Amber Isle: Everything We Know

I’m not entirely sure whether or not you’ve fantasized about being a dinosaur shopkeep, but if you have (no judgements here, man) has dreams about such things, then you’ll be pleased to know that both Ambertail Games and Team17 are working on something that’ll tick all the right boxes. Aptly titled Amber Isle, the upcoming dino-centric business management project will allow fledgling paleontologists the opportunity to not only build their own stores, but also befriend a rich and vibrant community that’s on the brink of, well, fossilization. Color us intrigued.

Amber Isle isn’t due out for a short while yet, but if it did have you at hello, then you’ll no doubt be wanting to brush up on all of its latest developments. If that is the case, then be sure to read on. Here’s everything we currently know about Amber Isle.

What Is Amber Isle?

Amber Isle is an upcoming “cutesy” dinosaur-oriented management game, one that casts its focus on—you guessed it—a dinosaur shopkeep, whose sole purpose is to provide the seemingly starved world of Amber Isle with the resources, tools, and recipes they so rightfully deserve. As it turns out, the dinosaurs are on the brink of becoming fossilized memories, which means you’ll need to do all in your power to keep their bones above ground.

“Amber Isle welcomes players to the eponymous Amber Isle, a friendly village fit to bursting with an eclectic mix of prehistoric animals (Paleofolk),” the elevator pitch reads in part. “As the new (and only) shopkeep on Amber Isle, it falls to players to stock their store with everything their Paleo-pals might need. Does the microraptor need a micro-chair? The plesiosaur some water-proof paper? Each customer has their own unique needs and behaviors, so players will need to haggle, pawn, and counter-offer to get the best price possible, making their shop a resounding success and saving Amber Isle from the brink of fossilization.”

Story

In the words of its creators: “Whittled down to its last remaining residents, Amber Isle has well and truly seen better days, and a last-ditch effort to save it sees the grumpy iguanodon Mayor Clawsworth cast a keen yet cynical eye over the new venture, hopeful that Amber Isle can return to its glory days. After designing their own Paleo-character, players will adventure out into the world of Amber Isle, spending their days maintaining their shop, befriending the locals, and improving the village enough to convince other Paleofolk to return and take up residence permanently.”

Well, there you have it — the dinosaurs are teetering closer towards extinction, and it’ll be up to you, the one-and-only shopkeeper of Amber Isle, to keep them from meeting a grizzly end. As for how you go about accomplishing this, of course, will be entirely up to you.

Gameplay

Going by the game’s description that was teased earlier this week, Amber Isle will grant you passage to “customize, name, and run your shop your way—use the profits to unlock new shop décor, walls, floors, and more, making the space uniquely yours.” In addition to all of this, it will also allow you to “rebuild, decorate, and unlock new areas to explore on Amber Isle.” So, quite a lot, all things considered.

Aside from the general shopkeeping and maintenance aspects, it appears that there’ll also be a quality selection of characters to befriend. According to the devs, “Amber Isle is home to 48 different Paleofolk to befriend, including Ice Age mammals, Permian amphibians, marine life, invertebrates, and more.” What’s more, it will also include a create-your-own species, one of which will allow you to “change your clothes, crests, and colors, to create your perfect paleo-persona.”

Development

Welcome to Amber Isle, an upcoming dino-centric shop management sim! 🦖

🦕 Design your own Dino
👋 Meet and befriend 48 Paleofolk
🛒 Create and customise your shop
🏝️ Return the isle to its glory days!

Coming soon to Nintendo Switch and Steam: 🔗 https://t.co/1gK1S6YGUF pic.twitter.com/JH7lto3Jnq

— Team17 (@Team17) April 9, 2024

Ambertail Games, a firm based over in Belfast, Northern Ireland, announced its plans to create the dinosaur-themed shopkeeping sim back in the beginning of April 2024, at which point the indie studio shed light on numerous features, including its core gameplay elements, as well as several of its primary characters. However, the only thing that failed to make an appearance was the release date; it isn’t currently set in stone, and therefore we aren’t quite able to comment on it just yet. With that said, it appears that there’ll be another batch of updates to come over the next several months — so keep your eyes peeled, basically.

Trailer

Not quite satisfied with the introductory spiel? Don’t sweat it; Team17 and Ambertail Games recently posted a trailer outlining a solid portion of the game’s features. You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Amber Isle will be launching on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been given a concrete release date yet, and therefore we can only go as far as to speculate about when it’ll arrive. If all goes according to plan, then we’ll likely hear more news regarding its potential launch date over the next several months or so.

As far as potential launch editions travel, it’s hard to say whether or not there’ll be anything of the sort; specifically, any special or deluxe editions that’ll contain additional launch-day bonuses of cosmetics alongside the base game. If there is something of the sort in the pipeline, then news is likely to hit the team’s social media at some point in the near future.

Interested in staying up to date ahead of Amber Isle’s upcoming release on consoles and PC? If so, then be sure to check in with the team over at Ambertail Games for all the latest developments via their official social handle here. If anything does change ahead of its debut, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Amber Isle when it arrives on its chosen platforms? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.