4/5 ★ – colt_jay's review of Coral Island.

Due to the nature of farm sim games, especially one that is still actively being developed post v1.0, it is difficult to offer a definitive rating that captures everything that this game is. At its core, Coral Island is a reimagining of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing with enough unique flair to make the game stand apart from both of its inspirations. But stand apart is really as much as I can say as the game doesn't truly distinguish itself further. It offers the progress loop that was missing from Animal Crossing and the customization and collection that was missing from Stardew Valley. It brings several QoL improvements to the game genre and a much-needed graphical upgrade. But even with these two games driving the experience so strongly, Coral Island is a delight to play. I've already spent hours growing my farm, cleaning the ocean, and meeting the townspeople and expect to spend many more in the coming months. Coral Island misses its 5-star mark for two reasons: 1. There are still several game-breaking bugs that really should have been caught before a 1.0 release. 2. I don't feel the game distinguishes itself sufficiently from its inspirations to offer something unique in the genre.