Coral Island is a farming role-playing indie game that reminds many players of Stardew Valley. However, the game has its own set of charming characters and a vibrant island. You can do many things, such as farming, exploring the caves, or hanging out with the locals.
One of the game's best touches is the ability to customize your character and its inclusivity with diverse characters. There are characters you can date (a whopping 28 in total), but sometimes, playing solo can get lonely.
Fortunately, Stairway Games announced in its 2025 Roadmap and March Dev update that multiplayer and revamped romance will come in 1.2!
The 1.2 update will be coming around the Summer of 2025. In multiplayer or co-op mode, you can play with friends and take care of the farm together. You can grow crops, chop trees, and explore the caves together. Players can also participate and compete against one another in challenges. Also, if you play with your partner, you can marry them in the game!
As for the romance revamp, the Coral Island developers wish to make it more meaningful and engaging. While players can access a character's Heart from 0 to 5 right away, they will add a heart-locking system with some prerequisites before you can continue with the relationship with the islander. This includes giving a locket to signify the player's commitment to that character or joining in the character's hang-out cutscene to get to know them deeper before progressing in the relationship.
As with real life, relationships do take time to build. There would be hangout events where you can spend time with the islander. You may join them at a picnic, jam session, or the beach. These include cutscenes where you'll get to know the islander better.
The revamped romance system will be accessible at Heart Level 2. Players will see a prompt in the Relationship UI when they can attend a hangout event. It's also great that players can easily track their progress and see the character's preferences (instead of using a notepad to track manually).
Perhaps one of the best parts of the update is the married life on Coral Island. You'll have deeper conversations with your spouse in the game and witness special cutscenes!
There are many things to look forward to in upcoming Coral Island updates as they bring ideas to life. Discussions are ongoing for a possible Nintendo Switch port as well, but nothing's set yet. Players also have something to look forward to in the 1.3 update, which allows kids to grow up in the game and adds additional festivals.