Only 9 days until launch but we wanted to give you all a peak into the card art we've been implementing! These are only a small section of what is coming but look. LOOK!
Aren't they adorable?? We've been working on small touches like this so we can put out the best game when we launch on the 20th <3
~ Kate, Community Manager, and Art Aficionado
Introducing New Spirits: Dropple, Snaplant, and Bulbot!
Hello, Alchemists!
Do you like monster taming?
Of course, you do. There's a reason why Pokémon is so successful, and it's basically because it's frowned upon to try to capture real-life animals and make them fight. Also, you're here, reading news about Moonstone Island, a game that prominently features monster taming!
So, we're on the Monster Tamer Direct, which is a neat little showcase of all things monstery-tamey, and as part of the fun, we showed off a few of our monsters (we call them Spirits, of course). Let's show them off a little bit more!
Dropple is a Water-type Spirit, and while its name isn't exactly the finest of our Spirit-name puns (it's, uh, shaped like a drop, you see), that doesn't mean we don't love the lil guy. Dropple is cute, enthusiastic, and determined, with the unique ability "Salt Vs Steel", which reduces enemy Armor by one each round.
Now, we had to explain what salt vs steel meant for our localization team the other day, and we had a long, hard think about it. It turns out that steel, one of the beefiest, strongest substances around, is actually quite susceptible to corrosion and rust when it meets seawater – because of the salt. The phrase "salt vs steel" is supposed to mean that even the toughest things out there can be worn down with patience and resolve (and salt), which is what our diminutive friend Dropple is all about.
Dropple may look tiny and weak, but don't count it out!
There are two Electric-type robot Spirits in Moonstone Island, and I like to think that they're family, or at the very least, they live on the same evolutionary branch. Armbot and Bulbot have a lot in common: they're both yellow, they have eyes, and they're made of metal and electricity. But today, we're talking about Bulbot.
Bulbot looks like a lightbulb with arms, hence the name, and a big cyclopean eye right in the middle. Its special ability, if you'll forgive us for the awesome wordplay, is "Totally Lit", which illuminates dark rooms in dungeons.
Let me explain how good this pun is. Something that is "totally lit" is very cool, you know? Like, "wow, that fluffy cow-print bucket hat is totally lit, bro!" But a room that is totally lit is just... literally totally lit. It has been lit up. Totally. Fully.
I JUST THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD PUN, OKAY?!
Snaplant is one of our newer Spirits. Yeah, we're adding new Spirits, even this close to launch! Do you want to know how I know that Snaplant is new? Because I do not have its picture in my little list of Spirit pictures. I have to ask the lead developer to send me a new picture. This is a good thing, because now I can tell you how many Spirits we have in total, and it will be a bigger number than before. Hold on while I wait for the new Spirit pictures.
Okay gottem.
Snaplant is a minion. Not like the yellow banana-loving guys, but a genuine minion. It's a little offshoot of [REDACTED], which is a [REDACTED] from the [REDACTED], which is very exciting! It'll provide support and cover for the [REDACTED], and generally run interference and make your life hard. Its ability, Potent Poison, will apply one Poison to your entire team every turn, so it's best to take out this Spirit ASAP (As Soon As Poison)!
That's it for today, but there are over 60 Spirits to discover in the world of Moonstone Island... so this is just scratching the Spirit surface.
OH! And keep an eye out for some HUGE news dropping tomorrow on The MIX showcase - if you've been following along through our journey this will be just about the biggest thing we've announced yet! ;)
~ Kate, Community Manager, and Alliteration Admirer
Soundtrack Preview
Hello, Alchemists!
We have a special surprise for you today - we've released the first five songs to the Moonstone Island OST!
The soundtrack is the perfect accompaniment to cooking, drawing, writing, or anything you're doing!
We'll be releasing the full soundtrack next week on Wednesday, Sept 13 on YouTube - stay tuned right here for when it goes live!
~ Kate, Community Manager, and Walking OST
Monster Taming Direct Trailers!
Good day, Alchemists!
We wanted to share our trailers from the Monster Taming Direct, aired yesterday, for both Moonstone Island and our Raw Fury family game, Cassette Beasts!
~ Studio Supersoft and Raw Fury
Welcome to new Alchemists!
Hello, Alchemists-to-be!
We've seen a lot of new faces hit our Steam page since we announced our launch date last week, so, here's a big question: What exactly *is* Moonstone Island? I mean, what does it do? Where did it come from? And how does it work?
We've been spending a lot of time talking about the nitty and the gritty of this game, but not the big picture. So, let's re-introduce you to the game!
Here's the elevator pitch. Come on, get in the elevator. What floor? 18? Okay, great. So, Moonstone Island is a creature-collecting, deckbuilding, farming-and-crafting life sim. What does that mean? It means that it's a big mashup of a lot of our favorite genres and mechanics!
You play as an Alchemist-in-Training, who crashlands on a new island inhabited by a bunch of people who just so happen to be in need of an Alchemist. Your job is to tame and collect the errant Spirits that live on the outer islands and figure out a way to close the dangerous Rift that has formed in the sky.
