As an Aussie lass who’s been through more spiders than I care to remember, I found myself utterly captivated by Luma Island! This cozy RPG has all the charm of a sunny afternoon down under, with a splash of adventure that’ll make you forget about those pesky eight-legged creatures.
Luma Island is a much anticipated RPG adventure that has been on my wishlist from the moment I saw it. Feel Free Games from the Netherlands has crafted beautiful picturesque environments surrounding a quaint seaside town for me to set up residence in. I took pride in building up the farm of my dreams, as I climbed the ranks in seven professions. I couldn’t wait to uncover the secrets on Luma Island while solving puzzles and finding just so much treasure. While the titular creatures, Lumas, didn’t bring as much of a benefit to the gameplay as I was hoping, I still had such a great time with this title.
Farm living is the life for me
On Luma Island, instead of spending lots of time customizing my character, I jumped right into the gameplay. Emerging from my quaint caravan was a farmer sporting pink hair, who stumbled upon an unruly farm that needed tending. Upon inspecting my pockets, I found the standard tools like axe, pickaxe, hoe, and a few more. However, what stood out was the unusual weapon – a whip with a satisfying cracking sound.
Initially, I ventured into town to decide on my initial career. Ultimately, I opted for the role of a Treasure Hunter, intending to uncover riches and craft pirate-themed merchandise for sale. My objective was to accumulate enough wealth to acquire additional professions down the line. Interestingly, each profession has its own level of difficulty, with Archaeologist being the most challenging one. Being a Treasure Hunter, I found myself in an advantageous position, as Luma Island is abundant with treasures and hidden secrets.
Advancing up the career ladder brings about an expanded array of resources concealed within different settings, which can be discovered by transitioning to the next stage. Interacting with town inhabitants throughout the game’s development had me assisting them with tasks, allowing access to fresh locations. This established a smooth gameplay rhythm where I’d conquer new challenges and uncover hidden riches in a new environment, then return to help more residents.
In these captivating settings, scattered about are colossal temples that seem like intricate riddles waiting to be solved. These temples are brimming with perils such as fiery pylons, crushing rollers, and a plethora of spike traps with time limits. As I navigated through them, I couldn’t help but feel like the daring archaeologist, Indiana Jones, dodging floor spikes and using my ‘whip’ to unlock precious artifacts. However, the true enigmas often lay hidden at the end, where on several occasions, I discovered a charming, colorful egg. Curious about what tiny creature was nestled within, I hastened back to my farm to place it in the incubator.
It’s not easy to catch a unicorn
It appears that these eggs conceal the mystical beings known as Lumas. An essential part of Luma Island’s history revolves around the presence of these creatures. From the captivating stories carved on friendly stone statues, I learned that Lumas once lived freely across the island, bestowing their magical abilities upon humans. These powers were utilized to create enchanted artifacts or concoct extraordinary dishes.
Today on Luma Island, there are small critters either caught or hatched. These can serve as companions or farm dwellers. They’re equipped to alert you about hidden treasures and they also drop Luma energy orbs for crafting purposes.
My preferred choice thus far is a miniature unicorn. There’s an abundance of these Lumas to discover, and I’m on a quest to find each and every one! Although they aid in unearthing hidden treasures at the moment, they seem underutilized. Given that their name is part of the game title, I believe there’s potential for further development of the Luma character.
That’s going straight in my basket
Discovering Lumas primarily as adorable companions, there were two aspects that filled me with joy upon realization. Initially, they have no endurance or vitality. Sleep serves merely to transition into the next day. Interestingly, some mysteries and resources can only be uncovered during the night, so I found myself staying awake almost indefinitely.
I’m thrilled about the fact that my in-game inventory is endless, which means I can spend more time immersed in the gameplay and exploration rather than worrying about managing resources. With all the crafting materials this game provides, it’s a fantastic enhancement to the overall quality of life within the game. As a collector at heart, I couldn’t be happier!
We’re not here to *ahem* spiders
As a bit of an avid hoarder, I strive to gather every resource at my disposal. Initially, I noticed that chopping down trees was taking an excessive amount of time, so I prioritized upgrading my tools swiftly. This upgrade enabled me to start cutting down forests more efficiently. Being environmentally conscious, I wasn’t too troubled because I knew the trees would regrow naturally. However, the speed at which tips appear on the screen is quite rapid, and a glossary of helpful tips would have been beneficial for understanding them better.
Delving deeper into the guidance provided for crafting and outfitting torches, I ventured into a cavern near my caravan in search of valuable resources for tool upgrades. To my amazement, this cave proved to be an expansive labyrinth teeming with precious stones, gems, and ore! However, the pitch-black depths were home to some rather menacing creatures lurking within the shadows. To safely navigate through the darkness, I illuminated my path with the torches I’d crafted, otherwise, the blackness threatened to consume me entirely.
At times, a spider may fall from the ceiling around here, but when that happens, I’ll grab my reliable… let’s just call it a lash, and handle the situation efficiently. Being an Aussie, dealing with spiders is simply part of daily life here in the outback. I should mention, I find it quite helpful that spiders provide clear warning sounds before I need to switch from my pickaxe to my lash.
Give me a home among the gumtrees
If you’re having trouble on your own, Luma Island lets you play alongside friends as a helpful alternative. Regrettably, I couldn’t test this feature during the review process, but I look forward to trying it post-release. All I need now is to find some cooperative gaming companions to share the fun with!
In this virtual farming game, you’re not limited to cramped caravans for your living spaces. Instead, you can continually grow and upgrade your farm, even building larger homes. Although these dwellings are warm and inviting on the inside, they lack personalization options, which is somewhat disappointing. I think it would be great if character customization items were added to the in-game loot.
As a passionate player, one aspect I’m eagerly anticipating is the chance to form relationships with the townspeople, including dating and marriage. The developers at Feel Free Games understand how highly sought-after this feature is, and they have plans to implement it promptly following the game’s release. There’s a silver fox named Bill in the town who has offered to teach me brewing skills. To put it simply, I can’t wait to delve into Bill’s tavern, if you catch my drift!
I want to live on Luma Island
Feel Free Games has skillfully combined numerous cherished aspects of comforting RPG genres, creating a delightful experience. Although there are areas I’d like to see further developed, Luma Island is a gem worth admiring, brimming with content. Moreover, it appears that there’s even more excitement on the horizon. I’ve had an incredible time exploring Luma Island and look forward to many more hours of enjoyment. This game is definitely one of my favorites for the year.
This assessment is derived from an early-access version of the game, which was generously supplied by the publishers. As of now, Luma Island is slated for a launch on November 20, 2024, exclusively on PC platforms.
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2024-11-13 19:29