I didn't give this a ton of time, but it failed to give me a compelling reason to pick it over reinstalling Stardew Valley.
This game is currently in the Humble Choice for October 2023, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before November 7th, 2023, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.
A Stardew Valley/Animal Crossing Hybrid with more story, possibly.
Spirit of the Island starts with the player shipwrecked on an island but quickly turns into a resource management game. This starts like a survival game talking about water, food, and sleep, but all of those are so plentiful, it’s more like a game of Stardew Valley with a few more complications. However the graphics differentiate this title, but once the player talks to the elder of a nearby town, Spirit of the Island’s differences become more apparent. With multiple islands to visit, a story at the core of the game, and a more lively and well-defined town, it’s pretty obvious that even though it takes inspiration from a lot of games, this is a unique take on the cozy game genre.
On the other hand, you’ve done most of this before. Chop down trees, Grow food, collect resources, do quests, and build relationships. While the story may be worth it, this does feel like a game I’ve seen many times before, and I haven’t seen enough of the story to differentiate it, especially when the game just waves its hand at three islands and says “Go after those pirates”
Pick this up if you need a new Cozy game. This isn’t a bad choice, and would be enjoyable but I already have at least 8 life simulators that I could play so this one feels like it’ll go on top of a stack of games I might not play. Still, if that’s your genre, this is pretty solid
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/rdJm-7HQysM
A Stardew Valley/Animal Crossing Hybrid with more story, possibly.
Spirit of the Island starts with the player shipwrecked on an island but quickly turns into a resource management game. This starts like a survival game talking about water, food, and sleep, but all of those are so plentiful, it’s more like a game of Stardew Valley with a few more complications. However the graphics differentiate this title, but once the player talks to the elder of a nearby town, Spirit of the Island’s differences become more apparent. With multiple islands to visit, a story at the core of the game, and a more lively and well-defined town, it’s pretty obvious that even though it takes inspiration from a lot of games, this is a unique take on the cozy game genre.
On the other hand, you’ve done most of this before. Chop down trees, Grow food, collect resources, do quests, and build relationships. While the story may be worth it, this does feel like a game I’ve seen many times before, and I haven’t seen enough of the story to differentiate it, especially when the game just waves its hand at three islands and says “Go after those pirates”
Pick this up if you need a new Cozy game. This isn’t a bad choice, and would be enjoyable but I already have at least 8 life simulators that I could play so this one feels like it’ll go on top of a stack of games I might not play. Still, if that’s your genre, this is pretty solid
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/rdJm-7HQysM