You'll be fighting other Spirits in tense card battles, and each one of your tamed Spirits will have their own deck that can change massively depending on your strategy, your luck, and the Spirit's elemental type. You'll also be able to level up Spirits through battles, making them stronger, faster, and probably wiser, too, and you can change and swap out their decks by removing, upgrading, and buying new cards.
But when you're not fighting Spirits, you're also taking care of yourself, the land, and your friendships.
You can build and upgrade a house, going from a simple one-room tent to a sprawling four-floor mansion, complete with a kitchen, living room, craft room, potion room, furnace room, and whatever else your heart desires. You'll be able to craft your own furniture and even create custom wall and floor designs, so your house can look as unique as you want!
Outside the house is your garden, which can range from a simple little patio with cute furniture to a gigantic self-sustaining farm! There are about 50 different crops to grow, including some that can only be found in certain biomes, and many that only grow in a particular season. You can then use these crops to feed your Alchemist or Spirits to gain an edge in battle or out in the field, or you can combine them to create concoctions and potions with useful effects!
And what about those friendships, eh? We have 11 different NPCs that can all be befriended and even dated if you choose! Each character is unique and our cast is diverse – perhaps you'll end up hitting it off with nervous non-binary shopkeeper Rowan, or maybe you'll find a connection with the fierce but friendly Filipino botanist, Ofelia. Each one of these NPCs has their own story to tell through dates, as well as their own specially-tweaked rate of romance – some of them, like Gaiana, take longer to warm up to you – and you can even try dating them all if you want!
Oh, sorry, did we miss your floor? Hold on, I'll press the button again and we can go back down. I promise I'm almost done.
There is so much more to discover beyond everything I've just said, including buried treasure, rare islands that only appear in specific circumstances, secrets hidden in ancient temples, and dungeons full of traps and monsters. We've really poured our whole hearts into this game, and we hope that you love it as much as we do.
Okay, that's it! That's Moonstone Island! We'll let you go now, but thank you so much for reading all of this. See you very soon!
~ Kate, Community Manager, and Elevator Enthusiast
Launching September 20th on Steam!
Alchemists, it's time!
We know that folks have been asking about the Switch launch date and we'll be making more announcements over the next while - you bet we'll tell you as soon as we have news! Until then, full sails to September 20th on PC! :D
Remember to drop us on your wishlist as there are a ton of content reveals and exciting news coming right here until launch!
~ Kate, Community Manager, and Hype Person
Stay Tuned Tomorrow!
Hello, Alchemists!
Big news is dropping on The MIX Next online showcase TOMORROW! Tune in at 10 AM PT/1:00 PM EST/19:00 CEST for a piece of info you've all been waiting for.... ;) Check out the Official MIX Website for all the fabulous titles that will be included and how to watch!
We're also going to be a part of the Monster Taming Direct on September 4th at 1:00 PM PT/4:00 PM ET/22:00 CEST where we will introduce three new Spirits!! See details below:
So much happening! See you tomorrow!
~ Kate, Community Manager, and Showcase Shenanigan-er
We're at Gamescom!
Good afternoon, Alchemists!
Just a short update today to show off our standee at Gamescom this year in the Raw Fury booth, Hall 2.2, Aisle C-030!
If you're in Cologne, come by to grab a postcard and say hi to the folks at Raw Fury! <3
~ Studio Supersoft and Raw Fury
Let's Talk Languages!
Hey, Alchemists!
Since we know folks in the forums are busy speculating, we are excited to announce all the languages Moonstone Island will be launching in!
English
French
Japanese
German
Spanish
Simplified Chinese
Portuguese Brazillian
We wish we could include every language but translations are super expensive so we're trying to be available to the most folks possible! We'll definitely be looking at other languages in the future, but for now, we hope you can enjoy your island time in one of the offered launch languages 🤗
Speaking of the launch date... well, stay tuned because we've got some exciting news coming real soon ;)
~ Studio Supersoft 🐱
Let's Talk Story!
Good day, Alchemists!
Sure, you've left your house for training but there are lots of questions to be answered about your role in Moonstone Island. What are you doing on this island? Who are you? Why is there a weird man living in a chicken house?
Without spoiling too much, let's talk about STORY!
A long time ago, the Cataclysm happened. We don't know much about what caused it, or why it happened, but we do know that it was something to do with the Spirits, and the Old Kingdom that existed on the surface of the planet. The Cataclysm caused huge chunks of earth to be flung into the troposphere, where they stay even now!
In more recent history, Rifts started to open across the islands, allowing Dark Spirits to enter our world and cause havoc. The energy that escaped from the Rifts also angered the usually-peaceful Spirits, and so the Alchemist's Guild was formed to protect the islands from whatever was happening.
Each Alchemist is required to train for a year before becoming a full-fledged member of the Guild, and that's where we find you, dear player: an Alchemist about to begin their year-long training, and figuring out how to help and heal the world.
There's more story to discover, and we haven't really gone into the weird man in the chicken house at all, have we? But all your questions can, and will, be answered when the game comes out this Summer :D
