Luma Island Review | Cozier than Cozy

82
Story
6
Gameplay
9
Visuals
10
Audio
7
Value for Money
9
Price:
$ 20
Clear Time:
40 Hours
Luma Island is an excellent starting point for anyone looking to dive into the farming sim genre. Its simplicity and rewarding gameplay loop make farming, exploration, and overall progression both engaging and relaxing. The game truly shines when played with friends, offering a calming and enjoyable experience that feels tailor-made for cozy gaming sessions. While the game isn’t without its flaws, most issues could likely be resolved with a few patches. Despite these hiccups, Luma Island stands out as a cozy game that delivers on its promise of relaxation—arguably cozier than many other titles in the genre.
Luma Island
Gameplay & Story Release Date Pre-Order & DLC Review

Travel and explore the mysterious yet beautiful Luma Island where you get to build your dream farm, master your profession, and unravel its deepest secrets. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Luma Island Review Overview

What is Luma Island?

Travel to Luma Island, a vast and colorful land full of hidden mysteries and adventure. Embark on an epic journey, beginning from humble roots to forge your path from a simple caravan to a grand, stately manor. Explore magical landscapes, from dangerous spider caves to ancient temples, all while forming connections with locals who need your help to restore balance and peace to their homes.

On Luma Island, you’ll traverse various landscapes, uncovering hidden treasures and helping the inhabitants who face a range of struggles. Through quests and challenges, you reveal pieces of the island’s rich history and unlock secrets that guide you forward. Each task or completed quest not only strengthens your bond with the island’s people but also brings you closer to building the dream home you envisioned—a place you can call your own.

Luma Island features:
 ⚫︎ Farming Sim Game
 ⚫︎ Day and Night Cycle
 ⚫︎ Co-Op
 ⚫︎ Adventure
 ⚫︎ Crafting and Mining
 ⚫︎ Open World
 ⚫︎ Simulation Game


Digital Storefronts
Steam IconSteam
Price $19.99


For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Luma Island's gameplay and story

Luma Island Pros & Cons

Image

Pros Cons
Checkmark Beautiful Nostalgic Graphics
Checkmark Great Starting Point for Newcomers to the Genre
Checkmark Rewarding Exploration
Checkmark Lumas Are Boring
Checkmark Confusing Navigation

Luma Island Overall Score - 82/100

Luma Island is an excellent starting point for anyone looking to dive into the farming sim genre. Its simplicity and rewarding gameplay loop make farming, exploration, and overall progression both engaging and relaxing. The game truly shines when played with friends, offering a calming and enjoyable experience that feels tailor-made for cozy gaming sessions. While the game isn’t without its flaws, most issues could likely be resolved with a few patches. Despite these hiccups, Luma Island stands out as a cozy game that delivers on its promise of relaxation—arguably cozier than many other titles in the genre.

Luma Island Story - 6/10

As you complete quests and challenges, you uncover fragments of the island’s history and unlock secrets that guide your journey. While the story itself isn’t particularly compelling, it provides a solid backdrop for exploring the magical environment and learning about its lore.
More importantly, it complements your character’s growth, helping you pursue a dream or develop the profession of your choice. The narrative might not be the highlight, but it adds a meaningful layer to your adventure and progression.

Luma Island Gameplay - 9/10

Luma Island offers an incredibly enjoyable gameplay loop, making it an excellent choice for beginners seeking an introduction to farming sims. The game strikes a balance between ease and adventure, allowing players to explore at their own pace in a worry-free environment. With plenty of satisfying activities to fill your days, it ensures that players are always engaged in different ways. With a few additional adjustments and quality-of-life features, Luma Island has the potential to become even more engaging and fun!

Luma Island Visuals - 10/10

The visuals in Luma Island are beautifully crafted, with vibrant colors and pixelated characters that evoke a strong sense of nostalgia. The bright, bustling island is full of charm, with each area feeling thoughtfully designed and alive. It’s reminiscent of classic DS games like MySims and Rune Factory, capturing their warmth and inviting atmosphere. The art style does a fantastic job of making Luma Island feel dynamic and encourages exploration of every nook and cranny.

Luma Island Audio - 7/10

The game’s audio isn’t particularly remarkable, but it has a few tracks that would fit nicely into a relaxing YouTube playlist for walking around or doing chores. While not groundbreaking, the music is soothing and serves its purpose well, never becoming annoying or out of place.

Luma Island Value for Money - 9/10

Luma Island is an impressive game that clearly showcases the developers' effort to make the island feel immersive and alive. There’s plenty to do during your time there, offering a rich and unique experience to every player. At $20, it provides great value for the number of hours you’ll likely spend exploring and enjoying the game, especially with the added bonus of multiplayer support to share the adventure with friends.

Luma Island Review

Cozier than Cozy

Image

Luma Island is arguably one of the best farming sim games for newcomers. It simplifies the genre’s mechanics, making everything accessible and streamlined, while still offering a variety of activities and gameplay options. The game doesn’t just focus on farming—it often feels like an adventure game, giving players plenty of freedom in how they approach their experience.

