Luma Island

Luma Island is good ............bdbwgsbdhebsvvdjdjehwhbsnxjjduwgwvsvdhejhwgs vc vd

I bought it on a whim during the autumn sale, thinking I’d play for an hour before bed… next thing I know, it’s 3am and I'm in pondering how to fake a cough at work tomorrow so I can get back to playing again. The game is basically chill farming, decorating your farm, fishing with a twist (you get to chase the fish), exploring caves and temples with puzzles and levelling up different professions at your own pace. The loop is super smooth. I never really felt like I had to grind, you’re just naturally progressing while doing whatever you feel like that day. Want to spend the whole evening fishing? Go for it. Feel like mining and clearing out a temple? Nothing is stopping you. It's got 3 difficulty modes: cozy, adventure and hero mode. If I've had a lot of stress at work, I switch to cozy mode. Everything is less demanding and just flows at a less hectic pace. And yes, unlimited inventory is chef’s kiss. As a chronic hoarder, I cannot overstate how nice it is to pick up everything without playing Tetris in my backpack. The Lumas are adorable and actually useful. They each have a skill that comes in handy, and getting a new one always feels exciting instead of “oh cool, one more thing I’ll forget exists.” Oh and the art style... it's just so pretty! It honestly takes me back to the PS3 era. Screenshots don’t really do it justice. Go watch some Let's Play vids on YouTube to see what I mean. It's just gorgeous. I haven't tried co-op yet but I'll update this review if I get round to it. I hear it's a ton of fun though and a bit easier when there's more of you to help fight enemies and gather resources for bigger construction projects etc. The less good bits: - There are a lot of items and it's sometimes a bit difficult to figure out where to find stuff that's needed for a recipe or for a construction project. Sometimes I was like, “I swear I’ve seen this ingredient before… somewhere.” Better filtering/searching in the inventory and in chests would help. - If you’re not used to controller play, some of the more action-y parts (like certain fights or temple sections) can feel a bit rough at first. None of this broke the game for me though. It’s cozy, pretty, and way more addictive than it looks at first glance. Easily a thumbs up from me and I’m probably going back in after I finish writing this.