Genre: Farming simulation
Developer: Phoenix Labs
Publisher: Phoenix Labs
Release Date: September 23rd, 2023
Edited by LoliNia
Fae Farm is a farm sim RPG from Phoenix Labs, the developers of Dauntless. It currently consists of the base game one DLC. The base game is primarily positive on Steam, yet the DLC is not. It is rated mostly
negatively because most of the ratings are from people who had already completed the base game and were expecting the DLC to add a bunch of end-game content. This is unfair to the developers and the game itself in many ways. However, I do understand where they are coming from. It benefits people who still need to complete the game or are just starting with it more than those who have completed it.
It is tricky for developers to strike that middle ground because no matter what, someone somewhere will not be happy regardless of what you do. Anyway, let me get into my thoughts on the game. The game’s looks and feels makes me think of a cross between Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. Even though the market is currently saturated with this type of game, either in early access, coming soon, or even gold status, this game stands out above most. How the story starts is the standard for the genre. You receive some form of communication and leave your life to take over a run-down farm. After the initial hook, the game has a decent story and keeps you engaged.
As a fan of this genre, I enjoyed the core story of the game I got to experience while writing this review. It’s bolstered by the graphics reasonably well. I love how it’s cutesy, like Animal Crossing, and has
the vibrancy of color like the more modern Harvest Moon games. The whole overall graphical nature of the game has a pop to it. I especially loved the swimming animations. In general, all the animations are, for the most part, fluid. I ran into no graphical bugs or clunkiness while playing the game for review purposes.
The music for the game is very relaxing and fits the game like a glove. Cris Velasco, who composed the music for the game, knocked it straight out of the park for what they were trying to achieve. I also found no issue with the sound effects for chopping wood, mining, and other activities. There is no disconnect between actions and sounds at all. If anything could be done to improve the overall audio, it would be some voice acting. Moving onto the gameplay mechanics, they did some things differently, and I am very thankful for them.
For instance, how they handled the quick bar and farming tools. They did away with the quick bar that usually pulls from the first line of your inventory. In its place is a quick wheel where you select all your tools or use your mouse wheel to cycle through them. In addition, all your farming tools are under one tool. Selecting the farming implements auto changes whether you are logging, mining, or even watering your crops. This is a quality-of-life change that all farming sims need. That and your crafting stations also pull from your storage without any additional things built.
The rest of the mechanics are standard for the genre, except for the fishing system and the fact that you can swim. The fishing system is probably one of my favorites in this type of game. It is straightforward in its design. They even have the option to make it so that when reeling the fish in, you auto-reel and can click again to stop reeling before your line breaks. There is another mechanic that is an absolute godsend. The fact is if you stay out all night until the day ends, there is absolutely no penalty at all. I mean it! Lose track of time cashing down critters to catch, No problem. Trying to get that last piece of ore in the dungeon, same thing. The not-making-it-out-the-dungeon thing is especially wow for me.
I can’t tell you how annoying that was in Stardew, which can be quite punishing if the wrong person rescues you. The rest of the game is pretty much standard for what people expect in games like this nowadays. Side note: the only accessibility options are for colorblind issues. Granted, not more than that is really needed for games like this, but it is nice to have. So, to cap things off for this review, let’s go over a few key things. We have some colorful and vibrant graphics.
Some much-needed quality of life changes to the genre in how the farming tools work. A godsend of a mechanic is the fact you don’t get punished for staying out until the day ends. So, with everything I discussed, it is a game worth getting. However, the price of $39.99 and $59.99 for the standard and deluxe editions on Steam and Epic Games may be on the high end for some. It is also available on Nintendo Switch for $59.99.
Pros:
- Graphics that pop
- QOL changes needed for the genre
- Relaxing music
Cons:
- Price may be high for some
BoxCatHero gives Fae Farm a Drastik Measure of 8.9 out of 10.0 (89)
