What makes this game a lot of fun?

[SourceUnknown]

Im debating on getting this but I tend to be a little fickle with features/mechanics and gameplay loops. If theres any cozy game I put a lot of hours into and enjoyed the mechanics/features it would have to be Palia.
However, towards end game Palia can be a real grind (especially with the relationships and some quest lines mechanics)
I hear this game is more like Dinkum and Animal crossing (never played AC). I did play Dinkum and Im not sure what it was about that game but it just couldnt hold my attention very long, not like Palaia did...
So what kind of game is Critter Cove and games that closely resemble it? What makes this game a lot of fun? What makes it not so fun?
Thank you for your time and consideration...

[JU1173]

Hmm never played Palia or AC, so can't compare it to that. I think comparing it to Dinkum, which I have played, is way off base. The only thing the two games have in common is new people moving to town, that's it. The game play is completely different. Just as examples:

- You don't shape the land or say how the town is built. It is all there already. You can just approve or say no to the house they want to move in to. It does still need to be "built" or really repaired.

- No mines, no fighting.

- In Critter Cove you decide who you want to move in, because you have to ask them too ( with the exception of the first one you do for a quest to teach the game, and the 2 already living there) it is not pre-determined and a new play through can have a new group of villagers.

What kind of game is it? Really it is more of a exploration game I think. Go to different islands, which can hold different quests, foods and materials. You can explore places under the ocean to gather resources.

Games that resemble it? I have not played a game that closely resembles it. It is kinda a mash up of several games I have played.

Dinkum for the "people move in" part, though like said above, done differently.

My Time At Sandrock for the " take old things apart for the parts to use for making other things" Only in Critter Cove, this is more then just scrap laying around, and this also teaches you to build the things you took apart. Examples: Vending machine, planters ect. You also have a workshop to make stuff in. Farming is similar as well, you plant in planters, not the ground.

What makes it fun? I really love exploring under water. Especially the Sunken City. I like recruiting different characters to my island. I enjoy doing the "personal" quests for NPC's that are on the island, and learning more of their story.

Not so much fun? It isn't finished as it is in EA, so quests are not really plentiful at the moment. The quests that take the longest are the tourism quests, to get more tourists to the island. The upgrades you have to buy are pricey, and the only way to really make money is the tourists that visit every few days, which make end game (for now) kinda a slog. You can sell stuff, but only one item at a time, and you get very little for stuff. So selling a stack of 99 extra whatever is a lot of clicking for very little reward, right now.

Fishing is boring (though you might like that) Just click and bam you fish up something.

All, in all, I would say it is fun to play for a while. It just isn't done yet, so everything isn't in yet. When it gets closer to completion I can see the game play being smoothed out, so you are not left with the slog of waiting for money, as you will have more to do while waiting.

[Queen Droxxanna]

The game has a lot of things to discover, hidden secrets and artifacts, which makes for a lot of surprises in the game. And the discoveries can be on land or under water. Even the castaway critters you rescue have items they ask you to find before inviting them to live with you.
The many critters in the game (there are over 60) have a variety of personalities and their conversations with you can be surprisingly fun as well. They have their own likes and dislikes and reactions to items you give them can be good or bad, or indifferent. I have had many lol moments in the game, your town can be shaped by the characters you invite to live there. I really like the fact when you first bring them on your boat, they ask you for a tent to live on the beach and then later they search for a house to live in, and you get to decide if it is right for them. I have a skunk character who repeatedly asked to live next to the cafe and I refused to let them. who wants a skunk next to where you eat??

I really like all the scuba diving we get to do, exploring the ocean and salvaging , and seeing the schools of fish swimming around you. The sailing in your boat is great too.
As for challenges in the game, well there are certainly some diving challenges, and even the best of us sometimes forget to watch the level of air in our tanks and drown, causing small amount of damage which heals on its own over time.

So far there are 62 recipes to learn and cook, which can be done by experimentation in the game, although a few recipes can be found on notes on the walls in sunken buildings. There are also 19 different fish to be caught, some are quite rare and its rewarding to catch them all.
Farming is a great way to develop your town , get food to restore you energy, fill quests for the villagers, and earn profits when you sell items in sales carts.

The game is still in early stages and there are a lot of more things to come, islands, people, discoveries. But its the only game that has managed to take me away from Garden Paws for weeks on end.

The best way to see for yourself is to try the demo , which in itself has a lot of content and you play can carry over to the full version when you are ready.

[SourceUnknown]

Wow, thank you both so much for the details and why you like it. I am truly grateful and will reward you for the wonderful job you guys did for answering my questions. I think Im going to get this! Thank you both and I wish you all the best

[mmel1313]

agreed palia is very good. for any genre as far as mechanics go. it makes it easy for most and has very fun collections with all the fish and bugs and freedom of deco. but its got issues as well. it was my first cozy game. my genre was build craft like wurmonline. survival elements that could kill you made for stress/excitement depending on how well you'd prepared. i know i could do without the fishing minigame feature of palia and what they did to wurm was a crime lol. took the one cozy aspect of the fishing and complicated it to the point of my never having fished past the quest point for it. easier to buy what you needed from others. im only 30 hours in from the purchase point. having done 4 hours of demo i wanted more. its a blast in the boat. way better mechanics there than in many, though some animation issues i hope they can clean up like over wash into boat. only visual not like you can sink your tub. the demo is still available free and sold me.
happy gaming.