Intro
Have you ever taken a long hard look at your cozy gaming library, filled with cottagecore woodland life sims, witchy business sims, and charming home renovation games, and thought, “Wow, y’know what my gaming library REALLY needs? A dinosaur business sim that blends crafting, adventure, and fun social dynamics”? Me neither. But man am I glad that someone else out there did or else we never would have had Amber Isle.
One of the most amazing aspects about the indie gaming industry is that it’s not short on interesting ideas that may not have been asked for but we’re glad that someone else thought of. One such title is Amber Isle which is a shop simulator that takes place in a world filled with dinosaurs (seriously).
Amber Isle is a recent newcomer to the cozy gaming community and has been on everyone’s radar after its first release. Customize your very own prehistoric playable character and venture forth into this unique adventure. Run your own shop, meet the locals, and restore this beautiful island to the bustling hub it once was.
This game has many of the basic cozy aspects that you would expect while also adding in some new twists to keep the genre interesting. Wondering if this dino sized adventure is the game for you? This article is here to give you all the front-line information you need to know if this title is a fit for your own personal taste. If this sounds right up your alley, then keep on reading to see if you should play Amber Isle.
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Story
The game starts off with you starting on your quest to earn your [insert surname here later] in a customary quest to the Paleofolk to earn your own last name. As you are flying over the beautiful ocean to meet your fate head on you are instead met with the ground as you fall out of the balloon and into the world of Amber Isle.
After breaking your fall by damaging public property the town mayor decides, after much yelling, to let you stay once you have repaired your accidental vandalism. The old building just happens to be an abandoned store front fitted with living quarters that are given to you on the premise that you will help rebuild the town with your profits.
As you venture forth in building up your business you realize that your little shack of prehistoric commerce is the backbone of the island’s economy. In this unique position it is your job to develop this once populous island known as Amber Isle and create a place that will bring in more locals.
The story is a simple yet refreshing take on the cozy gaming genre. While it’s pretty similar to how other games like Amber Isle begin the story takes these common tropes and makes them fresh. The charming atmosphere coupled with the unique aesthetic brings a different twist to the game’s story. The small number of characters that you start with in the game are interesting and helpful in their own individual ways.
Those who currently live on the island are dead set on bringing back what they once lost and are willing to help in whatever way they can to get it there. Well, besides paying for anything, but you’re the entrepreneur here. That’s YOUR job (This is New Horizons all over again). All jokes aside, the writing for this game is simple but packed with so much character that you will want to keep playing just to further the plot as you will genuinely feel like you are helping the community in impactful ways.
I will point out that this game functions very much in the same way any other social simulator does so a lot of the development of the story will be through interacting with the other characters as well as through running your business. You may want to rethink playing this game for now if that is not something you are interested in. However, if being dropped on your head into a new world full of exploration and interesting characters is your jam, then consider checking this game out.
Looking for more cozy island fun? Check out this article to see if you should play Coral Island.
Gameplay
Much of the gameplay is what you would expect from a cozy life sim with the added business aspect thrown in for good measure. You’ve got your classic foraging mechanics like mining, digging, cutting trees for wood, and collecting various other resources that are common to the genre. Along with this, you will also be able to take these resources and craft them into new recipes that you unlock through gaining more inspiration.
What the game adds to these mechanics is that a good chunk of the foraging and crafting you will be doing goes mostly into your business. Everything you make can be sold to the other tenants of the town and is how you will restock your store. Crafting is also a big player in redecorating your space allowing for a lot of customization for your business. How the developers have added this to the game gives you a lot of leeway with how you want to manage your business.
Speaking of your business, let’s dive into the mechanics of how you will be running your shop. As I’ve already stated, you will be crafting and decorating to bring in new customers. However, the actual selling process matters a lot in making money as you will need to price your items and do a bit of haggling to earn a profit. Setting lower prices will not gain you as much profit but will give you some favor with the locals.
However, the opposite is also true so be sure to set fair prices unless you want the whole island to run you out of town. This game is not grindy in terms of trying to earn money though so don’t think you need a book on Wall Street’s best money making tips to be able to play this game. If you’re looking for grindy business type games then you will want to look elsewhere. If you’re looking to make some friends while running your own business than Amber Isle is the game for you.
Pros
- Cozy life sim mixed with business sim.
- Lots of exploration potential.
- You get to customize and be your own dinosaur.
- Charming NPCs.
- Fun story.
Cons
- Given that this is a new release the game can be a bit glitchy
- The controls are not as intuitive when you first start out.
- Currently not playable on the Nintendo Switch.
Conclusion
Unique adventures within the indie gaming space are what keep the industry interesting and lively. This is especially true if the overall game creation is executed well by the developers and Amber Isle is one prime example of this. If you’re someone who is not interested in playing business style games or are just not looking for another social simulation game then Amber Isle may not be the game for you. But if you’re looking for a dino sized adventure filled with crafting, exploration, and adventure then maybe you should play Amber Isle.
Ready to add Amber Isle to your cozy gaming library? Snag it here on for Steam.
