Harvest Island

I'm really enjoying the game so far and would recommend playing if you enjoy farming sims and pixel horror.
Here are my key points:
- The farming aspect is pretty basic but it's still fun.
- The game has a lot of dialogue/story and gathering.
- Lots of upgrades and crafting.
- Cute animals that you can interact with,
- I would recommend using a controller as opposed to a mouse and keyboard. I couldn't get it to work at first but that's because I was starting to use the controller in the middle of the game. You have to start pressing buttons while the game is just starting to launch in order to activate the controller mode (at least this is what I experienced).
- Achievements would be nice.
- There is animal death so if that upsets you I wouldn't recommend playing this.

The Short Version
My recommendation is 'Yes' because I can tell the dev put a lot of effort and care into Harvest Island. He stopped by on his own during a stream (not a commercial endorsement, just context) and ended up answering some questions my community and I had and taking suggestions we saw implemented the next day.
The game genuinely drew me in and made me feel invested in the characters and their fate. That said, I ran into a host of issues throughout my time playing that I'll also go over here.
My review isn't wholly positive or negative. I think the game could be worth playing if you like similar stuff. It would be worthwhile for the dev to lower the price. This game is significantly shorter than Stardew Valley in every aspect (the comparison I see most in reviews and on the Steam page) and at the time of writing this review, costs $10 more.
Significant story spoilers ahead, but they will be hidden under Spoiler Text.
The Long Version
I played Harvest Island for 35 hours in Story Mode to the end and did most of the extra quests and tasks aside from a few: Missed a newspaper. Never found the last dragon ball. Didn't complete all Animal Sanctuary requests. Never found out what the Blade Key opens.
Time and Effort
I appreciate that the dev puts time into fixing bugs. I ran into a game-breaking bug relatively early on, and it was patched within a day. That said, I do think the game would have benefited from more testing to iron out some of these issues pre-launch.
The dev is doing a good job of making certain aspects of gameplay that were initially very frustrating significantly easier. It was nice to see improvements implemented quickly.
UI and Controlls
The UI wasn't terrible, but it was hard to get used to. I played on mouse and keyboard. I found myself wishing there was an in-game clock or some other indicator of how soon night/morning would come.
Horror?
The game is advertised as horror, but you'll have to wait a while before anything horror-adjacent really kicks up, and even then, there are definite lulls in between the suspense. From the Steam trailers, I was expecting different. I screamed once when a deer startled me, and a few other things gave me pause or made me go "Oh NO", which was a lot of fun, so I don't think it fails to deliver any horror whatsoever.
However:
You are, to the best of my knowledge, never in any danger that the player can avoid. You can insinuate a threat as much as you want, but if at any point I realize the characters aren't in peril, I stop getting scared. I agree with those who say this game is definitely more Suspense than Horror.
Sound Design
The music is fun and fitting. It was either peaceful or added an uneasy tension, and it quickly became one of my favorite things overall. When it cut out for dramatic effect, you noticed, and I thought the sound design as a whole was well done. My one issue is the high-pitched squeaking of the well bucket; if that individual sound were turned down just a little, it would be easier to listen to. The eerie sounds were great, I was really impressed by some of the animal noises and how unnerving they were!
Gameplay
It was easy to do things out of order on accident. There were many points where, because I didn't upgrade the animal pens, barn, or chicken coop until later, or went to an area later than the game expected me to, Will and Samantha had dialog about prior events that no longer made sense with how far the story had progressed.
I got lost often. Besides the overworld map for fast travel, which is very simplified, there is no map of the places or landmarks you've discovered, and the dev has said that there will not be one implemented in the future due to complications with the engine. Even so, I'd really like for there to be some way to find locations not immediately near a god statue more easily. I realize that there's fun in exploration and discovering secrets, but trying to rediscover something I'd already found once got frustrating.
Art
Loved the portrait art! Will and Samantha's expressions added a lot to the storytelling/dialog. The style was a big part of what drew me in. The pixel art was nice overall, but some set pieces seemed incongruous with the style of the other background items (the dock Will builds, for example).
The dev stated there was a lore reason that Will and Samantha's overworld sprites changed in certain buildings or underground, but I finished the game and never found out why.
Writing
I think the writing shines most when Will and Samantha are talking. It really does feel like young siblings having fun, bickering, experiencing grief and fear, and having to navigate all of that together.
At times, word choice, grammar, or spelling errors would take me out of a scene, but this is nothing that can't be edited.
Story
I love Will and Samantha, I enjoyed their dynamic. I looked forward to new dialog and seeing how their story progressed. I became genuinely invested in them.
I found the constant references jarring to the point of becoming off-putting.
It took me out of the setting whenever I'd find a dragon ball or see that I could craft a "Blade Key". None of the Easter Egg quests have a significant impact on the story, so they felt a little too silly considering the setting, and also like I had wasted my time.
It didn't bother me when I learned that the premise itself is almost identical to The Promised Neverland, but the references started to feel more like a running joke that detracted from an increasingly grim setting by not taking things seriously. The best example of this is when you read an in-game lore book that details how three walls were built around the city of Florie over the course of thousands of years to keep giant monsters out , and on the same bookshelf there's an account of a physician who had to select girls as young as 15 to be forced into a "breeding" program so they would provide more human fodder for the demons until they outlived their usefulness. It was the most stomach-turning bit of lore in the game, and it was preceded by an Attack on Titan reference. Near the end of the game, it felt like narrative whiplash. I understand wanting to add more lighthearted moments to give players a reprieve, but it felt more like the references took something away from the story rather than gave the player a break from heavier stuff. I want to see the game be its own original story even though the entire premise borrows heavily from an existing IP .
The Ending
There is only one ending. Having played for so long, I was hopeful that the time/effort it took to farm 50k Bless and make the Wooden Sword into the Blade Key would help me fight the demon at the end, seeing as earlier lore hinted magic can and had been used that way. It felt odd because this was another reference that made it seem like the game didn't fully take itself seriously, but I wanted a good ending for Will and Samantha and for all the effort to amount to something more than a reference.
It didn't.
The ending didn't pack the punch I was hoping for. I felt like I'd earned a bigger, more emotional moment after 35 hours of gameplay. I don't have a problem with the lack of a definite ending if this is setting up for a future sequel, but the dev has said that'll be pretty far in the future.
TL;DR
Harvest Island has a good foundation in spite of its flaws. I wrote so much because I truly enjoyed the experience and want to enjoy it further. This is all in good faith, and whether or not any of this is taken into consideration, I wish Harvest Island both improvement and success.

