All posts tagged in Farming Sim
Jun 14, 2023
Welcome to Everdream Valley, an inviting and cozy little piece of the world where your grandparents have a farm. Unfortunately, Grandma and Grandpa went on vacation for a while, and the farm has fallen into disrepair. They need help restoring the farm, and your parents have volunteered you! You’ll get to spend the whole summer with your grandparents, restore the farm, take care of adorable animals, and experience the magic that comes out at night!
An Abundance of Animals
I’m not sure I’ve played a game with quite so many animal options. Stardew Valley has a handful of the barnyard staples, Wylde Flowers has recently added more options, and so on. Everdream Valley, though, has a heavy focus on the animals, and I love it. There are pigs, cows, chickens, horses, ducks, deer, geese, alpacas, sheep, bees, wild boar, magpies, beavers, frogs, beetles, butterflies, mice, snails, and different kinds of fish. Nevermind the different variations of the farm animals. Each one has several different breeds, which makes for a colorful barnyard. Nevermind that they’re round, and you can pet them. You’ll even get to choose from a variety of dog breeds, and have a cute little kitty running around
At the time I played this beautiful game, the only way to get new animals was by visiting the merchant, then pet them to make them follow you, and run to the farm. Chickens you can carry, thankfully, as petting only makes them follow you for a whole 20 seconds.
Pair the 20 second time with the fact that they’re essentially feral unless they’re on your farm with their wooden sign. So they run if the 20 seconds is up, and you need to chase them to pet them again. This mechanic made some of the quests where you fetch critters, well, annoying. However, the Everdream Valley team listened to the constructive criticism and introduced a magic flute that makes animal following SO much easier. Play the flute and they’ll follow. Play the flute again and they stop following.
The Map
The map is HUGE… and lifeless. There are quite a few areas to run around and discover new animals, useful items to grab, and bushes and trees to take back to your orchard. From a beautiful forest, to lush fields, and winding rivers, Everdream Valley has a beautiful atmosphere, but the map is almost too big. You can’t walk through the rivers (which look more like shallow streams), so you’re stuck using a single bridge to access each area past the farm. Unfortunately, the bridges are usually not in a convenient position, so trekking across the map is a time-consuming undertaking. It is nice to just wander around and take in the beauty of nature, though.
That said, things feel a little empty, too. There’s you, Grandma, Grandpa, and the merchant at the farm. That’s all you have to interact with, besides the animals. It makes for a lonely experience, though it does allow you to focus on farming and quests instead of running around to build relationships with people. So, maybe it’s more of a nice little break from the norm.
The Minigames
Every night you dream of a talking scarecrow who shows up with a handy roulette wheel. Spin the wheel to see where your dreams take you. Perhaps you’ll be a duck fighting to get her ducklings in a row, or a goat jumping across an obstacle course, or even your trusty dog defending the farm from thieving wolves.
The way these minigames are used make for an interesting change from the usual. What minigame you play will be different night to night (unless you have bad luck like me), and you can even skip them altogether. You forfeit any rewards you would have gotten from them, but I really enjoy having the option to just not do the minigame when I’m not feeling like completing them. Some of them are a little annoying, too
I’ll admit I’m not the most dexterous gamer, so maybe it’s on me, but I felt like the goat minigame was difficult when simply walking knocked over obstacles, which reset the game. Or the magpie game was difficult to maintain an appropriate flying height without crashing to the ground. My biggest complaint is the wolves not only stealing your sheep if you don’t chase them off in the dream, but they break SO many fences. I dreaded spinning that minigame, but much like the addition of the magic flute, the Everdream Valley team listened and added a mode that made the wolves a lot more lenient.
Final Thoughts
I know I brought up a few issues I had with the game, but overall the game is nice. There’s no pressure to complete quests as soon as possible. Run around and explore, farm, and decorate your treehouse whenever you wish, and complete those quests as you feel like it. And we can’t forget Grandma and Grandpa. Aside from giving out quests, they’re not just there for random conversation. Every morning Grandpa actually gives you crops and animal products they’ve collected, which you’ll need to sell to earn money to buy more animals.
What’s really great about this game is their development team. It’s not a perfect game, but instead of ignoring player feedback, the devs accept it graciously, then actually implement changes. From the magic flute for easier animal following, to the more lenient dream wolves option, Everdream Valley has seen quite a few excellent quality of life changes in their recent update. There’s now object rotation to make decorating easier and better. You can now turn off animal breeding, too, if you’re being overrun by babies. And for those of us who get motion sick, a crosshair has been added to give us a visual anchor for smoother, more enjoyable gameplay.
