If you're feeling the Pokemon Pokopia FOMO, Collector's Cove lets you explore and farm on the back of a Lapras-like companion

There aren't many games that can pull me away from Pokemon Pokopia right now, but Collector's Cove is an exception. Maybe that shouldn't come as a surprise. With a lifelong affinity for some of the best farming games, I was immediately drawn to VoodooDuck's cozy farming centric indie, but there's actually something a little Pokemon coded about it that I wasn't expecting.

Not unlike the way you set out to fill up your Pokedex with all kinds of critters, Collector's Cove is all about adding to your Collector's Compendium. By growing and gathering new crops, catching different fish, uncovering recipes, and working towards upgrades to get your hands on more resources for crafting, everything you do helps you rise through the ranks to become the ultimate Named-Collector.

Plus, you're also setting sail to different islands and building up your very own farm on the back of a sea-faring Fablefin, who serves as your intrepid companion and boat. With a Loch Ness Monster meets dinosaur aesthetic, my marine pal – who immediately makes me think of Lapras and my days using Surf in various Pokemon iterations – gives Collector's Coves a refreshing edge in the vast sea that is the farming game genre.

Fabled finds

The first in-game days of Collector's Cove are spent learning the ropes. After making my own cute little custom character (complete with a cherry jumper I would totally wear in real-life), I get stuck right in. As someone who's said to have "an explorer's heart", I'm guided by Uncle Jerry, who, in the absence of my parents who've gone off traveling, gives me the tools I need to start my new journey as a Collector.

With all of the usual gear I've come to expect from farming sims and the like, I'm outfitted with a pickaxe, handaxe, shovel, fishing rod, and watering can, and my initial objectives revolve around gathering wood, fiber, stone, and soil on a small island out at sea.

It's all familiar territory until I meet Uncle Jerry's Fablefin. The blue sea creature known as Marty rocks a top hat with two cards nestled in its decorative band; like he should be dealing hands at the local casino. I instantly love him, and when I learn that Fable Fins like him are an integral part of being a Collector, I can hardly wait to meet my own.

I don't have to wait long. Better yet, I even get to customize and name my companion. Opting for the color purple and adorable flower-shaped spots, I choose to name her Lavender and at once appreciate her company as we set sail for the first time. Serving as your mobile home and farm at sea, my Fablefin friend also helps me navigate the seas and explore as my living boat. The vast ocean is home to various islands you can navigate to in order to gather resources, fish, and make fresh discoveries.

By selecting a location on the map, I instruct her to start swimming to it, and we're away. Of course, I'm elated to discover I can also give her a hug whenever I wish, and as she's doing a lot of hard work to move me across the seas, I can also feed her fish to keep her energy levels up as we travel. While Lavender swims, I get to work setting down some plant pots to start growing crops, and construct a water station so I can fill up my watering can.

After venturing to a few islands, doing some fishing, and successfully growing my first crops, I start to add more logs for my compendium, and in turn, rank up. Each time I catch a certain type of fish, or gather a particular crop, I learn more about it, and unlock fertilizer or bait that can be made for them, which ties to my first major objective: get a Fabled species. A little like the Guardian fish you can catch or the rare crops that can grow in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, Collector's Cove has various special variants of the crops and fish.

In order to successfully get your hands on a Fabled Species, though, you need to follow set parameters. By growing a plant with its corresponding fertilizer, you can unlock the trick you need to take it into its Fabled form. The chilis I grow, for example, require me to anger a certain number of fish while it's harvestable. The Fabled variants can then be fed to Lavender to strengthen our bond and essentially upgrade her in different ways.

I love collecting things in games, so I quickly take to the whole idea of being a Collector. I also appreciate how laidback the overall experience is; I've enjoyed taking my time working towards upgrading my tools, finding new seeds to plant, and exploring islands. While it might not occupy quite the same life sim space as Pokopia, I do think Collector's Cove offers up a sweet alternative or complement to it, and if you've ever wanted to have your own Lapras-like companion to farm alongside, VoodooDuck's adventure is worth getting on board with.

Collector's Cove is out now on PC, PS5, and Switch. Explore more highlights with our Indie Spotlight series.