Schiller would have not enjoyed this game
And this is a great thing, because, judging by the stats in the Steam trophies, most people focus on the farming aspect of the game. An here, the game excels; the level of customization is indeed exciting, though the chores one's farmer will have to do get a bit repetitive: from bronze to silver to gold to... you get the point: it takes a while to progress, and the road to progress is boringly straight, but not unexpected for this genre.
What is an unexpected disappointment is the depth of the game. Back to the Steam trophies: while 26% of players make over 100 000 coins, only half of date go on a date. And I don't blame them, because the bachelorettes are as a shallow as the corals surrounding your farm. Where there is a whiff of personality, it evaporates quickly by zero development. The romancing cut-scenes mostly indicate that there needs to be a restraining order against the player, who is a passive voyeur of most of the action. Think of the heartfelt moments lived in Stardew Valley (2016), devoid them of any trace of a soul, and that's what you get here. And I play these games for the connections with the characters, so for me this grievance has really detracted from the experience: but if all you want from a sim is to decorate and develop your farm, this might be the one for you.
I currently have 4 girlfriends in the game, and can't decide who to marry because none of them have given any indication of being aware of our relationship. Well, to be honest I only started dating Suki because I thought it would be hilarious to date twin sisters, but while Alice seems nice and Lily seems like an interesting character, I can't really tell; I'm going for Leah, then, as she seems to be vaguely aware of our relationship and its progression. But I've had enough, and I'm moving on to something new. While the form of this game is without par, I wish the developers, who are obviously very talented artists, would have paired with better writers, as Coral Island is without depth. If meaningful connections are not your priorities (more power to you!) this game is awesome; otherwise, I'd wait for something better to come along, or for discount, as £25 is a bit steep for this gameplay loop.
Imagen vía https://thegamescabin.com/coral-island-romance-options-explained/