There’s a LOT of great work going into this game, it seems, and I’m excited to see what new features get added.
Overall, I’d give Everdream Valley
You can find Everdream Valley on Steam and PlayStation, with an upcoming release on Nintendo Switch.
Want more reviews? Check out this Roots of Pacha review, as well as this one on Ooblets.
- Jan 31, 2023
Farm, Learn Magic, Befriend the Town
In Wylde Flowers, you play as Tara as she starts her new life in the town of Fairhaven, located on a small rural island. She may be a city girl turned farmer with little outdoors experience, but she has the can-do attitude needed to help Gramma Wylde take care of the family farm.
Learn how to plant and care for crops, mind animals, and gather materials like mushrooms and wood. You can also learn to fish, craft items, and much more!
Wylde Flowers features a diverse multicultural cast of characters. Get to know each of them through talking, quests, and story moments. Each one has a compelling backstory and even personal mysteries to discover. You may even find romance and love in one of them! Or if you prefer, platonic relationships and friendships are available and equally fruitful.
Rural life isn’t the only new thing for Tara, though. She’s also learning to become a witch! You will learn how to fly your broomstick, craft potions, control the weather and the seasons, and turn into a cat. Join the local coven who will guide you in your lessons.
Available on Steam Now
Wylde Flowers is already available to play on Apple Arcade and is now also available on Nintendo Switch and Steam. There is currently a free demo available on Steam, too.
The game is also getting a huge free content update, take a sneak peak here.
Check out Sun Haven or Super Zoo Story more cute sim games.
- Jan 21, 2023
Farm, Clean the Environment, and Embark on Adventure
In the relaxing farm sim game No Place Like Home, play as Ellen Newland, a young woman who’s come to visit her grandpa on his farm one last time before moving to Mars with the rest of Earth’s population. However, she discovers Grandpa is missing and the farm and town are trashed.
Embark on a journey to clean up the environment by destroying piles of trash and vacuuming up the remnants. Hidden within the piles of garbage are trapped farm animals looking for a friend to rescue them, and seeds to grow crops on your farm. You’ll also discover the few townsfolk left on Earth as you uncover the town in your adventures. Befriend them and they may prove to be helpful in your search for Grandpa and in your quest to restore the farm to a thriving homestead.
The fun doesn’t end there, though. You can use the garbage you collect to craft items. Create things to help you make the farm a better and more functional place. You can also decorate the inside of your home. Take it from the dusty, unkempt place to sleep, and turn it into a place all your own!
Available Now
No Place Like Home is developed by Chicken Launcher, and published by Realms Distribution. You can find it on Steam, along with information about the new patch update that was released August 9th.
I also recommend checking out My Time at Portia, and the upcoming sequel, My Time at Sandrock for some similar feeling games.
- Jun 12, 2020
The developer of Lonefarm, Roberto Ortiz, has released new information on his upcoming farming and life sim game.
Lonefarm is an upcoming farming and life sim game created by sole developer Roberto Ortiz. In my previous coverage, I learned that Lonefarm has a unique take on the farming sim genre, in that it is a first-person horticulture mastery title. Not only that, but there is also a bit of driving simulator when you have to make town runs in your Volkswagen Bulli 76, a sort of truck version of the Volkswagen minibus.
Learnin bout this drivin thang. Finer details.
Also, it should be noted that this farming game takes place on an island. Not just any ole island, an island in the middle of nowhere. You will find much peace as you spend most of your time alone. However, the island is not desolate.
After all, you will need certain supplies that aren’t going to spawn out of thin air. You won’t have to create them either. There will be a town that you drive to where you can interact with townsfolk, and purchase the goods and materials that you need to run a fully functioning farm, as well as decorate your own little cabin.
The scenic route into town. Roberto also recently released a small features list to give followers and fans a simpler idea as to what his game will be comprised of.
- Take care of your crops. Buy soil, compost and seeds to harvest everything you can.
- Decorate your cabin. Go to the stores in the nearby town and buy what you want.
- Drive your Bulli 1976 to town. Load all your harvest in the Bulli and drive to town to sell it.
