Anyone who loves farming simulators will definitely be interested in Luma Island. Feel Free Games came up with a new farming simulator co-op game which gained a lot of attention. Luma Island was released on 20th November 2024. This game promises an epic adventure by yourself or with your friends. You will build your own farm, choose professions and collect magical items.
“Begin your extraordinary journey in a humble old caravan and rise to the grand achievement of building a majestic manor that you can proudly call your home.”
A World of Wonder
The main strength of Luma Island is the world-building of the game. The island is a visually stunning place with diverse biomes. There are lush forests and arid deserts which offer players an immersive gameplay.
“Traverse the island solving quests and helping the locals through their struggles. Dangerous spider caves, ancient temples, mind-bending puzzles and hidden treasures await you!”
Each environment is crafted with strong attention to details which invites players to explore every corner of the Luma Island. It is like playing stardew valley but with more vibrant and 3D game art. The art style is reminiscent of classic RPGs with enhanced immersive experience.
Lumas: The Heart of the Island
The central mechanic revolves around the collection of Lumas. Lumas are the magical creatures that inhabit the island. These magical creatures come in various sizes and shapes with unique abilities.
Capturing Lumas will add a layer of depth to the gameplay. Moreover, it creates a sense of determination to collect different Lumas and form bonds with them.
Gameplay Loop
The core game loop of Luma Island involves a mix of exploration, farming, crafting, puzzles and creature collection.
- Exploration: Players can freely roam around the island, explore and interact with the NPCs. They can help the town folks with various quests and discover new places.
- Farming: The farming system allows the players to cultivate crops and raise livestock. They can earn money by selling the cultivated goods.
- Crafting: Players can craft tools, weapons and other items with the crafting mechanism. They will also have to gather the required material for various crafting.
- Professions: Players can pick from seven unique in-depth professionals each with its own profession path.
- Interactive: Players need to interact with the NPCs to unlock more lore and backstory about the Luma Island. Completing quests will allow the players to befriend the NPCs.
A Familiar Formula with a Twist
Luma Island of course resembles the popular genres of farming simulator like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon and My Time at Portia. Players will cultivate from their own farm by growing various fruits and veggies. There are options of raising livestock as well just like in any other farming simulator game.
Additionally, there is also a crafting system to craft your essential tools and decoration items. The system is quite straightforward which offers a satisfying way to create your tools. The world of Luma Island also offers solving quests and helping locals by fulfilling their orders.
Players can also explore places like dangerous spider caves and ancient temples. Simple combat is there like Stardew Valley which adds an interesting depth to your gaming experience.
Players love these mechanics however they would appreciate it if the developers add some new features to it. The farming and crafting system is functional but it feels a bit less innovative. As a result gamers who play a lot of farming simulators feel like Luma Island can have its own unique features.
A Few Hiccups
Luma Island is still in early access and definitely gives players a relaxing experience. However, there are some occasional frame drops which may disrupt the immersion of the game. Moreover, many players feel like the basic game mechanics are the same as any other other farming games.
The story is quite intriguing however more development will be appreciated. In most farming simulator players have the choice to marry townsfolk or get married in co-op. However, in Luma Island the developers have to included that feature yet. Hopefully with future patches the characters will be more developed with additional features.
Conclusion
Luma Island is a promising farming game. The game gives off cozy vibes which kind of reminds me of Animal Crossing mix with Stardew Valley. The visuals are charming with interesting storytelling. The game feels immersive and the exploration mechanism is a delightful experience.
So, if you are looking for something similar to Animal Crossing you can try out Luma Island. The developers are constantly putting out patches and bug fixes. Moreover, the community loves the game as the steam page of Luma Island has more than 6,000 reviews and most of them are positive.
