The latest farming simulation game from the indie studio Stairway Games, Coral Island, describes itself as a re-imagination of farming simulation games. On the same note, many players think Coral Island is just another Stardew Valley rip-off. Seeing that, we did a Coral Island vs. Stardew Valley comparison and found that while Coral Island does use the template of Stardew Valley, it has much more to offer. Continue reading our Coral Island vs. Stardew Valley comparison.
Coral Island Vs. Stardew Valley: The Similarities, The Good, And The Bad
Coral Island is more than just a re-imagined version of Stardew Valley as it tries to set itself apart from other farming-sim games like Stardew Valley by adding nuances like a whole underwater kingdom. A romance system with a marriage that leads to children who can grow, “we haven’t seen this since Harvest Moon,” a unique and diverse cast of characters with compelling backstories, and much more.
- Want to know how to save in Coral Island? Here’s how.
But the core gameplay, layout, and feeling of the game are just way too much inspired by Stardew Valley, making it seem like a rip-off. The overgrown farm fields, the daily earnings, seasonal crops, storing items in chests to automatically sell them, and much more will give you the vibe of playing a next-gen version of Stardew Valley.
Does that make Coral Island a Stardew Valley rip-off? No! If that categorically puts Coral Island as a rip-off of Stardew Valley, then the latter should be called a rip-off of Harvest Moon, the father of farming simulation games.
- If you want to increase your relationship with the Townies fast in Coral Island, you must know how to gift their favorite items. Check out our guide on Coral Island Gift Guide: Types, How To Gift, Favorite Gifts, and more.
After comparing Coral Island with Stardew Valley, we found that it has many things that it does better or has extra, which was missing in Stardew Valley. Some of these are:
A Wide Variety Of Unique Characters
While Stardew Valley has its unique cast of characters, Coral Island sets itself apart not just by numbers by featuring more NPCs but by having characters with a deep backstory, unique design, multiple seasonal outfit options, interactions that feel more natural, and many other similar things.
Underwater Exploration
The Merfolk Kingdom and its Merfolks whom you can befriend “and eventually marry?” is something missing in Stardew Valley, whereas Coral Island has a mythical and supernatural twist to itself. The game’s story has goddesses, giants, mermaids, mermen, and other such things.
Finally, Children Can Grow As You Progress
While Stardew Valley features an intricate romance system where you can mingle with single NPCs and eventually marry and have kids and can even divorce if you think things are not working out, what is missing is seeing your kids grow. In Coral Island, you can have a maximum of two kids and see them grow as you progress the game.
Maybe Limited, But Coral Island Has Better Character Bonding Than Stardew Valley
The character bonding is much more diverse in Coral Island compared to Stardew Valley. You will experience this for the first time when you meet characters like Dinda and Joko and upgrade your house for the first time. With the help of short animation, you will see the character and the NPCs moving new things in the house, taking breaks, laughing together, having fun, and so on.
- Check out our guide on how to upgrade your house or buy new buildings in Coral Island to unlock new facilities fast.
Special events like The Cherry Blossom Festival, where you get to know more about the townies, have fun with them by taking part in mini-games, that too have animated cutscenes, seeing the folks set up different stalls, shops, and other such things, makes Coral Island a better experience.
Coral Island Will Feature More Variety Of Pets Than Stardew Valley
While Stardew Valley has horses, dogs, and cats, Coral Island offers much more in store when it comes to Pets. The game lets you have a Cat, Dog, Fox, Lizard, Monkey, or Rabbit as standard pets, and backers who pledged during the last Kickstarter campaign of Coral Island will get Mythical Pets like Dragon and others.
Manipulating Time And Its Speed
In Coral Island, you can change the in-game time speed to match your requirements. As we mentioned in our Coral Island beginner’s guide, “You can adjust the in-game time speed from the Settings menu and set it between 50% and 100%. When at 100%, each day in Coral Island is equivalent to 20 minutes of real-world time. Also, remember that when you enter the pause menu or minimize the game, the in-game time stops.”
Conclusion
Coral Island is, without a doubt, a modern-day representation of a classic farming simulation game like Stardew Valley. Still, it features way too many unique things that Stardew Valley lacks, making the game at least that much deserving that it doesn’t fall under a rip-off category.
That concludes our Coral Island vs. Stardew Valley comparison. For more on Coral Island, keep reading The Games Cabin.