First of all, I played the game when there was no story mode yet and didn't have to grind any materials since I was a tester, so I can't really say if the game is grindy. Here are my key points:
- It took me 15 hours to complete the story. If you're looking for a game that you can play for numerous hours, this probably won't be it.
- On the one hand, the farming is very basic compared to other games. On the other hand, this means that the game doesn't feel like just another farming sim because it focuses on different things, which makes it stand out
- Unlike others say here, the game DOES have horror elements, but I do admit that it's limited and the story takes quite some time to progress. You won't have any horror elements at the very beginning.
- I really loved the story. It had me hooked and I wanted to keep playing. If you're someone who hates reading a lot of dialogue, this won't be for you, though. BUT the dialogues are not repetitive, so it's worth it, imo
- For the story to progress, you sometimes have to go to certain locations, which meant that I found myself walking around quite a lot because I didn't know how to trigger the next cutscene
- The artstyle and character development are amazing. You really get to know the characters and, unlike in some other games, they feel pretty real. The relationship between all the main characters changes over time, so they don't keep saying the same things about each other
- I liked the music and the soundeffects
- Like someone else said, you do need a lot of stamina. This is very annoying because you are constantly interrupted in your gameplay and have to eat or sleep to be able to continue whatever you were just doing or planning to do
- During my playthrough I only experienced two bugs, but both of them have been fixed. The dev is definitely listening to feedback and tries to fix any issues asap, which I think is very important for a game like this to succeed
Summary:
Overall, I'm pretty impressed by the dev's work. They really put a lot of effort into the game. I recommend the game if you care about a good story with vivid characters and are tired of simply inheriting yet another farm from your grandfather. If you don't like games with an eerie atmosphere, blood and dead animals, I don't recommend it. If you're still unsure, my tip is to check out the trailer to see if this is something you would enjoy because it shows some of the horror elements.

