Forsaken Isle Review (draceo)
I don't often write reviews, but this warrants it.
This Dev came back!
After so many abandoned passion projects cluttering my library I was bewildered to see activity on this little rough gem. Turns out after going dark for two years the Dev is working on this game steadily and it is a charming fun little top-down Terraria on a deserted island. It has the usual harvest, craft, build, repeat loop with some pretty fun combat and some tiny bits of inspired design. I KNOW that it has so many negative reviews from when the Dev left for a time, but this one is fun enough in it's alpha state to warrant the support, people were passionate enough to write those reviews because the base idea is good enough to make them feel something.
The baseline play is fun all it needs is additional content that the Dev has been steadily adding and the crafting progression is steady and not as infuriating as some other craft/survive games. The controls are easy enough to grasp WASD and mouse like pretty much everything, left button strike right, button interact but the different weapons make that left click really feel like something. A gnarled old root used as a wand to fling little balls of energy, a clunky wooden sword to swing frantically while dodging a charging boar... the variation even in the first few minutes of the game leave you with a thirst for more.
So should you buy it? Maybe.
If you want a few hours of frantic fights and crafting for the cost of a movie ticket, then yes.
If you want a low stakes survival game with a cute art style that reminds me of Maple Story or Ragnarok, then yes
If you want a simple but well honed little gameplay loop, then absolutly.
If you want a game with all the polish and shine of a Triple A studio, then no.