Dinosaurs can be considered many things: fascinating, prehistoric, even frightening! To some though, there’s nothing cuter than a dino. That’s obviously how the development team behind Amber Isle, Ambertail Games, feels about them, because they’ve gone out and released a game that features a plethora of precious “paleofolk” to entice to your island through the creation of a burgeoning shopping empire and a blossoming town, appropriately named “Amber Isle.” Suffice it to say but if you’re thinking that sounds a lot like Animal Crossing but with dinosaurs, you’re correct. But also, you’re probably not disappointed. I sure wasn’t, and I have so far enjoyed a lot of my time with the game.
All In A Day's Work
The gameplay of Amber Isle consists of making money to pay off a debt that you owe to the city for falling off a balloon and smashing through one of their buildings. This building inevitably becomes your shop, where you go around the island collecting materials to use for crafting different items to sell. As you build and sell varying styles and sizes of items, you’ll get experience points to unlock more and more stuff, which you can then use to sell for money or to put all around your town to increase its desirability to those wishing to move to your island and its many biomes. What’s cool is that each biome has its own pre-set potential inhabitants that match the style of land they’d be living in. I learned about a ton of dinosaurs I haven’t heard about, and enjoyed their unique personalities and quests. Each paleofolk that moved in also had their own special house, and getting to see them constructed each time was a treat. It’s impressive how much care was taken to design each and every character in the game.
Everybody Walk the Dinosaur
Speaking of individuality, every character has a likeability rating that you can increase through selling items to them amicably, talking to them, giving them gifts, or inviting them out to help you gather crafting materials. Increasing their levels unlocks new items, new ways to customize your shop, and more! They’ll also actively roam around their areas, and always have something interesting to say when you talk to them. They also all have their own likes/dislikes, and a journal page that keeps up with everything you know about them. This is helpful, because there are HUNDREDS of items to craft and collect as you explore the island. These items are divided up into sizes (Small, Medium, Large) and across various skills (Carpenter, Artisan, Scribe, Chef, Gardener, Musician, Stylist, Refined.) Each item can, and is encouraged through beauty points on your island’s various biomes, be placed around your shop and island, adding a layer of creative freedom to your living spaces.There’s a never-ending amount of quests to do, paleofolk to encourage to live (and thrive) on your island, and items to buy and craft. It’s a little overwhelming at first, but I could easily see myself spending 100+ hours getting it all unlocked.
Every item is unique, and I really loved the “prehistoric” spin on many of them. They’re all themed with a little bit of dinosaur influence, including how they’re named. The vibe and feel isn’t compromised as you begin to meet new characters around the island, and with each area you unlock, it’s like you’re unlocking another slice of the pie. Visually, I loved seeing how each of the seven biomes was designed, with unique plants and materials, including the houses for each paleofolk. It’s a LARGE island with a cast of 48 (give or take) dinosaur buddies to befriend. Some of the textures within the game could use a bit more polish, but overall, it’s wonderfully colorful and a fully realized vision.
The Most Adorable Shopkeep
Oh and how could I take this long to mention that you as a playable character also get to design your own adorable paleofolk! The character creator is a treat, and you can’t avoid making a dino buddy that you’ll love stomping around as. The colors, options, and species of dinos are quite varied, and should have something for everyone. I mean LOOK AT THIS GUY! He’s ready to sell you some trinkets, that’s for sure. And sell stuff he does! The shop that you run (which can be expanded as you play) is a neat place to set up, and the process of pricing and selling items is done at various parts during the day. Paleofolk in your town come and go from your shop, either buying items that you have displayed outright, or asking you to haggle with them. I found the shopkeeping phases interesting in their premise, but trying to keep up with having all types of items available and crafted was a bit much at times, and I can foresee where, once I’ve unlocked a lot more items and townsfolk, this process could be a bit chaotic. This is sometimes made more so by the fact that paleofolk waiting at the counter for you to haggle (or for them to sell something TO you) have a timer that’s a little unforgiving in its short timer before they leave. There aren’t any big negatives to missing sales, but it’s still a little less “cozy” than I wish it was in this instance.
Bound to the Rhythmn
It wouldn’t be a shop-keeping, exploration-filled, cute dinosaur game without a soundtrack to match the mood, right? Luckily, Amber Isle doesn’t disappoint, with a very melodic, chill, and peppy set of backing music for trekking around the island. It doesn’t get repetitive, and matches the area and time of day that you’re in, with a good amount of variety. Each paleofolk has their own “Animal Crossing” style of talking, which wasn’t annoying and I didn’t find myself once seeking the mute function, which is rare for this “simlish” type of chatter. There’s lots to hear in the game and it all works in tandem with the gameplay and visuals.
Neither Here Nor There
Now, not everything is perfect in any videogame, and Amber Isle had some bugs upon initial release that caused a bit of a headache in a couple instances. These seem to have since been resolved with constant communication and updates from the developer, but I’ll mention that I did have some trouble with paleofolk getting stuck walking around my shop (causing me to get softlocked) and I had an issue with a quest not moving on. After the devs updated the game, I’ve had zero issues, and I’m hoping they’ve gotten it all worked out, but each update does include a lot of little fixes. I applaud them for releasing a full game without Early Access, and they also have seasonal content update plans, including a Halloween one that was released recently (for free!)
In Conclusion
Amber Isle has been a joy to relax with, and there’s so, so much to see. It’s all too adorable for words alone to demonstrate. The devs are constantly working with players on what they can improve, and that’s great for a game with so much inside of it. Sure, it has some bugs that are being squashed as I type, but those don’t detract from the game that’s been lovingly crafted. If you’re a fan of easy-going, yet deep comfy games, Amber Isle will tick a ton of boxes.
