This month, it's all about the ocean. Take a look at several new Merfolk and more! PLEASE NOTE: there are mid to late-game spoilers ahead.
Coral Island 1.1 beta will launch on May 20th, 2024. Join our Discord for more information!
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Merfolk Townies
Meet the latest members of the Merfolk Kingdom: a tattoo artist, a rancher, a tavern owner, and a senior guard.
Rysy runs her own tattoo shop where she designs all the tattoos herself and doesn't take custom orders. Art over custom, she said. Sorry, folks! She dedicates a lot of time to perfecting her art, hoping to find people who appreciate it. Could that someone be you?
Slamet is a rancher who can help you get animals for your underwater ranch. He's trained countless sea horses, mermoos and more. If it were up to him, he'd care for all the animals in the ocean, but alas, he's only got two hands. So, he dedicates himself to serving the kingdom.
Fun fact: Slamet, like Joko, is a common name in Indonesia. It’s also the name of a mountain in Central Java. The word "Slamet" loosely means "safety" or "congratulations."
Jannu owns Sleepy Eel, the local tavern. He's single and not interested in dating; he's content with his life and prefers not to let a relationship complicate things. You'll find him at the tavern all the time, fully devoted to his work.
Tahat, a loyal guard who has served the kingdom for many years. He's married to what he considers the most beautiful sea creature in the world, Etna, and leads a quiet life. They've mostly stayed in the kingdom, only traveling when duty calls. Tahat is a man of loyalty to the kingdom, a trait he shares with his daughter, Denali.
Merfolk Relationships
Once you've advanced far enough in the game, you can start building relationships with the Merfolk. Explore how we're alike and different from our friends beneath the sea.
[The player is in everyone's business, as usual. Bless my heart.]
Discover their likes and dislikes, and they might open up about their stories. Learn about their hobbies, passions, and heck, if you talk to the right person, they might even reveal the advantages and disadvantages of being named after famous mountains.
Merfolk Romance
That's right! Romance with the Merfolk will be available in the 1.1 update. Who's the first choice? Is it Semeru or Semeru?
Remember Erika's tip: everyone loves gifts. Now it's not just the townies, but also the underwater hotties.
[This also means a new wedding location for all the wedding location collectors out there. Better keep both eyes peeled for this one!]
Ocean Farming
Game progression unlocks underwater farming. Farmers, once you've cleared your underwater farm, dive right into farming. Mix different land crops together and see what underwater seedbags they produce. Plant them to unlock even more varieties of seeds! A whole new world indeed.
[Your newest property: location, location, location!]
[Same tool, different place. Still Hoeing around.]
What crops need underwater is not more water, but light! And that's exactly what the Lumina Wand will provide, a new tool you'll acquire as you progress through the game.
[The Lumina Wand will provide ample light for your underwater crops to thrive.]
Ocean Crops
[Mix up different land crops and see what underwater seedbags they produce—it's all in this cute little three-pocket thingy. You've got one on your land farm too!]
[Fun fact: "labu" means pumpkin in Bahasa Indonesia.]
Ocean Ranching
The ranch has five underwater animals: Mermoo, Inkhog, Shellcluck, Carapoultry, and Seashroud. Just like the land ranch animals, each one of these cuties produces something you can sell.
[I know they're all cute, but I must say, my ranch strategy would be to fill up my farm with millions of Mermoos 'cos look at them!]
Seashroud takes inspiration from the leaf slug, a real underwater creature. Cute, isn't it?
Just like your dry cows and sheep, you’ll need to pet these underwater animals and feed them hay, bla bla bla. By the time you gain access to these cuties, you’ll already know the ropes—you'd be a pro rancher yourself!
[This is where you can purchase your underwater animals. And, more importantly, it's where you'll find Slamet. Huehuehue.]
Ocean Decor
New farm, new decor. With you having two separate farms in version 1.1, where would all that money go if we didn't release more decor?
[The red one is my favorite.]
[Now you're sleeping on seaweed, just like the other merfolk do.]
You can still bring your favorite land decor—do NOT worry! We've added new tags to decor items to clarify whether you can place these items on land, underwater, or both.
Ocean Rank S
Remember these things you saw while diving? If you've advanced through the diving questline, you've likely come across these various "orchestra sites." These will play a key role in your final quest to reach Ocean Rank S.
[This merfolk dances as well as I cook—I don't cook.]
NPC Speech Bubble
We've added a variety of speech bubbles that your spouse might say to you during the day. In testing, we've found this new feature to be super immersive and really helps bring the characters to life.
[Hehe, I'm Sunshine.]
[Alright, boo, thanks. My wife is so nice.]
Decor System Improvements
We've signifincatly improved the decor experience. In addition to UX improvements, flooring and walls are now treated as stackable items. Upon applying a flooring or wall, you'll acquire the items as a floaty so you can easily reuse the patterns you've collected.
[This floaty will help you visualize better what you're currently holding.]
Library Books
For enjoyers of books, the library now slowly gets populated as you increase the towns rank. Bonus: Some books now offer perks when read, such as mastery points. Additionally, two special books provide a permanent buff that boosts the rate you earn relationship points.
[Reading pays off!]
Multiplayer Teaser & Switch Backers
We're making TREMENDOUS progress on adding Multiplayer to Coral Island!
[You and up to 3 other farmers let loose on Starlet Town]
Switch backers: we're still in the game development process and going strong. We don't have any updates to share yet, but we'll keep you informed as soon as we have more to share!
What's Next
In June, we'll showcase the progress of Multiplayer development in Coral Island. We can't wait for you to see the updates and just how enjoyable farming with friends can be!
Speaking of friends, If you're looking to make new gaming buddies, why not join our Discord server? You'll meet some of the coolest, most passionate farmers around.
Coral Island Discord: take me there!
Thanks for reading,
Stairway Team
