Island Berry

Too soon for Early Access, this isn't really a game yet. There's also a difference between a game being challenging and being tedious, Island Berry doesn't really understand the difference.

[code]For other game reviews, please [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40640212/]follow us at What The Game?[/url][/code] Island Berry is a Survival Farming Sim where you play a character who is leading a life full of monotony everyday and wishes for something different. So much so that it somehow transports them to a place called Island Berry in their sleep. [h1]Wake Me Up Inside[/h1] As you wake up from slumber, you find yourself in a different place, with no indication whether this is reality or not. But what is known to you soon enough is that the dangers in Island Berry feels very much real. So now you have to learn the way of the land and try to survive by making friends, running errands for them, gathering resources and fighting off slimes amongst others. [h1]Need Help[/h1] From the start one of the game’s weaker sides makes itself apparent, the lack of tutorialisation. One of the first things you’ll do is to open the mailbox outside your campsite. After figuring out that to read it all you have to do is point at it and not press any interact button, what you’re told in said letter will give you a rough idea of how things work on Island Berry. [h1]How Do I Turn This On?[/h1] The next thing that grabs your attention (as it is mentioned in the letter) is the parcel that’s left for you. Standing close to it prompts “push and hold”. Some of us would think it means pushing the item and holding that push, but no, what is meant is to press “E” (no mention of it) and hold it until the parcel opens up. That’s one of a number of instances of the lack of explanation that exists in the game. [h1]Made of Twigs[/h1] Once you figure that out, you may think with the tools the world is your oyster now, well almost. As you use the tools to gather materials you will begin to encounter the second frustration of the game, your tools break down so quickly. A wooden axe can chop down roughly 2 to 3 medium sized trees. What is recommended is to just simply do quests that are given by characters in one of the three other main islands at the start, use the reward money and buy at least a copper tool. Anything lower and the amount of effort needed doesn’t justify the output you get. [h1]A Slow Climb To The Top[/h1] After obtaining better tools or buying them, from there you will start to feel a sense of progression instead of grind. Then you can start to visit smaller islands to fight off the slimes that obtain the parcels on them that will give you valuable items such as pouches as inventory as the lack of storage makes inventory management time consuming. [h1]Final Thoughts[/h1] Island Berry at certain angles has the look of a good Survival Farming Sim, however it expects the player to know the foundations of games of the genre with little to no help which deters new players of the genre. After the early game slog the game does get more enjoyable to a certain extent but with a decent art and basic story, it leaves the player with more work than reward. Only recommendable for players who are fans of the genre or don’t mind grinding or have the patience to stick with it for a bit.