The game is immensely charming and I love the writing. There is an intriguing mystery to the game, but it is the characters that make it so hard to put down.
I have some complaints though - the interface is downright painful and allergic to me using the mouse. Nevertheless, you get used to it and get better at navigating it.

I finished the game in about 11 hours on story mode. Normal mode is a bit slower with more emphasis on the farming and foraging aspects. It's a cute little game that combines farming, resource gathering, mystery, and a bit of horror. I had a good time so I recommend this game.
Pros:
- engaging mystery and story
- exploration is rewarding
- characters are well written
- I liked the energy mechanics and the blessing/god offering mechanics
- music is very effective for what it wants to convey
- character designs and art are beautiful
- world building that makes you want to learn more
Cons:
- vague directions at times (got lost a few times on what I was supposed to do or look for)
- abrupt ending (personal opinion)
- key items are hard to find in the first half of the game, in the latter half, the key items are highlighted. I wish they did that for the beginning portions as well.
- because of the interesting story, I feel like there was lost potential in exploring one of the characters
- Some parts of the game are a bit too dark for me, combined with the lack of highlighting key items, it made it difficult to find things sometimes
- There is a pretty maze-like part of the game near the end. I think the dev wanted players to use this maze to get around, but the environment of that maze was too similar, there was no map, and no standout landmarks that could help distinguish parts of that maze. I rarely used those (maybe) shortcuts, but on the plus side, there are alternatives to using that maze to get around
Overall, the story and characters were the main sell for me. The gameplay and visuals could use some improvements, but I was able to put up with the nitpicks to learn more of the story. I'd recommend this game to players who like experiencing an engaging story with compelling characters.

2 1/2 hours in:
Loving the story so far and looking forward to whats going to happen.
Cons:
Inventory space. Havent figured out how to craft stashes yet. I hope its possible. Rucksack gets full quicklyand the stash at home doesnt provide too much space either.

New Edit, TLDR: If you want horror, and fast paced on it then go Story Mode. The story is fantastic. Normal Mode will still have horror, and be a slow burn but intense paranoia gameplay. Normal will also have a lot of farming, collecting, etc. Still HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
First and foremost I want to specify: THIS IS A SLOW BURN HORROR. You will NOT experience jump scares, not FNAF style, not immediate in your face horror. This is a SLOW burn horror where it gets more and more unsettling the more you learn and the more you play.
That being said, I am addicted to this game. I've been a fan of Stardew Valley and similar pixel farming games before, and this did not let down. It has more of a solid storyline to it but you still have the open exploration and time changes. You DO NOT pass out after night falls, there is no clock for you here. You are playing as an innocent boy who is having to teach his younger sister how to do stuff, while gathering things to build more and more.
The brother-sister dynamic is played out very well. It's portrayed just how an adolescent boy having to have his younger sister with him all the time would be. The dialogue is relatable for siblings, and overall very keen on how kids would react to certain situations, dialogue, etc.
The music is addicting to me, but be aware it is repetitive. It's intentionally made that way as there are music ques within the music itself to make the game more unsettling depending on what's happening. I've got nearly 18 hours of game play, but I also know that I came in to this expecting sudden horror and was super paranoid. DO NOT come in to this paranoid, it will hinder your start. You should enable the innocence and want to explore like any child would. That's the best advice I can give. I personally do not need in your face horror games. They can be fun, but this slow and steady, unsettling vibe is so much better.
I would ask everyone who is a fan of Stardew to play, simply for the fun of managing the farm. I would for sure also recommend this foe the slow burn horror lovers. I truly do love this game, and am wanting to play more and more as I get deeper into the game.