Behind the scenes of Lonefarm
As previously mentioned, the game is being developed by just one man who goes by the name Roberto Ortiz. Roberto, previously a programmer in a metroidvania-style game at a company in Mexico City, has been working on Lonefarm by himself since November of 2019. However, Roberto recently acquired the assistance of musical composer Matías Pantó back in May. Matías “likes classical music and flamenco, and his inspirations are Nobuo Uematsu, Joe Hisaishi, Kow otani and Takeo Watanabe.”
The inside of your home. Roberto has even given a closer look at the games that have inspired the creation of Lonefarm. Robert states,
“I love games where you can find secrets and collect things, as well as interact with devices. Push buttons, open valves, open and close doors, etc. Lonefarm is a representation of this personal taste. In addition, many games have inspired this development, such as: My Summer Car, Gone Home, Stardew Valley and Firewatch.”Lonefarm Video
More info.
Lonefarm is still quite deep in development. When the game is ready for Early Access, it will be released on Steam for both Windows and Mac.
For more information on Lonefarm, you can check out the official website. To stay up to date with what is going on in the development department, I highly recommend that you follow the game on Twitter.
For more super cool upcoming farming sim games, check out my coverage of Ova Magica, a farming sim with a creature collection twist.
- May 17, 2020
Hokko Life is desribed as a ‘cosy, creativity filled community sim game’. The game is being developed by Robert Tatnell who runs his own indie game dev company, Wonderscope. Initially Wonderscope intended to both develop and publish Hokko Life. However, this is an understandably big feat for one person. Therefore in April 2020, it was revealed that Wonderscope had ‘teamed’ up with Team 17, who will now publish the game. Team 17 are notorious for publishing games such as My Time at Portia, Overcooked, and Yooka-Laylee. Hokko Life will hopefully release for PC via Steam at some point this year. The price of the game is not yet known.
About The Game:
Hokko Life begins with your player stepping off of a train. Having taken over your very own (albeit a little dusty and old) workshop, you are free to craft and create to your heart’s content.
The quiet village which you now call home needs your design expertise. Help create an endearing town for its inhabitants. Armed with paint and tools, you can design, build and decorate new homes for your new furry friends.
Players can craft materials and combine them how they wish. This allows you to create a variety of cool new furniture and items for the town. By collecting flowers and mixing paints, you can use them to design wallpapers, flooring and even clothing!
Given plenty of design choices, you could design a bright flowery wallpaper set, or instead create an urban-industrial furniture collection. Whatever your taste, with a workshop at hand, you have complete freedom in designing a beautiful town for the townsfolk.
Features:
- Chop, mine and dig for resources by venturing out to the forest or the abandoned mine. After bringing those resources back to town, where you can craft them into materials to use in your designs.
- Gather materials, head into your workshop and put your own spin on each item you make. The design table lets you build your own furniture. Here you can combine various shapes and materials using a simple yet powerful editor.
- Design a variety of wallpaper, flooring and T-Shirts for you and the villagers to wear. Feel like a famous fashion designer and get everyone in town wearing your bespoke designs.
- Enlist the help of the local builder in order to begin expanding the town. You get complete freedom over where buildings are located and then need to ensure they are ready for new villagers to move to town.
- Customize both the interiors and exteriors of any home. Release your inner interior designer and pick designs and place furniture to create a home your new friends will adore.
- Turn any plot of land into a place where plants and vegetables will grow. When your produce is ready, you’ll be able to sell it.
- Enjoy quiet moments at the various fishing spots located in Hokko and expand your fishing collection. The fish have unique habits, and so players will need to vary their approaches. Similarly, each catch provides it’s own challenge when you reel them in.
- Hokko is home to a wide variety of different insects. These insects can be caught and added to your collection. Be sure to keep a eye out, as some may be hiding in a bush.
So,
What’s new pussycat? Woah, woah. What’s new pussycat? Woah, oh, woah(ahem).About The Latest Devlog:
The latest Devlog from the creator of Hokko Life appeared on Steam on May 6th BST. In it, featured some exciting little updates about the game’s progress.
Now working with Team 17, Wonderscope have stated that ‘epic updates to Hokko Life’ have apparently already been made! The ones mentioned in the Devlog include:
Art Updates:
- More variety in the shape, pattern and color of mine rocks
- The fish receive makeovers. After contemplating how he’d like them to look, Robert settled ‘on a clean and stylized look’. Additionally, there are now a wider variety of fish in the game.