Nostalgic and Cute Graphics

Image

Luma Island is a vibrant, magical world just waiting to be explored. Every corner feels alive, from lush forests and ancient ruins to hidden caves, water falls, and lively local villages. The island's mix of natural beauty and subtle magic creates a sense of wonder, making each new discovery feel special.

The pixelated characters fit perfectly into this detailed, colorful world, bringing a nostalgic charm that fans of DS classics like MySims and Harvest Moon will love. What stands out most is how the art style pulls you in, sparking curiosity and rewarding your sense of adventure with every step you take.

A Great Sense of Progression

Image

Luma Island kicks off with a simple yet charming character customization where you can choose your gender and appearance. I recommend starting with the tutorial, even if you're a seasoned farming sim player, as it helps familiarize you with the mechanics. The gameplay is wonderfully relaxing, with everything controlled by a single button, making it easy to manage without constantly switching items. While it can be a bit frustrating when you accidentally select the wrong action, I really appreciate how the game shows you exactly what you’re about to click on.

You begin in a cozy caravan, nestled in a picturesque part of Luma Island, surrounded by a beautiful forest and a nearby waterfall. The overhead perspective lets you take in the island's diverse landscapes, and I highly recommend adjusting the camera to explore every corner. After the tutorial, you'll wander through the charming village, meeting quirky characters and completing simple tasks that teach you to gather resources and solve puzzles. As you progress, you'll unlock new tools, delve into forests, caves, and ruins, and uncover the island's secrets.

Luma Island blends adventure, exploration, crafting, and profession-based progression. Starting with basic tools, you’ll upgrade them by completing quests and gathering rarer materials. With seven professions to choose from, including blacksmith and cook, each offering its own skill tree, there’s always something new to unlock. As you level up, your abilities improve, allowing you to tackle tougher challenges. What I love most is the sense of progression, as it feels like you’re gradually building your dream life on the island, one step at a time.

Image

The multiplayer aspect lets you team up with friends, especially for exploring hidden areas and dungeons to discover secrets and treasures. The game also boasts a detailed base-building system, starting with a small caravan that you can expand into a personalized manor. With the materials you gather, you can build structures, decorate your space, and grow your farm, which brings your base to life and strengthens your connection with the locals.

The profession system offers a rewarding path for progression, and each new area you uncover feels like a fresh adventure. With its mix of resource gathering, puzzles, and hidden treasures, Luma Island encourages exploration at every turn. The best part is that exploration is always rewarded—you’ll often stumble upon caves, treasures, and secrets just by wandering around. The game strikes the perfect balance of encouraging you to explore more while making it feel like a natural part of your journey.

A Few Things They Need to Fix in Future Updates

Image

Luma Island isn’t perfect—it has a few issues like minor bugs, such as characters occasionally walking through walls. Thankfully, these don’t disrupt the overall experience too much. One of the more noticeable problems I have is with the Lumas, magical creatures that play a key role in the island’s ecosystem and gameplay mechanics. While they are integral to resource gathering, crafting, and exploration, they all feel quite similar.

Although they have different designs, they all perform the same tasks, which makes them feel more like background elements than the central feature the game suggests. I was hoping for more distinct abilities across the Lumas to make collecting them more enticing. Interestingly, they’re not emphasized much in trailers, so this might be why they don’t stand out as much.

Additionally, I found the map somewhat difficult to navigate. There were times when I got lost due to its design, and I think adding key markers or expanding the map could improve the experience.
Image

Despite these issues, they are minor in comparison to the many positive and charming aspects of Luma Island. The game remains fun, cozy, and highly enjoyable, and I’m confident the developers can address these problems in future updates.

Is Luma Island Worth It?

A Farming Sim for All

Image

Luma Island is definitely worth checking out, offering something for everyone—not just farming sim fans. It’s a fun and relaxing experience, especially when played with friends, so I highly recommend grabbing a buddy to enjoy it together. At $20, it’s great value for the enjoyment it provides, and I’m hopeful that future updates will bring even more fun and features to the game.


Digital Storefronts
Steam IconSteam
Price $19.99


Luma Island FAQ

How Many Professions are on Luna Island?

 ⚫︎ Cook
 ⚫︎ Treasure Hunter
 ⚫︎ Brawler
 ⚫︎ Blacksmith
 ⚫︎ Fisherman
 ⚫︎ Jewelry Crafter
 ⚫︎ Archeologist

Question 2

There are 15 different unique Lumas in Luma Island that you can catch and hatch!

Game8 Reviews

Game8 Reviews

You may also like...

null Farmagia Review | A Lackluster Harvest Moon and Fairy Tail Mesh
null Mirthwood Review | Stardew Valley But Darker
null ZombFarm Review | No Brains, No Fun
null Farming Simulator 25 Review | A Harvest of Minor Enhancements
null Stardew Valley

Luma Island Product Information

Luma IslandBanner
Title LUMA ISLAND
Release Date November 20, 2024
Developer Feel Free Games
Publisher Feel Free Games
Supported Platforms PC (Steam)
Genre Simulation, Adventure
Number of Players 1-4
ESRB Rating RP
Official Website Luma Island Official Website

Comments

Game8 Ads Createive