I would venture that farming simulators make up most of the ‘games that raised me’. Farming and crafting sims are my go-to genre so I’m always looking for fresh spins on the genre. The demo for Dreaming Isles from one man development team YawningDad caught my attention for its nautical twist and whimsical graphics.  

As excited as I was for this demo, I’m a little torn on the gaming experience. It’s a mixed bag that has left me feeling like I need to see more before fully committing to the game. 

The Good

One thing that Dreaming Isles has going for it is an interesting setting. You play as a sea nomad washed ashore on a tiny island that just so happens to be part of a larger archipelago connected by a system of caves. The pixel art is whimsical, from the peeling slats of bark on trees to deeper pools of water in a shallow pond. The starter areas give big autumn forest vibes. 

On top of the fall vibes, Dreaming Isles is bringing less of an emphasis on the farming side of things by stripping back a lot of the farming mechanics and going in hard on naval battles and fishing. You were a sea nomad before washing up on the farm, so it only makes sense you’ll want to take to the seas. Sailing between the isles and seeing other ships travel around is a nice touch, and I was impressed as how easy the boat was to steer.  

The Bad

There is a heavy emphasis on combat, and there is no shortage of enemies in the mine to fight with. It’s unfortunate that combat is boring. Enemies mindlessly chase you through the mines and it’s easy to stack up multiple enemies and just wack them with a sword till they die, earn a ton of resources, and repeat.  

Why repeat lackluster combat? Because it replaces watering crops. That’s right, you don’t water a single crop because the archipelago is so plagued by rain that they just stay watered. For the most part plants grow unattended, but you can use materials gathered from cave enemies to craft fertilizer. You then use this fertilizer to speed up the growing process. I don’t think taking most of the farming out of the growing crops is necessarily a con.

We had to make game time to traverse the surrounding seas somehow, but the combat needs some serious balancing. I’m not sure if less enemies or if more challenging combat is the answer, but something here just isn’t working. As a sidenote, when spreading fertilizer, you spread it in a straight line, but sometimes it skips over a crop in the line, it’s an odd little bug, but inconsequential with how easy it is to grind fertilizer. 

No Story

The game also lacks any apparent narrative. I’m not expecting some grand Pirates of the Carribean story line, but we didn’t see a storyline period. The demo feels like a sandbox RPG that is part farming sim part sailing game. That alone isn’t a bad thing, but this awkward mix takes the incentive out of Dreaming Isles. The demo gives us a few short-term goals and introduces a few characters, but I struggled to figure out what the point was. Am I trying to build a boat and retake to the seas? Do I want to settle down here long term? The option to play as a pirate is cool, but why? I would love to see a story that makes use of the sea faring twist. 

The Weird

Nowadays fishing is a requirement in farming sims, so it wasn’t a surprise to see it listed as a feature for the sailing farming sim. What was a surprise is that fishing is a card game. Even more surprising is that we don’t get to do this in the demo. I’m a little skeptical about this choice, but I love card games so I guess the verdict on the fishing card mini game will have to wait. 

Another weird thing is how Dreaming Isles handles sleep and the passing of time. At one point I had to turn in a certain number of crops to get access to a ship. Easy enough, I already had some wheat in the ground, and I didn’t need to water it thanks to the constant rain. So, I went to end the day and go sailing as soon as possible. Imagine my surprise when I ‘wake up’ and it’s still night out.  

Sleep in this game is simply a means to regain stamina and pass the time. It does not skip to the next day, and I didn’t notice anything to punish players for wasting stamina and napping. There is no passing out for staying up too late, and giving players a free stamina regeneration in a farming sim is crazy. Fans of the genre can tell you that stamina is usually a major way games keep players progressing properly.  

Final Thoughts

I’m giving Dreaming Isles a cautious 3 out of 5 stars. I really want to like this game, but I don’t think the demo showcases enough to really sway my opinion one way or the other. 

I don’t want you to feel like I think Dreaming Isles is a bad game. It has appealing pixel art, and I love the idea of exploring an archipelago connected by a system of caves. The sailing system was approachable, and something I can easily see myself sinking hours into. It has all the trappings of compelling game, but something here just hasn’t clicked for me.  

Dreaming Isles is coming to PC on Steam for Windows, macOS, and Linux on October 1, 2024. The demo is available on Steam.