- Tidier textures for buildings. Using the workshop building, one of the older elements of the game, Robert gave it a newer style and cleaned up its texture.
- Improved ground textures. One of the biggest improvements is the appearance of the game’s grass. The grass is now 3D, has more depth, and in the words of Robert ‘brings the quality level up a notch’.
Other Changes & Additions:
Edit Designs Anywhere:
In April, Robert started work on allowing players to edit the design of objects in the world, by simply interacting with them. Until that point, players had to return all the way to their workshop in order to edit a design. They would also need that object in their backpack to do this. (Sound familiar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons crafting and customization peeves? 😂). Now, however, if players spot something that they want to edit, they can do so from anywhere in the world.
Lessening Hassle & Frustrating Things and Making Hokko Life More Immediate & Fun To Play:
Robert says in the Devlog that he will continue to think of ways to make the game more convenient and fun to play. He wishes to remove anything that might be a hassle to players in order to improve their gaming exprience. (Take notes, Nintendo 😂).
Another small change could possibly be the ability to evolve your players avatar. The information about this is in a recent Hokko Life Patreon post from May 15th. However the post is only accessible to the game’s Patreon supporters (which is totally fair btw!). If you are a supporter of the game on Patreon though, and know what this post is about, feel free to enlighten us! We’re curious!
You can check out an exclusive interview with the game’s solo developer, Robert Tatnell here.
And to get a more in-depth insight into the game, you should check out this article here.
You can visit the game’s website for info here and visit their Steam page and read their Devlogs here. Additionally, you can follow them on Twitter, and/or join their Discord server here.
- Oct 20, 2019
Classic Harvest Moon games are the foundation of most of the farming games we enjoy today. Since the original creator of Harvest Moon moved on to create Story of Seasons, many other developers try to capture the magic the original farming games had. Farm Folks is one of the games that succeeded in doing so.
More than 1500 backers pledged over 90.000 AUD to bring this project to life via Kickstarter. The farming simulation / RPG game lets players grow crops raise livestock, build relationship go on journeys and so much more. The game throws you right into an adventure, as it starts out by sailing on a boat gifted to you by our generous brother. The destination is finding your true purpose in life.
The tides turn quickly as the main character of the game will find himself caught up in a vicious storm. The waves, wind and rain turn your beautiful boat into nothing but few pieces of wood, washed ashore the player will have to start a whole new life on the shores of Softshoal island – the main location in the game.
From here on it is up to the player to build a new life. You will start to meet the citizen of the island who will guide and help you through this new adventure. Of course it wouldn’t be a Harvest Moon inspired game if there wasn’t farming, there are more than 60 juice, delicious crops you can grow – water, harvest eat and sell them!
Besides the traditional farming, players will also be able to enjoy, fishing and adventuring. One of the cutest aspects of the game are the adorable animals you can raise and take care of.
Farm Folks is currently available for PC in its early stage. The developers plan to release the game on Playstation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch afterwards. Check out the cute gameplay trailer for Farm Folks below!
You can wishlist Farm Folks on Steam right here.
For more Farming games make sure to check out Alchemy Story, and the recently confirmed Story of Season for Nintendo Switch.
Farm Folks Features
- It wouldn’t be much of a farming simulator without farming, would it? Farm Folks features the time-tested farming mechanic in which players can purchase or forage seeds and begin to grow their farm into a bountiful and rewarding resource.
- it’s our goal to introduce somewhere around 60 juicy crops for our players to rake in that sweet, sweet digital profit. Crops and other grow-ables will be divided into 4 categories – spring, summer, fall, and winter. This means certain crops can only be grown in specific times of the year, read more on farming below.
- Animals are an important part of any world, giving the land life and personality. Plus, they’re just dang cute! The animals and critters of Farm Folks are a big part of our game, and we want to make sure that the player feels a strong bond with their pets and livestock.
- Otto, the local fisherman of Port Meridia, would call it a crime if you couldn’t bait your rod and cast it to the blue in a place like this! Fishing is one of the most relaxing activities in Softshoal, and a popular pastime in Port Meridia thanks to the surrounding seas and rivers.
- Sep 22, 2019
Hearthstead is an upcoming farming and life RPG game with all the elements needed to make for an engaging experience. Games like Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon have redefined the farming and lime simulation genre, with marriage relationships, seasonal events and just so much more to do.
