I have been playing farming simulation and management games since I was 7. Obscure games like “Squinkies” and “Littlest Pet Shop” are some of the earliest memories I have of gaming.
Excellent games have been released in this genre over the years, such as “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” and “Stardew Valley.” With “Fae Farm’s” release last month, I am here to say that I enjoy this game more than “Animal Crossing” and “Stardew Valley.”
“Fae Farm,” a farming simulator game developed by Phoenix Labs, released Sept. 8. You play as a customizable character with different skin tones, body types, voices and hair colors choices. The player is shipwrecked on an island and saved by a local town. As the player progresses through the game, they can craft items, grow produce, manage animals and fight their way through mines.
While “Fae Farm” shares many similarities to “Stardew Valley” and “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” the biggest difference between the two is the visuals. I particularly enjoy the visuals as they take into a more detailed style with three-dimensional models. The colors, along with the shading of the game itself, make “Fae Farm” a visual treat.
Similar to “Stardew Valley” and “Animal Crossing,” “Fae Farm” is a farming sim-style game but also involves combat like “Stardew Valley.” There are various monsters you have to fight in the dungeon, and, for the most part, killing them is optional. If you don’t fight them, they tend to get annoying and still follow you around, so it’s best if you end up fighting them. Another big aspect of this game is the characters you encounter.
“Fae Farm” has a bunch of unique characters. These characters are romanceable, and there are plenty of shopkeepers who will sell you materials and blueprints. Players can use blueprints to craft furniture or new recipes, which can help boost your energy. Your energy bar limits the amount of things you can do, but you can craft food that remedies this.
A helpful tip when starting to play is to clear your whole farm in the starting quest you receive because you will not run out of stamina. This saves you days clearing your farm like with “Stardew Valley.”
A unique aspect of “Fae Farm” is that it allows players to swim, which is a feature I haven’t seen in other games of this genre. You can swim virtually anywhere in the game, saving you time traveling and adding fun to the game.I think this feature is a highlight and actually adds a lot to traveling through the town.
The main difference in this game compared to most others is the grindy nature it has. Other farming games are very simple in their progression. “Fae Farm” is a lot more complex with its items and crafting.
This is the main complaint with other players, but for me, it is a positive. Having the freedom to choose tasks and then complete them to accelerate the story is a plus for me. However, itt becomes hard for me to focus on the large number of things I have to do. This makes it hard for me to know where to start, and then I feel overwhelmed with the amount of things I can do.
Another complaint is that the tutorial is too long. The tutorial may be a bit lengthy, but I feel like it is more of an introduction to farming-style games themselves and helps if you have no previous experience playing them. On top of that, I feel that it is overshadowed by all the fun activities the game includes.
The game itself is a fun time-waster. If you’re craving a farming sim to take up some time in your life with fun gameplay and good visuals, I recommend picking it up.