Forget the stressful time limits, the constant need for ironclad strategies, and put away that hard earned Kill/Death ratio and trade it in for the light-hearted, stress free tropical island getaway that is Castaway Paradise by Stolen Couch Games. In this bubbly animated sandbox paradise, you’ll have free reign over your very own town where you can rebuild infrastructure, cultivate nature, collect wildlife, and customise everything in between. With its kid friendly gameplay, it’s fun for the whole family.
As we start our adventure, our unnamed protagonist gets swept up in a storm and washes up on the shore where you will meet the mayor, a pretty pig in a purple pantsuit, named Viktoria, and she teaches you how to use your inventory and equipment. Soon after planting your first apple tree, you are turned loose to grow crops, plant flowers, and start cleaning up the debris the storm left on the island. During the tutorial you will meet a host of other anthropomorphic NPC's like Angus the building Ape, Amelia the delivery Duck, and Gustave the baking Moose. Through quests provided by the NPC's along with a list of daily tasks, you will expand your island and unlock new equipment for use.
The gameplay is very easy to master and none of the games mechanics are designed to be difficult. The game has a currency and experience system that never feel unobtainable. Experience is earned from just about every action, offering a few points for cultivating crops and a sizeable chunk of XP for completing quests. Money comes in the form of gems which is earned just as easily as the XP. Completing quests and selling your produce earns the most gems but you can earn money by selling just about anything to the local store ran by Samir the Goat. Another way to earn lots of money is to invest in the stock market or through interest at the bank ran by the Frog couple Gordon and Ramona.
After expanding the island by rebuilding the bridges, you will unlock the museum where you can donate the various collectables you find. At the museum you can donate your bugs, fish, and sea shells. At the post office that is attached to the bank, you can donate your badges that you earn from completed the daily tasks. Completing these collections is no quick task as some of them do not appear until your character is the appropriate level.
Verdict
Overall, this is a wonderful game that takes the best parts of games like Animal Crossing and packages them in a vibrant tropical experience that offers hours of gameplay in a calming, low stress environment.
Pros
Easy mechanics
Kid friendly themes
Colorful tropical paradise
Cheerful soundtrack
Cons
Very minor bugs (ex. Not able to dig up a plant, but switching to another tool and back to the shovel remedies this)
Losing your console to your spouse or children for weeks at a time
I would rate this game 9/10