Hearthstead aims to capture the hearts of the above named games by retaining beloved features as well as adding new gameplay mechanics to the popular video game genre. The game is set in a fantasy like world while still being relatable to our current environment. However, the fantasy setting allows the game to take different paths with very little to no creative restrictions. I am thinking fairies, mermaids and garden gnomes who can help with chores!
Hearthstead features an unseen level of customizations
The developers behind Hearthstead are making a big push for customizations and allowing the player to enjoy the game the way they want to. In example on the official Heartstead website the creators say “Customize, customize, customize: Build and personalize your farm, your home and your character to your heart’s content. Hundreds of customization options await you!”
This is especially exciting for farming and life simulation games as they are to be played for a long period of time and creating your own world is a big part of the joy. The developers further explain that customization options don’t stop here, players will be able to adjust pretty much anything to their liking.
Change how fast time goes by
Some players find the time restrictions in games like Stardew Valley or Story of Seasons to be somewhat of a burden. Hearthstead tackles this issue by allowing players to adjust any of these things “Find fishing too hard? Toggle easy fishing! Time goes by too fast? Tweak the timescale!” This level of customization is something I personally am very excited about!
Hearthstead is currently in development for PC with no release date yet. The developers are not ruling out a release for Nintendo Switch and other consoles later on! You can follow the developers on Twitter for up to date information on the games progress of course I will be keeping an eye on this little gem myself as well!
For more farming related news, Chucklefish is working on the Stardew Valley of Magic.
A new Story of Seasons for Nintendo Switch has also been confirmed and is well underway!
Hearthstead Features
Enjoy your fantasy life in the town of Hearthstead. You own a piece of the land and it’s up to you to decide how to engage with the game world.
Farming, crafting, fishing, foraging, town events, holidays and more! Activities and tasks are abundant and ready for you to engage with.
A colorful and varied cast of characters for you to meet: Dozens or interesting individuals make life in Hearthstead and its surrounding area. Uncover interesting stories and take part in the life in town.
Customize, customize, customize: Build and personalize your farm, your home and your character to your heart’s content. Hundreds of customization options await you!
Player options and accessibility are key: The game features many options to fine tune the mechanics to your own style of play. Find fishing too hard? Toggle easy fishing! Time goes by too fast? Tweak the timescale! You’ll be able to play and enjoy Hearthstead your way!
Want a little bit of Animal Crossing New Horizons in your home? Check out this adorable gardening kit!
- Aug 31, 2019
Described by the developers as “cooking manga meets monster-farming sim”, Sushi Wildlands is a game we want to keep track of! More seriously called a first-person, open world RPG, Sushi Wildlands is based on an original manga by the developers themselves. The game will be on Kickstarter soon! For now, you can keep track of the game developers via Twitter, Discord or Steam.
Could Sushi Wildlands be Shokugeki no Soma meets Slime Rancher?! It’s a cooking game and a farming simulation all in one! We could really get behind a crazy mash-up like that. You’ve inherited your beloved grandpa’s sushi shop and must defend it against the thug-like owner of a rival sushi shop. Your rival believes that expensive ingredients and dishes and setting make the sushi, but you believe it’s all about TASTE.
To prove yourself right, you will have to make your sushi shop a success. But you aren’t wealthy like your rival! So you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and dive into the magical wildlands connected to your shop. There you can gather materials and capture ‘sushimon’ and construct a farm to keep them in. Sushimon appear to be bouncy little creatures that look like sentient rice balls. (We want some!) Your sushimon will then provide you with everything you need in Sushi Wildlands. Harvest them for all the awesome ingredients they can poop out! (Yes…literally. But at least that means we get to keep our rice ball buddies. No slaughtering the stock in Sushi Wildands!)
Game Features
- Open world RPG hunting and farming simulator combined with crafting mechanics
- Real-time weather and seasons that affect gameplay, creatures and NPCs
- Explore and discover huge variety of fauna and flora in the Wildlands
- Upgrade your sushi restaurant
- Manga provides backstory, clues and Easter eggs.
No specific date has yet been revealed for when Sushi Wildlands will head to Kickstarter, but we’ve got our eye on it now and will be sure to update you when it does!
If this post has given you a yen for sushi, satisfy your craving with games like Rolling Hills or The Sushi Spinnery.
