Castaway Paradise Reviews
Castaway Paradise is hardly the first game to take inspiration from Animal Crossing, and it certainly won't be the last - but its unoriginal adherence to the Animal Crossing formula is bad enough, without the added veneer of in-app purchases, hastily reskinned and demonetised for a full-price release. It began life as a Facebook game back in 2014, and it still feels like one seven years later.
Unfortunately, Castaway Paradise is a disappointment. It simply doesn't capture interest like Animal Crossing does, whether it's due to the broken economy, the endless repetition of quests, or perpetual fruit gathering.
Castaway Paradise has potential, and it'll be interesting to see if the developer updates it with new content in the future. While it's nowhere near as in-depth as Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing, it is still a very relaxing and entertaining little adventure. Its unique visuals are simplistic but colorful, and the characters you get to meet are entertaining. If you don't happen to have a Nintendo console with which to play Animal Crossing, then Castaway Paradise makes a reasonable substitute.
A charming and quirky simulation game in the spirit of Animal Crossing. Castaway Paradise is the virtual vacation that will end the summer gaming drought.
Castaway Paradise is one of PS4's more pleasant experiences, offering a tropical vacation that'll keep you busy for hours on end. Although the game's addictive qualities do wane over time, the process of steadily expanding and improving your island is both relaxing and satisfying.
Castaway Paradise is best played for small chunks of time on a daily occurrence. You'll want to keep checking in on your island paradise to clear out weeds, plant new trees, run errands, and decorate to your heart's content. However, more dynamic elements are needed to keep players wanting to come back after they have upgraded most or all of the island. The lack of day and night cycle stings, especially since the villagers seem to wander, instead of focusing on a set schedule. While Castaway Paradise doesn't reach the true Animal Crossing experience, it is adequate for those looking for something relaxation on non-Nintendo platforms and is relatively cheap as a digital only title.
Castaway Paradise does a moderately good job of being entertaining. The quirky and demanding characters are funny, and there is something about the game that makes collecting all the items fun especially with the upbeat music. Fishing is not the easiest feature, and with real time affecting crops and other game elements it may not be as easy to play for those with limited time to play, but even played in short bursts progress happens. There were occasional crashes too, but it saves regularly so not much progress is lost. Once all island areas are unlocked and built there are still main quests to complete but unlike other games there does feel less of a reason to keep going other than unlocking new items.
A few minor issues aside, this is one paradise worth getting shipwrecked on.
Castaway Paradise is a title that tries to live up to other genre defining hits like Blue Harvest and Animal Crossing, but merely comes across as a cheap knock-off of the two. A life simulator that doesn't look very lively, your money is better spent else where.
Castaway Paradise is a super relaxing and creative experience. And one of those violent free games that I would really like to see even more of.
Review in German | Read full review
Castaway Paradise is a great time sink, it is very easy to spend an hour or two just mulling around the islands. Catching a few fish, pulling out some weeds or just tending to your crops. Gameplay that will appeal to most gamers, especially those that have played Animal Crossing. The Switch is a good home for the game as the portability of the switch would be great for checking in for the daily rewards in Castaway Paradise on a commute to work.
Castaway Paradise is a great alternative to Animal crossing which can be played on rival platforms. Mechanics and processes have bled through from the original mobile version into the console port and while most of them have adapted well, there are some which have been heavily balanced in favour of the player. Usually, that wouldn't be a bad thing, but I feel this game should be time-consuming and more involved rather than handing you everything on a plate like certain things do at the moment.
Castaway Paradise focuses on Animal Crossing while adding great features from Harvest Moon to make a perfect new entity.
If you thrive on sim like games and you’re looking for a different game to play from the norm, then Castaway Paradise is for you. It has been quite some time since I thoroughly enjoyed one of these type games and it really brought back some memories from experiences like this in other games. Games like this are always down to how they speak to each individual player. For the low asking price (£8.83 here in the UK), it’s well worth picking up, even if games in this genre aren't usually your thing.