Luma Islands Preview

Steam Next Fest is back, which is both great and terrible news for me because I like trying demos, but I only have so much money. Of course, it never matters because I always end up trying a few, and this time, I came across Luma Island! I hadn't heard of this game before, but it was trending and just the type of genre I'm always up for. Without further ado, let's talk about my experience!

Obviously, the first thing I must discuss is how great the art style is! It really tugged on my nostalgia strings because it reminded me so much of a mix of Minecraft and Fae Farms — it's really pretty! Particularly when I went into the town. Aside from being nice on the eyes, though, Luma Island has more to offer than it may seem, as I originally thought it was just a farming sim with some adventure sprinkled in, but it turns out the adventure part is quite essential.

The game immediately throws us into the fun of it after the character creation (which, by the way, was solid). The tutorial is much more hands-on than most games, giving you a few items and vaguely pointing at what they do, assuming you know better... which you probably do. Unlike most other titles, you don't start off with the bare minimum: you get everything from a pickaxe and axe to a fishing rod and a bug net. I did my best to not get too distracted as I was filming my adventure for our YouTube channel, so I didn't go off and explore a whole lot, but what I did get to do was really fun! Namely, the mini-dungeon, the puzzles, and the bug-catching were very satisfying.

One thing that I'm very excited about (aside from the co-op — I can't wait to play this with my wife!) is that Luma Island offers different professions, which might make it easier for me to play and replay it. However, it did leave me wondering if there'll be any life sim features, such as being able to befriend/marry NPCs, especially since the Steam page doesn't specify.

I'm always on the lookout for the next amazing adventure game, and Luma Island seems like a fantastic option! The dialogue was humorous, there's a lot to do and explore, and the graphics are some of the best I've seen in the farming/life sim genres.

If Steam Next Fest is up, I highly suggest checking out the demo! If not, consider wishlisting it. I see why the game was trending — Feel Free Games seems to have made something very special, and I can't wait to try it. Luma Island will be available on the 20th of November 2024.