Recent reviews by Maevirro

Recommended. The game is so addictively satisfying. I'm excited to try the DLCs!

Highly, highly, highly recommended. The game has so much content in it that it's incredible. Crafting is actually fun and I find myself wanting to run to a craft table every time I find a new recipe or ingredient. I looooove exploration in games and this one has a lot of room for me to do so. 36 hours in and I haven't even scratched much of the main story because I'm so busy exploring different areas to see what other little treasures I can find.

We've waited a long time for this game and it was absolutely worth the wait.

Do NOT buy the Deluxe version of the game. While on the store page it promises to give you over 300+ items up front to help with early game, it really doesn't. In order to access the deluxe items, you actually have to grind out friendship levels to access them. The earliest one you get will be the friendship items one and I don't think you can even access that until day two. The other two things require much higher level friendships, which will require that you grind past the early levels in order to access them. So technically, zero benefit for early game.

I understand this game was originally a mobile game. While this really is a super adorable cozy game, the time gating is what gets to me. You will run out of things to do in the early game because everything is locked behind character friendship levels. So what, right? Well, in order to level up the friendships, you have to give the characters gifts. AND you are limited to only 3 gifts a day. So if you need to get to level 6 for a character in order to unlock a quest that will unlock an item where you can progress, that will take days. Literal real life days because if you try time skipping, this game will break. The devs even send you an in-game letter telling you that the game will break and the only way to fix it is to start over.

Is it cozy? Is it cute? Yes and yes. I think this game is worth playing as a cozy game. Just get it on sale and skip the deluxe version.

Going to start this review by saying that not every cozy life sim game that comes out has to be a Stardew Valley variant. Luma Island isn't Stardew and that's a good thing! The folks posting negative reviews were expecting a game like Stardew, and this really isn't it.

Luma Island has a very cute aesthetic along with great music. You CAN do the quest objectives, which is mostly grinding out mats to craft things or farming crops to make other crafts. But the real beauty in this game is the exploration. There are TONS of secrets and little puzzles hidden throughout the different regions. If you're keen on exploring a bunch in the early zone, you'd get loads of resources to craft with so it feels less grindy. Granted, gathering raw materials feels like a chore because it takes so long. You have to hit rocks and trees multiple times and, with rng in play, sometimes you only get one drop. Yes, even after upgrading your tools, resource gathering will require multiple hits. For some people this can be aggravating. But this is a cozy game, so what's the rush? There is no time limit where you have to go to bed or you'll pass out. There is no stamina bar at all. Oftentimes I find it quite relaxing to have my brain check out after a long day and just enjoy the sights and sounds of this game.

The complaints about the lifeless NPCs are right. While the art for the NPCs is adorable, the NPCs themselves lack personality. On day one, my toon just wanted to say hi and meet all the townsfolk and each person ended up giving me a 5-page essay from the get go. It was weird. As far as I know there are no relationship meters or marriage candidates, so the NPCs are all pretty generic and only serve to be the folks you talk to in order to advance your profession(s). That is fine with me. If there is no relationship meter, then I don't have to waste time going into town every day trying to build them up. More time for exploring!

For other players thinking to get this game, just know that this isn't like Harvest Moon or Stardew. It feels more like a sandbox game. It is definitely a cozy game, because the game doesn't put pressure on you to do anything. Don't feel like sleeping to end your day? Cool. No penalty for that. Not so great with the dungeons and you die to traps? No problem. The only items you lose are the two from the very beginning and you can always try to get them again. There is no fear of running out of resources because there are respawns every day.

If the developers would make the game a little less grindy, then this game would be a big 8/10 for me. As it stands, it's still a good 6/10.

Some notes to the Developers on QoL things to improve the game:

1) Upgraded tools should make it less of a chore to grind out raw materials. It is rather frustrating to still need multiple hits after upgrading tools to their max levels. Perhaps put in a charge up skill type thing?

2) Please make it so we have dynamite or something similar in the caves/mines. It's already tricky trying to circumvent the darkness mechanic. When a random enemy appears and I'm trying to get away, oftentimes I just die because a tiny rock or charcoal node (they're black nodes!) is blocking my way. Each node take multiple hits so by the time I clear an object, the enemy is already on me.

3) The Lumas are cute. But they serve no real function other than detecting treasure, which the base puppy we get from being a treasure hunter can do. Can't the different Lumas have different perks? Some to help with farm work, some to aid you in the caves, some to detect those gems we need to open doors, some to increase coin drops, etc. I would love one to help illuminate the darkness by having it glow in the dark or maybe it acts like a flare if you pet it. It's just odd that we get magical creatures, but they aren't special at all.

4) I haven't figured out if it exists, but can we have some way of moving buildings without tearing them down? As I gain access to new tools and new regions, I find myself needing to remap my farm. It's a hassle to have to press x to remove plots/machines/buildings and then rebuild them again. Can we have a toggle ability so we can remap our farm easier?

