Amber Isle, an upcoming indie game inspired by none other Animal Crossing: New Horizons, is in the works. Developed by Ambertail Games, Amber Isle transports you to a peaceful island set in a prehistoric society, wherein you take on the role of a human amidst adorable dino citizens. The indie social sim lets you take care of a “crafting business for your prehistoric neighbours.”
The overall aesthetic of Amber Isle is cute, with each character being stylized and made after different kinds of dinosaurs. In an interview with PlayDiaries, Ambertail Games’ founder Jordan Bradley said that dinosaurs just aren’t used enough in media. And if you think about it, it’s true—and it’s such a shame as well, because there are so many different species of dinosaurs that could be great in mainstream media.
“There’s so many, it’s like Pokemon in real life. There’s so many of them with different shapes and different creatures and sizes, abilities,” said Bradley.
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As mentioned, Amber Isle is inspired by Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizon, a highly popular life simulation game for the Nintendo Switch. Looking at the gameplay footage available so far, this inspiration is quite clear to see. Not only is the gameplay itself similar, but the game’s dialogue also gives off the same energy as well.
From what we’ve seen so far, the villagers who live on Amber Isle, who are known as “Paleofolk,” give off the same kind of positive vibe and behavior that Animal Crossing villagers have. It’s definitely heartwarming, and makes you feel accepted and right at home.
That being said, there are some parts of Animal Crossing: New Horizons that Ambertail Games doesn’t want to implement in Amber Isle, such as the redundancy in conversations. Each of the dino citizens in Amber Isle will have their own unique personalities, occupations, and hobbies. The more you befriend these lovable characters, the more you’ll get to know them as well.
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For instance, there’s one gameplay footage wherein one dinosaur villager named Maple Purple is asking the player character if they also enjoy reading romance novels. In another Amber Isle preview, Ambertail Games explains how the main character will manage and take care of their shop.
As the owner of the crafting business, you will be able to choose which items will be available for purchase and be showcased on the counters. Not only that, you will have the power to name a price for the different items. For this part of its gameplay, it reminds us of the action RPG indie game entitled Moonlighter from developer Digital Sun, which has a similar gameplay mechanic.
Amber Isle is still in development right now, but you can support Ambertail Games through its Patreon.
