If you're looking for a cozy, relaxing farming sim, this game might be more complex than you'd like. If you're a time-tested, monster of a farming sim veteran, this game will challenge you in new, interesting ways.
You've min-maxed horizontal layouts over and over... but have you ever min-maxed *vertical* farming? Enjoy the sweet delight of building the perfect layout, only to unlock some new feature that requires you to completely unmake and remake all your hard work! (You can't re-arrange lower shelves without destroying the upper shelves first.) Watch acid rain and heat waves slowly damage everything you own while you scour for water bottles to make flimsy plastic shields, praying they last long enough until the weather clears. Keep restoring the environment bit by bit to make the world a little bit better at a time.
Gameplay is fun, music is great, plot is simple and endearing. There are a few times I glitched through the floor, but they have a button built right into the start screen to get unstuck that worked every time so it was never a big deal. Love the fast forward button to move scenes and dialogue along quicker. I also appreciated how every element of this game ultimately gave you another piece of the story and enhanced the gameplay. It's worth it to befriend the villagers because they also unlock upgrades, like longer store hours or new key items. The factions give you new tools or open up new areas. Filling the encyclopedia advances the plot rather than just a side gig. The ending does get a bit grindy. I ended up sleeping through a whole month to farm fish roe for one of the faction quests because I just wanted to get those last quests done. The biggest downside for me was just the sheer amount of mining ores to build structures, producers, and automations.
Overall a challenging and rewarding experience if you enjoy maximizing layouts and function.