5) Please let us have the ability to use items from the chest. Your game is chock full of items and resources and I hate having a super full inventory (even though it's unlimited). You put a chest blueprint in the game for a reason. Now please let us be able to craft/use the stuff in there without needing to constantly run back and fish them out.

The game is a stuttering mess. Please don't use the demo to gauge whether or not your pc can handle this game because that's not an accurate test.

The moments when the game is not stuttering, it is quite good! But you'll keep running into stuttering issues in cutscenes and in areas where there may be lots of particles. Eventually it will get to the point where your game will freeze because of how badly it stutters.

My rig is good. It should have zero issues running this game. Yet here we are. I even lowered settings to the minimum and the stuttering still happens (specifically in cutscenes), so I don't think it's entirely a graphics issue. Looking at you, Denuvo.

Wait for a sale or a patch. This game is not worth the full asking price. I regret buying it.

The game is just okay. If you're into slow burn content, then maybe you'd like this more than I did. For me, the pacing was incredibly slow to the point that I use the game to get sleepy enough to sleep. But I 100% the game so it's good, right? Not really. I'm a completionist and since the goals aren't difficult I just went ahead and hunted all the achievements because of pure stubborness.

The eldritch horror aspect wasn't palpable. I don't understand why everyone talks about how atmospheric this game is. There should be a feeling of dread throughout but it's mostly locked into the night time, which you can skip entirely just by sleeping. Running into giant "monsters" was scary when you first see them because you have no idea what's going to happen. But once you get used to them, they become more of a tedious annoyance than an actual threat. So long as you have good time management (and know where the docks are), the threats are not an issue.

There wasn't much of a story either if that's the sort of thing you're looking for. NPCs just give you generalized ominous/sleepy dialogue that makes them feel like one-dimensional weirdo doomsayers. If you are keen, you can figure out the plot very early on in the game and it is exactly what you're thinking. So all the fishing and such are just stuff to do just to have the story play out exactly as you thought it would.

For a game that's about uncovering the "secrets" of the depths, it is remarkably shallow. Fishing, inventory management, time management, fetch quests. I'd be all over it if there was a good reason for me to do all that work.

I've waited so long for this! I am so envious of all of you who are going to experience this wonderful series for the first time. Enjoy the ride!

I've played around with other lofi focus tools like Virtual Cottage before and Spirit City is the best one. Aside from offering your typical timers and curated lofi playlists, SC also have options for journaling, a habit tracker, a timer that you can adjust for intervals of work and break time, a goal tracker that acts like a to-do list, and they've gamified the whole experience with a leveling and reward system. Best part really is the ability to load your own lofi tracks via the integrated browser so you're not stuck looping the same tracks from the static playlists provided.

With every level you earn, you get points to redeem customization options to make the environment, the spirits, and your avatar more unique to you. My favorite combo so far is the evening lighting while knitting by the fireplace or bay window.

I've been using this for studying and when I'm crocheting. It's pretty nice to see that I've unlocked something after a particular session.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a fun focus tool. I am looking forward to future updates.

Friends and I ended up cowering in a corner in our second attempt and we all needed to buy new pants. It was on EASY difficulty when this happened.

Yes, everyone compares this to Phasmo. Demonologist borrows a lot from Phasmo, but it is itself a different game. The environments are much scarier looking. The places actually look like it might be haunted. Paranormal activity happens all throughout the map and not just concentrated in the ghost room (which makes more sense for a haunting). There are secret rooms and little things hidden all over the map, which makes the map less stale.

Are there some cons? Bits of the game clearly need some fine tuning. Keep in mind that this game is still in early access as the time of writing. Phasmo was looking and feeling a bit rough when it was first released too. Demonologist can only get better from here and I look forward to seeing it.

10/10 for an awesome scary experience. Lots of fun when playing with friends.

Happy 25th anniversary FFVII! I've been a fan of FF7 ever since its release back in 1997. When they released the Advent Children movie, I was a happy fangirl to be able to see my beloved cast of characters remade into gorgeous CG characters. And when the remake for FF7 was announced, I waited so very long for its release, FF7 will always have a special place in my heart.

The Remake story isn't a 1-to-1 adaptation of the original game. It contains the heart of the FF7 story while giving it a new spin. I rather enjoyed this new iteration because the developers still gave us all the iconic and memorable scenes from the original (scratching all of the nostalgic itches) while keeping THIS version of FF7 fresh and unique. FF7 purists might not like this game, but if you want original FF7, then play the original FF7 (pretty sure that is also on Steam with its own set of achievements).

I love this game and can not wait to see the story unfold with parts 2 and 3! (Sephiroth is bae forever!)