The world of Coral Island is a colourful yet confusing one. From seeds that bear fruit overnight to the strange ghostly Chieftain who lives just off the beaten path, there are plenty of oddities to explore on this peaceful island.
The townspeople are in a strange state of perpetual cheeriness, the weather reports are scarily accurate, and there are even rumours of mermaids lurking beneath the waves just offshore. But what are the weirdest parts of the village? What about Coral Island only makes sense because it is, well, Coral Island? We have a few ideas.
Coral Island is in Early Access, so parts of this list are subject to change.
10 Every Month Is A Leap Month
A year on Coral Island consists of four 28-day months, each one encompassing one of the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
There's always plenty to plant and grow in all seasons apart from the winter, where you'll want to focus on building other skills such as Diving or Mining. These still make brilliant cash-earning ventures, so be sure to sell off any interesting trinkets or items via the shipping bin and rake in the coin!
If you want to fast-forward to the next day, click on your bed and go to sleep. This will trigger your day summary screen before starting you off on a brand-new morning.
9 You Can Wear Whatever You Want - Even Dragon Wings
Anything goes on this placid slice of paradise, including the new island farmhand donning some chequered Vans sneakers and a Hawaiian button-up to tend to the crops in. Swap out the drab backpack for a pair of sweet dragon wings, complete with a tail, if your heart desires it.
The townsfolk don't seem to react negatively no matter what your garb. You can even go around in your underwear if you really want to, with only a few comments here and there from the more free-spirited villagers who commend you for your bold sartorial choices. Free love, man.
8 Your Stamina Goes Down Really, Really Fast
Feeling a little winded? Hoeing the earth and mining for copper ore really takes it out of you, as carrying out skilled tasks causes your stamina to rapidly deplete.
If you want to avoid passing out and taking a trip to the clinic, be sure to whip up some snacks from the crafting menu to carry in your inventory for when you start to flag. Items such as candied tree nuts will give you a much-needed sugar kick whilst out foraging and chopping wood, whilst scuba snacks will keep you energised whilst going for a dip beneath the waves.
Certain snacks will give you a skill buff as well as extra stamina. Try snarfing some daffodils before you go bug-catching!
7 You Can Eat Random Mushrooms And Not Even Die
Eating random stuff off the ground is not a good idea in real life, but on Coral Island it's very much encouraged - if not necessary.
You can collect different mushrooms around the island, from morel and shiitake mushrooms in the Woodlands and Hillside to sea mushrooms on the ocean floor. Everything seems edible in the world of Coral Island, so you don't need to check it's safe before you munch.
It makes sense to an extent that an agricultural genius such as yourself should have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the wild flora and fauna that populate the isle, but it is truly odd that nothing seems to make you sick - even if you live on a steady diet of pansies and turnip juice. Guess farmers just have iron stomachs. Yum!
6 No One Is Alarmed When You Fast Travel
Now they see you, and now they don't because you've been swept away by a mystical vortex of flower petals. Totally normal, right? Right?
In everyday life, perhaps not. But to your fellow islanders, it seems to be the norm - or at the very least, it's not enough to eject you from the town like the alien heathen that you are. Either they are very desperate for a new farmer, or everyone except you is in on the island's mysterious secrets
Fast travel is an important mechanic, one that you can progressively unlock in order to make moving about Coral Island that much quicker and easier. The Goddess of Flowers is to be thanked for this unique power, but be sure to keep making offerings to her at the various altars and temples around town in order to unlock all the fast travel posts!
5 Property Taxes Don't Exist
When you're first taken to check out your new home and its surrounding farmland, you'll be rightly surprised; it resembles more of a dense seaside forest than an earthy haven of mud and chicken coops - for now at least.
Even more mind-boggling is the fact that you're never asked to pay rent, despite the huge plot of land that is now technically yours to do with as you please.
Taxes don't seem to be a thing on Coral Island - property, income, or otherwise. This sets it apart from other life simulators such as The Sims, where taxes are a basic factor of daily life that make it a tad more realistic.
However, if you wanted realism, you probably wouldn't be playing a farming sim set in a fictional enchanted town. Suspend your disbelief, gather or clear all the stray resources clogging your space, and go plant some potatoes and posies in peace.
4 Mystical Orbs And Secrets Of The Sea
One of your first missions will be a long one: activating 20 undersea orbs by clearing trash and collecting seaweed.
It's completely normal and cool for a town to draw its energy from a mysterious deep-sea source that magically clears the tar and damage from all surrounding coral reefs.
It's even more normal and even cooler that this whole process is supported by merfolk, half-fish-half-human beings that also harness power from these buried orbs and use it to maintain the aquatic ecosystem.
Yep, this is just one more way that Coral Island blends its realism with a hefty dose of fantasy to keep you on your toes - or, in this case, your fins.
3 Turtles Who Hunger For Specific Snacks
During your underwater expeditions, you'll come across large sea turtles that block your path, and they will need to be fed very specific seasonal snacks if you want to squeeze past.
If it weren't odd enough for a sea turtle to demand some wasabi from a stranger, it gets even weirder (and slightly sadder) given that they are decked out in some truly bizarre makeshift clothing.
From upended colanders and traffic cones being used as hats to the algae decorating their shells, Coral Island makes a sobering point about the effects of human rubbish when it gets washed into the deep ocean. Sniff.
2 Everyone Remembers Everyone's Birthday
Gone are the days of having an excuse to forget your friend's birthdays. Everything is charted on the town's calendar, found just outside Sam's store in the main square.
Not only can you track everyone's birthdays, but you can also keep an eye on any island festivals and events, such as the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Once you meet someone, their birthday will be immediately placed on the calendar. This is a great way to keep track of your potential beau's special day so that you can pick out a special gift, just for them. You're welcome.
1 Everyone Trusts You Immediately
When you first step onto the golden sands, you'll be welcomed warmly by Mayor Connor. You learn that you've been here before in your childhood - your parents were even friends with Connor back in the day - but you also have very little recollection of your last time here.
Even though they have no reason to actively trust you, the residents of the island aren't suspicious of you at all. Rather than keep you at an arm's length, you'll find your new neighbours more than agreeable as they gift you items, set you to task, and always have time to stop for a chat.
If only real-life humans were as kind and friendly - but then again, that's part of what makes Coral Island so much fun to visit time and time again.