Both are cozy boat games about fishing and helping a small community, but they focus on different jobs. Moonglow Bay (Bunnyhug, 2021) is a fishing and cooking game: you take over a fishing boat after losing your partner, cook your catch, and help a sleepy Canadian town recover. A Short Sail is a cozy errand game: you are a tabby cat with a sailboat who delivers mail, fishes and makes friends across the islands. Pick Moonglow Bay for fishing, cooking and a story about grief; pick A Short Sail for sailing the island post with friends.
Short answer first: if you want fishing and cooking with a gentle story about grief and a town that needs you, play Moonglow Bay. If you want to sail the island post, fish by day and night, and play with friends online, try A Short Sail. We make A Short Sail, so we tried hard to be fair. Here is the honest comparison.
Who makes each game
Moonglow Bay is by Bunnyhug and published by Coatsink. It came out in 2021 on PC and Xbox, and it is also on Switch, PS4 and PS5. It is set on the east coast of Canada in the 1980s, and it has a blocky voxel look. It is Playable on Steam Deck, its Steam reviews are Mixed, and it takes about 19 hours, according to HowLongToBeat.
A Short Sail is made by Yos Riady, a solo developer. It is still in development and coming to Steam and itch.io in Q1 2027, for PC (Windows), Mac, the web and Steam Deck. The free demo plays in your browser now at play.ashortsail.com.
What is alike
Fishing from a small boat. In both games, you take a small boat out on the water and fish. Moonglow Bay has many fish to catch around its bay, plus sea legends to chase. In A Short Sail, different fish bite in different waters and at different hours, and a few are rare shiny ones.
A community that needs you. In Moonglow Bay, you help a sleepy town recover and bring its people back together. In A Short Sail, the islands need your help, and the islanders become your friends when you help them with their requests.
A slow, gentle pace. Both are cozy games with no real danger. You go at your own speed and come back to your routine day after day.
Upgrades. Moonglow Bay lets you upgrade your shop, your gear and your boat. In A Short Sail, you customize your boat with new sails, hulls and more.
What is different
Cooking or the post. Moonglow Bay’s second half of the loop is cooking: you turn your catch into recipes in little cooking games and sell them. A Short Sail’s other half is the island post: you pick up letters and parcels, pack them into your hold, and sail them out to the little islands.
One bay or many islands. Moonglow Bay is set around one town and its waters. A Short Sail has many little islands across a calm sea, each with its own beaches and secrets to find.
The story. Moonglow Bay is about a person in their sixties who carries on after losing their partner. It is warm, but it deals with grief. A Short Sail is lighter: you are a little tabby cat, and you uncover the secrets of the islands.
Home and events. Moonglow Bay’s home is the town and your shop. A Short Sail gives you a home island to name as you like, where you build up your home island. A weekly calendar brings a fishing contest, a regatta, a lantern festival and a night market.
Sea battles. Moonglow Bay has no fights. A Short Sail has gentle sea battles against storms and living waves, never people or animals, and no fighting on foot.
Together on one screen or online. Moonglow Bay has drop-in local co-op on one screen. A Short Sail plays online with friends: you host or join a lobby, ride along in a friend’s boat and play flag tag.
Out now or coming soon. Moonglow Bay is out now. A Short Sail comes in Q1 2027, and only its demo is out now.
Side by side
| Moonglow Bay | A Short Sail | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Bunnyhug | Yos Riady |
| Release | 2021 | Q1 2027 (in development) |
| You play | A fisher in their sixties | A tabby cat with a sailboat |
| Main thing you do | Fish, cook and help a town recover | Deliver mail between islands, fish and make friends |
| Setting | One bay on Canada’s east coast | Many little islands in a calm sea |
| Combat | None | Gentle sea battles only, no timers |
| Home base | The town and your shop | Your home island and its old cottage |
| Multiplayer | Local co-op on one screen | Alone or online with friends |
| Steam reviews | Mixed | Not out yet |
| Length | About 19 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Not shared yet |
| Platforms | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox | PC (Windows), Mac, Web, Steam Deck |
Who should play which
Play Moonglow Bay if you want a fishing game where the catch goes into the pan, and a story with real heart about carrying on after a loss. It is also a good pick if you want to share one screen with someone on the couch. For more like it, see our cozy fishing games.
Play A Short Sail if you want to sail between many islands, deliver the post and fish at night, with animal friends and a home to fix up. It is the pick if you want to play with friends online. Try the free demo first: it runs in your browser, and your save carries over to the full game.
Play both if you love calm boat games. They share a gentle heart but give you different jobs. Our best cozy sailing games and relaxing boat games lists have more.
Our own game
We make A Short Sail, and we tried to be fair to Moonglow Bay. You can get it on Steam.
Questions
Is A Short Sail like Moonglow Bay?
Partly. Both are cozy games where you fish from a small boat and help the people around you. Moonglow Bay adds cooking: you cook your catch and sell it to grow your shop. A Short Sail adds the island post: you deliver letters and parcels between little islands, as a tabby cat.
What is Moonglow Bay about?
You play a person in their sixties who takes over the family fishing boat after losing their partner. You fish, cook and sell recipes, chase sea legends, and help a sleepy town on Canada's east coast recover. The story is warm, but it deals with grief.
Can I play Moonglow Bay or A Short Sail with friends?
Moonglow Bay has drop-in local co-op on one screen. A Short Sail plays alone or online with friends: host a lobby or join one by its code or from a list of public lobbies, chat, ride along in a friend's boat and play flag tag. Its sea battles are single-player only.
Does either game have combat?
Moonglow Bay has no real combat: its sea legends are big fish to catch. A Short Sail has no fighting on foot, only gentle sea battles against storms and living waves, and there are no timers. Both games are safe picks if you want a calm boat game with no real danger.
Is Moonglow Bay good?
Its Steam reviews are Mixed. Players love the premise, the voxel look and the fishing, and some find the cooking and the middle of the game slow or repetitive. Read a few recent reviews before you buy. It takes about 19 hours, according to HowLongToBeat.
Are Moonglow Bay and A Short Sail on Steam Deck?
Moonglow Bay is Playable on Steam Deck. A Short Sail comes to Steam in Q1 2027 for PC (Windows), Mac, the web and Steam Deck, and its free demo plays in your browser now at play.ashortsail.com. Demo saves carry over to the full game, so nothing you do in the demo is lost.
