Summary
Stardew Valleyhas long inspired many farming sims, and each game has put their own spin on the genre by injecting compelling storylines and new mechanics to set themselves apart. One such title isso-calledStardew ValleycloneCoral Island.
Coral Islandis an indie game that’s set on a tropical island inhabited by different residents and magical creatures. Like any farming sim, players can befriend andromance characters on the island.Coral Islandis still in development, but developer Stairway Games has been consistently updating fans with its future plans. One of them will be the addition of new romance options with the rollout of the new Merfolk Kingdom, a pair of features thatStardew Valleyfans could find intriguing.
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Romancing Non-Humans in Coral Island
Coral Islandplayers can diveto help rid the ocean floor of trash and the black roots that have been contaminating the island’s surroundings. Once they dive deeper and remove enough roots, they’ll be able to meet mermaids swimming in the area. Players will also encounter a bridge that will eventually lead to the Merfolk Kingdom.
Stairway Games explained in a series of 2023 dev blogs that the Merfolk Kingdom will officially open in the fall update, coming sometime in September. Players will be able to meet a total of 20 mermaids, and three of them will be dateable in the future. The lovely mermaids are Denali, the Merfolk Kingdom’s gatekeeper; Semeru, the head of the guard; and royal princess Miranjani. They will complete the game’s lineup of 28 romance characters, makingCoral IslandanRPG with one of the most romance options.
Unfortunately, the romance option for mermaids might not arrive in time forCoral Island’s fall update. Its roadmap showed that Merfolk relationships still didn’t have a definite rollout date. However, players might be able to start raising their heart levels with mermaids once the Merfolk Kingdom becomes available. This could at least give players the opportunity to interact with them and get a glimpse of their stories before fully romancing them.
It will also be interesting to see howCoral Islandwould showcase a Merfolk marriage in the future. The developer has yet to reveal if marriages would extend to mermaids, but players could safely assume that this might be a possibility in future updates. At the same time, it raises questions as to how players would spend their married lives with a mermaid. It’s possible thatCoral Islandwill add homes within the Merfolk Kingdom where the main character could live in or use as a resting area during diving expeditions. Or, considering howCoral Islandincorporates magic in its story, the mermaids could also be given the ability to transform into humans, so they could walk around the island. The latter would also allow the mermaids to live at the players' farms, and interact with the other residents.
While there are alsomermaids inStardew Valley, players weren’t able to date or marry them even if they wanted to.Coral Islandwill be able to set itself apart with this feature, which could add more depth to the game’s overall story. Perhaps even more meaning toCoral Island’s messaging of caring for the ocean and the island.
Coral Islandis one of the most anticipated indie farming sims right now because of its vibrant world design that injects a bit of Asian culture, fun and productive activities, and a unique cast of characters. What piqued players' interest the most was the variety of romance characters, which included both men and women, and now, mermaids. It just goes to show how creative developers have gotten in order to add their own spin toStardew Valley-esque farming sims. After all, if games likeGrave Seasonscould add a serial killer to its romance lineup, thenCoral Islandcould definitely justify including mermaids.
Coral Islandis available in Early Access on PC.
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