There was a negative review I looked at saying that they kept waiting for this game to get better and it never did. I thought: this person must be being overly cynical, the reviews are positive and the aesthetic is so pleasing it must be good! That review, so far (10 hours in) was right. Moonstone island is a combination of Slay The Spire, Pokemon, and Stardew. However, it fails a being good versions of any of these games. The creatures are cute but with no evolution and the battles being almost random and pretty simple the Pokemon aspect falls flat. Farming is pointless, only used to boost the empty combat so the Stardew Valley falls flat. This leaves Slay the Spire, a game I'm not familiar enough with to talk about. This game is very pretty and has excellent music. I do like the townspeople interaction but the progression is so slow and the game feels empty. I beat a major boss and was expecting some kind of big change but NOTHING happened at all. Others have mentioned they're surprised this game is not in early access and I have to agree. I think with more time to cook this game could be great. It just doesn't feel good when I am 10 hours in and keep saying "man I WANT to have fun".

when i first tried the demo out, i fell in love with this cozy game!!

i was one of the unfortunate people who didn't get to play the pokemon games back then, and this one really helps give me that happiness i missed out on. it's so cute!

ALSO, IT GENERATES DIFFERENT ISLANDS ON EACH SAVE?? AMAZING
you even get to fly on a broom, omg

On paper, I like the combination of multiple games in one. It truly is Stardew Valley meets Pokemon with Slay the Spire combat.

HOWEVER, even if the mechanics seem appealing, I do not feel they were implemented well.

After the tutorial, you are given little direction towards what to do.
The combat feels slow and catching monsters by feeding them is just not fun.
Finding the "pokemon" in the beginning is slow and obnoxious.
You spend a lot of time just waiting to float to other islands on your balloon.
There is absolutely no character customization.