Needs better resolution support, fullscreen or not are the only options. The UI and target boxes are too small and you constantly miss click on where you want during farming wasting energy non stop. Controller support is also heavily needed.

I think, as a community, we need to stop taking every single indie release in which you can grow a crop and immediately ask how it compares to Stardew Valley. SDV is one of my favorite games of all time, and it inspired me to seek out games similar to it, for sure. But I'm not looking for just another SDV clone, I'm looking for that feeling of chill and casual progression at my pace.

In Moonstone Island, I want to make one thing very clear. YOU ARE NOT A FARMER. You are an alchemist, charged with moving to a new island to learn your craft and help the world after a near apocalyptic event. Moonstone Island, and the adjacent islands, float above the old world.

MSI takes elements from Stardew, and blends them with old school Pokemon, with a deck builder twist. It doesn't have the farming or relationship depth of Stardew, it doesn't have the world or variety of Pokemon, and it doesn't have the deck building depth of games like Slay the Spire. Instead, it provides all three elements in a very user-friendly and fun way. You will still have opportunity to decide which crops to prioritize, which Spirits you want to focus on because of their abilities and elements, and how to optimize their decks for combat.

I have played SO many SDV clones. MSI is not one of them. Sure, it takes elements, like growing and selling crops in a drop box, a 28 day calendar and a clock that makes it so you want to go to bed on time, etc. But that's not what MSI is about. It's a game of exploration. Finding recipes, clearing dungeons, leveling up your spirits, exploring new islands. MSI offers a lot.

There are things I would love to see added over time by the devs. Mainly that there aren't enough NPCs to interact with if you want to go the social route. But please, don't listen to the reviews saying this game is "half-baked" or "unfinished". I have 30 hours in the game at the time of this review, and I've only cleared 5 of the 30 dungeons. There is much more to do in this game than people give credit for.

When I first heard of this game the guy reviewing it called it "Pokemon meets Stardew Valley", which is a fitting description. The main difference for me is that Moonstone places more focus on exploration, which I enjoyed a lot. I love exploring generated islands and collecting the cool and quirky spirits. The card-based combat system was also surprisingly fun! There is enough variety in the spirits and cards to keep the battles engaging. Add to that the beautiful art style and music, and you have a nice cozy game that's worth a play.