone Island successfully marries the charm of life-simulators with the excitement of open-world exploration and creature collection. Its picturesque world, rich character interactions, and the allure of alchemy training make it a standout experience for those seeking a captivating and enchanting gaming journey.

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