This game is ROUGH. Like, really rough. Absolutely NOT worth the $20 USD price point that the devs are asking for it in Early Access.

First and foremost, there is no guidance on what you're supposed to do. As someone who has played other survival horror and crafter style games I was able to pick up on the controls pretty quickly--for the most part. There are absolutely quality of life (QOL) things that could happen there still, such as the inventory closing when you go to place something, but I digress--guidance. This game desperately, before anything else, needs a tutorial, and it needs a little goal/task manager so you have an idea of what you need to be doing. I spent the first two hours of my playtime thinking I had a lot to do on the initial island, getting a primitive workbench set up, and a chest, and such--only to find out that I cannot move those items, and I also cannot actually progress forward without crossing to the other side where I can access more stuff. WHAT? And I only found that out because of the Steam guides, which isn't a good look. So yes, a tutorial and some form of guidance is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL.

Next on my list of criticisms is how this game is marketed. It's said to be a place where you can creatively build your island. Emphasis on -creative-, here. Once I finally crossed over to Simon's Island and placed the billboard, I was greeted with the knowledge that the things I might want to build all have a specific place to be put. So basically no creativity what-so-ever. And that's killer, because it turns this game from a creative crafter into a grinding-for-the-sake-of-what? kind of crafter. As soon as I realized that A) I had to re-do setting up workbenches and storage chests and B) that I couldn't -actually- be creative with the game, I immediately lost any bit of interest. Now, things might have been okay a while longer if my first point of having some guidance was available so I hadn't spent so much time effectively doing nothing (because no one wants to run from one island to another to craft basic stuff, especially when you are so limited on storing things in the bench and what-not).

This game is also really, really, REALLY quiet. Like so quiet that I had to turn the sounds UP and I still can't hardly hear them. Music seems non-existent, so better be ready to play your own. In addition to that, the head bobbing is SO BAD. VSync took care of some of it, but when I first loaded in I thought I might be sick.

So overall I'm just not impressed with it where the game stands right now. I do understand however that it's Early Access, and only been out for about four months at this point. Regardless of that fact though, the price is set really high for an EA game, so I expect more out of it.

If I were to be enticed to return to the game and consider changing my review I'd need to see (at minimum) the following:
- Tutorial function
- Goal/Task guidance
- QOL updates to allow you to do the following: move placed items like workbenches and beds, more storage space in benches for crafting materials, separate area in workbenches for finished items, adaptive lighting for the dark because in early game you don't have the ability to have a light
- More creative freedom in how/what you build and where
- Easier access to early game money because basic tools wear out so fast, and having to constantly stop and recreate them (instead of repairing somehow) creates more grind than feels comfy

For reference, I received this game through the Lurkit program. While I am grateful for having access to a steam key, I am disappointed in how the game is represented versus what I experienced upon playing it. I think there is definitely room for improvement, but as it stands right now the game isn't worth the current price point nor is it really all that entertaining to stream because it's just grinding... lots and lots of grinding (and that's typically not something folks want to watch).

i absolutely love this game!