SHIMMERSHOAL: A Cozy Island Adventure

a game by Ian Caisley

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Currently in development. Demo available now!

I'm making this game as a labor of love in my spare time. If you like what you see, or enjoy the demo, please follow me on Itch and leave a comment. People showing interest is what gives me the motivation and drive to finish the game, so it really makes a difference!

Thanks for checking out my little game. ♥

A Cozy Retro-Style RPG

Enjoy a 2D RPG experience with a cozy game aesthetic. Lani's adventures are filled with charming characters, funny and heartfelt conversations, scuffles with dangerous critters, and loads of secrets for the curious explorer. You'll be faced with puzzles, movement challenges, and gaining new abilities to overcome Metroidvania-style obstacles.

Explore the Shimmershoal Archipelago

Follow Lani and her vulpine companion, Keke, as she undertakes her Fire Trials. These ancient trials are all that stand in her way to becoming a Fire Warrior, protectors of the islands she calls home. This harrowing journey across three in-game days will lead her all around the pristine tropical paradise of the Shimmershoal Archipelago. Wander sandy shores, explore deep jungles, treasure hunt inside a shipwreck, and brave the depths of a volcano to retrieve sacred lava rocks — the final trial for all would-be Fire Warriors.

Cozy Vibe, Challenging Combat

The turn-based combat in Shimmershoal is simple to understand, but will push you to think creatively and adjust your strategies to defeat different kinds of enemies. Many fights force you to think in new ways, and to use abilities and items you hadn't thought about before.

The monsters of Shimmershoal each follow their own unique attack patterns, and learning and planning around these patterns is the key to defeating them. Smart thinking is a recipe for success in Shimmershoal.

Bossa Nova Soundtrack

Relax as you play with a rich and varied soundtrack of bossa nova and Latin jazz. You'll practically feel the sunshine and hear the waves of this tropical island paradise as your cares drift away with the soothing music.

Demo 1 is Available Now!

Demo 1 shows off the first main story quest of the game, along with a few optional tasks and plenty of hidden things to find. It usually lasts between 30-60 minutes.

If you like the demo, please follow me on Itch and leave a comment. Building this game is a labor of love, and seeing your interest in the project really helps motivate me to finish it.

Note about demo progress: Please be aware that it's very unlikely that save files from the demo will continue to work in future releases of the game due to ongoing development.

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About Development

This game is being developed in RPG Maker MZ in my spare time. This is my first RPG Maker game (though not my first game). I've been helped in my development tremendously by members of the RPG Maker Tavern Discord server, as well as the incredible spirit of generosity throughout the RPG Maker community. A heartfelt thank you to the plugin and asset creators whose work I have used in this project. You can find a full list of attributions in the demo's credits screen.

To try and give something back to the community, I co-developed and released an RPG Maker MZ plugin called Self Switch Defaults, which is used heavily throughout the project. Anyone can download and use it completely free!

This game is being developed by one person, myself, but I'm supported by members of Tripping Whale, a tiny indie game studio which I'm a founder of. If you're interested in seeing another game I designed with this team, check out Duple Dragon, an ethically-designed mobile runner game where you control two dragons at once.