## 100 Days Video
https://youtu.be/X3F2Liv0hio
## Moonstone Island
Moonstone Island is a blend of creature-collecting, farm-sim and deck-building games.
As an alchemist, you start with a Spirit along your side. Each spirit has one of four main stats, as well as a deck to which you can add, upgrade, or remove cards throughout th ee story.
You start in the main island, and soon leave to explore 100s of islands which are procedurally generated and mapped when you start your save file. Find new monsters, uncover mines, collect resources, and battle dungeons to progress through the story.
### Spirits
Although the game launched with 60 spirits, more than 90 spirits are now available thanks to free updates that have been released.
Spirits can be one of eight main types, such as Fire, Electric, and Dark. The spirits have two weaknesses: one that is determined by the type, and one that may vary. Therefore, you may have two Torbles with a different second weakness.
Each spirit also has a passive ability, which can either influence combat (such as applying Charge every turn), or the world (e.g. faster move speed, or free Fibre mowing).
#### Holographic Spirits
Holographic are 'shiny' variants of spirits. There is a rare chance of finding these anywhere.
Players can utilise a Holo-Potion to increase the chances of finding a holographic spirit.
### Gameplay
The gameplay may vary based on one's preference.
#### Deck Building
My personal focus was on building thin decks by using Cleansing Talismans, and prioritising defeating the dungeons.
The Magic Man sells unique cards that cannot be found during levelling up, so finding the Magic Man's shop is a useful treat.
Cards can be of either 8 types or generic. Between species of the same type, they can each learn the same cards, therefore, players can pick the spirit for their design or their trait.
#### Dungeons & Mines
I focused first on clearing Dungeons for Mirror Shards. There are 30 dungeons, but only 15 shards are required.
Dungeons have different layouts. Some dungeons focus on puzzles, with only one guardian battle, whereas others are battle-focused, with even up to 6 battles before facing the Guardian.
In my gameplay, I opted to defeat all 30 dungeons. This is because they end with an Ando Tree, which increases your max stamina. It also comes with a boss chest, which includes a Moonstone - the most precious resource.
Each island also contained one mine; or two thanks to Barkbyte's trait. Until I waited for the different seasons, one of my goals was to uncover all minutes in every island and complete them.
#### Temples
Four of the islands contain a temple, one for each season.
Each temple requires multiple offerings. As these offerings contain seasonal items, they cannot be completed early. The temples contained magical tools, such as the flippers that help you swim in water and up waterfalls.
Defeating the final boss of each temple also yields a seal, required for the end-game.
#### Rift and End Game
After giving 15 mirror shards to the Magic Man, the mirror turns into a portal to the Rift.
In this Dark Island, after placing all four seals from temples, an ominous hand, Missing No (a reference to the original pokemon games), is spawned. By defeating it, you have saved the world from a trouble that they were not aware of.
The game also has an Infinidungeon for end-game, which allows you to play infinitely as the opponents continue to scale in level.
### Inventory and Alchemy
A useful strategy is to take with you an Alchemist's Tent, a Spirit Barn, and a Greenhouse. This will allow you to access the core buildings while travelling, without having to travel back to the main island.
Alchemy is another activity you can engage in, where you can combine plants and turn them into potions to help you in battles. With a greenhouse, you can prioritise growing the best of crops to create the most powerful potions.
### Decoration
The game also offers extensive customisation and base building. In fact, you can build a home on every island.
The interesting part is that homes, barns and greenhouse all share the same inside. That means that when you place multiple, this acts as a portal, rather than creation of a new home.
This is rewarding as you can build bases in far away islands and access chests and spirits easily.
## Personal Review
Having played over 100 hours in two playthroughs, I believe Moonstone Island is an underrated gem.
Whilst blending several genres together, the game does so in a light manner, without overloading any aspects of socialising or farming. in fact, you can ignore certain aspects of these altogether to fit your playstyle.
I also enjoyed how non-linear the game is. Instead of the classic RPG, the game encouraged exploration and setting my own goals.
Based on my experience, I would definitely recommend the game, as it's one-of-a-kind.
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All screenshots have been recorded from personal footage.
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